Gazette Daily News Podcast: April 13 and 14, 2024

– Iowa Supreme Court weighs reinstating ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion ban

– 3 dead in Iowa-Wisconsin homicide, suicide

– Bigger clinic means more people can see a dentist

Episode Transcript

Coming up, the Iowa Supreme Court is weighing reinstating the ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion ban

And later, three people are dead in an Iowa-Wisconsin homicide and suicide

Plus, an expansion of Eastern Iowa Health Center opens appointments for low-income, elderly and immigrant patients

Welcome to the weekend edition of the Gazette Daily News Podcast. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

On Thursday, the Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the lawsuit challenging Iowa’s 2023 quote “fetal heartbeat“ end quote abortion ban. It bans most abortions at 6 weeks. That’s when cardiac activity can be detected in a fetus and before many know they’re pregnant. A district court blocked the law last year shortly after Reynolds signed it following a special legislative session.

Justices questioned lawyers for the state and Planned Parenthood, focusing on which legal standard should be applied to the law. Iowa’s Supreme Court no longer recognizes a fundamental right to abortion in the state constitution. So, the state argued that a “rational basis” standard should apply. That’s a minimum scrutiny standard. Prior to Roe v. Wade being overturned, the state had applied the “undue burden” standard to abortion, which is a strict scrutiny standard. The state argued that “undue burden” should no longer apply and that the fetal heartbeat law should go into effect.

Planned Parenthood lawyer Peter Im and other abortion providers said that the law should remain blocked because it violates multiple areas of the state constitution, including due process and a guarantee of equal rights for women. Im said quote, “There is no document that says that this court should defer to the Legislature when the Legislature passes a law that rides roughshod over the rights of Iowans to exercise bodily autonomy.” end quote.

There is no set date for the court to decide the case, although most are decided prior to the end of the court’s term. This year, the term ends June 28.

For a closer look, read the story linked in this episode’s description.

Next, Iowa and Wisconsin authorities are investigating what appears to be a domestic abuse situation that ended in the deaths of three people.

In a news conference Thursday, Wisconsin’s Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett detailed what happened. The sheriff’s office received a call at about 5:30 Wednesday evening from a family who told them that Alexander C. Grunke and a 13-year-old girl had dropped off a 5-month-old child at the family’s home in Dunn, Wisconsin. Grunke was in his late 30s and from Middleton, Wisconsin. Deputies located the car that Grunke and the girl left in and attempted a traffic stop. This led to a chase though the county. Barrett said Grunke and the girl fired a handgun and a rifle at the deputies pursuing them but deputies did not return fire.

Law enforcement officers stopped the car in Albion, Wisconsin using tire deflation devices. Grunke and the girl fled. The girl ran into a wooded area, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead from an unknown cause. Barrett said the girl had no obvious wounds and no weapons were found with her.

Grunke ran into a house, fired several rounds into the house and barricaded himself in the basement. Deputies were able to remove the family that lived there and they were not injured.

Dane County deputies attempted to talk to Grunke but were not able to make contact with him. Deputies used a robot to enter the home and found Grunke dead around 7 a.m. Thursday in an apparent suicide.

Two hours after the shootout, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office found 32-year-old Tana Poppe dead at her home in rural Dubuque County. The sheriff’s office said that Poppe’s death is being investigated as a homicide and Grunke is considered a person of interest. The 13-year-old girl had been staying with Poppe and had a 5-month-old baby. Authorities said that the relationship between Grunke and the 13-year-old and infant was not immediately clear.

According to Dane County court records, Poppe and Grunke shared a 9-year-old daughter. In October 2023, Poppe petitioned for a restraining order against Grunke twice. The Wisconsin State Journal reported records show multiple text messages with Poppe referring to Grunke as a quote “predator of children” end quote, telling him to leave her and her children alone.

If you or someone you know is involved in a domestic abuse relationship, here are some resources. Text “START” to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 88788 or call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). You can also call the Iowa Victim Service Call Center at 1-800-770-1650 or text “IOWAHELP” as one word to 20121.

Next, Eastern Iowa Health Center held a “floss-cutting” Thursday to celebrate the expansion of its dental clinic. The $5.6 million expansion almost triples the space of the original clinic and increases the number of chairs to 18. In 2023, the clinic reported over 10,300 patient visits. This year, it expects to exceed 65,000 visits. 77 percent of the visits are by people living below the federal poverty line, which is an annual income below $31,200 for a family of four.

The health center and dental clinic are nonprofit organizations that act as a federally qualified safety net provider for low-income, elderly and immigrant patients. About 8 percent of the clinics’ $18.5 million budget is federally funded.

Eastern Iowa Health Center president and CEO Joe Lock said quote, “People assume we are a free clinic, but we’re not. But if someone cannot afford it, we treat you anyway.” end quote. Patient fees are on a sliding scale and dependent on household income and household size.

Lock said quote, “There are seven classes of people we never turn away — children, veterans, pregnant women, the homeless, refugees, immigrants and individuals needing a medical clearance prior to major surgery,"

Find a link to each of today’s featured stories in this episode’s description or at thegazette.com.

Now let’s take a look at the weekend’s weather in Cedar Rapids. Saturday will be partly cloudy. Anticipate a high of 78 degrees and a low of 57 degrees. Sunday will be sunny. Expect a high of 80 degrees and a low of 38 degrees. Finally, Monday will be partly cloudy with a high of 80 degrees and a low of 62 degrees.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Stay updated with the latest Eastern Iowa news at thegazette.com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com