Week in Iowa, Oct. 2, 2023: Recap of news from across the state

NASCAR race coming to Iowa: NASCAR's top racing series is coming to Iowa next year. The best stock car drivers in the world will compete on the Iowa Speedway in Newton during Iowa's first-ever NASCAR Cup race June 16. The track also will host two other NASCAR series races that weekend.

The move was celebrated this past week by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, who designed the Newton track. The new NASCAR Cup Series race will be sponsored by Iowa Corn, a collective of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board.

Iowa delegation defends McCarthy: A rebellion from House Republicans' far-right flank triggered a vote to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the speakership last week. Iowa's all-Republican House delegation voted to keep McCarthy in the leadership position, but eight Republicans joined all Democrats to vacate the speaker’s office for the first time in history.

City clerk allegedly stole thousands: A former city clerk in Danbury, a small town in Western Iowa, is accused of spending more than $175,000 on personal items like clothing and home goods during her 27-month tenure in the position, according to a report from Iowa Auditor Rob Sand. Stacy Rockdaschel, the former clerk, was arrested last week by the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office on a theft charge.

Showdown over school boards: School board races in Iowa's suburbs are being drawn along battle lines that reflect state-level politics. Candidates are organizing around parental involvement, social issues, curriculum and library book restrictions. Groups like Moms for Liberty and One Iowa are endorsing and getting involved in the contentious races.

The campaigns are more well-funded operations than they have been in years past, reaching fundraising numbers usually achieved by statehouse races. Candidates in the Des Moines suburbs are looking to raise $10,000 to $15,000 to remain competitive in their districts.

Iowa Republicans back Scalise for speaker: As U.S. House Republicans work to decide who will become the next speaker of the house, U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, both Republicans, said they support Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the current majority leader, for the role. Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio are top contenders in the race.

Businesses eligible for child care grants: Businesses can apply for a total of $5 million in child care grant funding from the federal American Rescue Plan, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced this past week. Businesses can receive up to $250,000 each for programs that provide child care services to their employees.

They said ...

“Incentivizing child care initiatives through collaboration with local businesses can help Iowans pursue opportunities that are best for their families. Tackling this challenge requires everyone in our communities to be part of the solution and this third round of funding underscores our commitment to making child care more accessible throughout the state.” — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on child care grants

“The amount of power that these boards have and the kind of vote that you need to turn out, moving forward, they need to be treated like state legislative races. They need to have that kind of money being involved.” — Campaign consultant Tim Nelson on school board campaigns

Odds and ends

2024 watch: Donald Trump was back to campaign in Eastern Iowa over the weekend, holding rallies in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also planned campaign events across the state.

Ramaswamy collision: Presidential candidate and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy said protesters hit his car when he held a campaign event in Grinnell last week, but local police said the incident was an accident. In a statement, Grinnell police said the driver of the car that struck a campaign car said she was not there to protest.

Water cooler

Auction delayed: After a long day in attorney offices in downtown Chicago, Mercy Iowa City announced Wednesday evening that the historic auction for its assets as part of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings would be continued “to a later date.”

Drought continues: Iowa's rainfall levels were below normal for the third year in a row, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Rainfall for the last water year, which ended Sept. 30, was more than 9 inches below normal.