Week in Iowa, July 8, 2024: Recap of news from across the state

Food banks call to strengthen SNAP: Iowa food banks and anti-hunger advocates are calling on Congress to prioritize protecting and strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the upcoming farm bill. The group said they have seen a dramatic upswing in families visiting pantries for assistance.

The Iowa group joined more than 1,400 food banks, pantries and other anti-hunger groups across the country in a letter urging Congress to protect the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent changes to the Thrifty Food Plan to raise SNAP benefits.

Iowa GOP chair to nominate Trump at convention: Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann will give the speech this week at the Republican National Convention formally nominating Donald Trump as the party's nominee for president. Iowa hosted the first-in-the-nation Republican caucuses in January, which propelled Trump to a dominant position in the national primary.

AG asks SCOTUS to hear Trump case: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird co-led a court brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider a lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey challenging former President Donald Trump's hush-money prosecution in New York. The brief argues the Supreme Court is obligated to take up the challenge because it is a conflict between two states.

Dem candidates call on Biden to withdraw: Two of the four Democrats running for Congress in Iowa called on President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race last week, as concerns around his mental fitness and ability to beat Donald Trump pile up. Several sitting members of Congress have already called on him to end his candidacy.

Christina Bohannan, running in Iowa's 1st Congressional District, called for Biden to drop out on Thursday, and 2nd District candidate Sarah Corkery followed soon after. Both said Biden should pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden has defied critics and said he will stay in the race.

IndyCar races held in Newton: IndyCar weekend is here at the Iowa Speedway in Newton. A month after NASCAR made its debut at the track, IndyCar will return for a series of races and high-octane country and pop music. A 100-mile race was set for Saturday, and the Hy-Vee One Step 250 mile race will take off today.

New housing programs after flooding: More than 5,000 homes in Iowa have been impacted by recent natural disasters, including 2,000 that have been destroyed, Gov. Kim Reynolds said last week. Reynolds announced a new program to incentivize new housing and funding for an existing program that provides grants for housing recovery needs not covered by insurance or federal assistance.

They said ...

“We have been developing plans for the state’s immediate and long-term recovery for one of the most urgent needs that we’ve heard at every single stop, almost, that we’ve been at, and that is housing." -- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on impact of natural disasters

"Over the past couple of weeks, people all across Iowa have shared with me their grave concerns about President Biden — that it seems he is not up to the task of a strong, vibrant campaign that will provide a compelling vision for our future. I owe it to them to speak my mind. It is time for President Biden to withdraw from this campaign and pass the torch to a new generation of leadership." -- Iowa congressional Democratic candidate Christina Bohannan on Joe Biden

Odds and ends

New fair foods: The Iowa State Fair announced 84 new foods for this year's fair. The foods include a Cheeseburger Corn Dog, Hot Cheeto Float, Funnel Cake Burger, Garlic Ranch Pickle Pizza, Two Foot Lobster Roll, and many more. The fair will run from Aug. 8-18 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

Drake sues DMACC: Drake University is suing DMACC for trademark infringement over the community college's new logo, featuring the letter "D" in a similar block-style font to Drake's logo. Drake argues the new logo incorporates several of the styles of Drake's own logo. But DMACC says it will oppose the lawsuit, saying their branding is distinct and not an infringement of Drake's trademark.

Water cooler

Clearfield shooting: A shooting at a Taylor County Bar left 19-year-old Colby Nelson dead after an alleged argument, police said. Police said 37-year-old Alan Schultz and Nelson had a disagreement in a Clearfield bar. Schultz then drove home, retrieved a gun, returned and shot Nelson in the bar's parking lot, police said. Schultz unloaded the handgun, placed it on the ground and waited for officers to arrive.

Caitlin Clark bets: Sports gambling company Tipico Iowa was fined by state regulators for offering illegal bets on Caitlin Clark’s performance during an NCAA women’s basketball tournament game in March. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission fined the mobile sports betting company a total of $20,000 for two series of bets that it offered to gamblers in violation of state law.