Week in Iowa: Recap of news from across the state

Iowa will resettle Afghan refugees, Reynolds says: Gov. Kim Reynolds said her office was working with federal officials to help relocate eligible Afghan refugees in Iowa who worked for the U.S. government and now are fleeing a country gripped with chaos after armed Taliban forces seized control of Kabul this past week.

No school mask mandate change: Gov. Kim Reynolds says she is leaving it up to parents to decide whether their children should wear masks at school, not school administrators.

People’s Choice winner: Chicken egg salad with Indian fry bread took top honors in the 2021 People’s Choice Best New Food Contest at the Iowa State Fair.

Gubernatorial candidate: Democrat Deidre DeJear, a small-business owner and political activist from Des Moines, launched her 2022 bid for governor.

They said …

“With solar projects in all of Iowa’s 99 counties and nearly 1,000 Iowans employed in the industry, the future looks bright.”

— Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg at a “Solar Day in Iowa" event at the Iowa State Fair

“It is unconscionable that high-tech military equipment paid for by U.S. taxpayers has fallen into the hands of the Taliban and their terrorist allies.”

— Sen. Joni Ernst, in a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

Odds and ends

MyPillow CEO: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell will headline a Sept. 11 remembrance in Davenport. The promoter said Lindell, who promotes discredited conspiracy theories that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, was “the perfect fit” for the event.

K-12 Design Challenge: Officials with the state Department of Education announced the Build Iowa’s Future Design Challenge. It’s described as an opportunity for K-12 students to create innovative projects, connect them to careers and compete for up to $1,000 awards for their schools.

COVID-19 test kits: Women incarcerated at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville are working to assemble COVID-19 at-home test kits.

The water cooler

Endorsement: AFSCME Council 61 has endorsed state Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Hiawatha, in her bid for the Iowa 1st Congressional District seat.

Alternating Currents: Despite increasing COVID-19 cases, the 2021 Alternating Currents festival in the Quad Cities went on, with 120-plus live performances, film screenings and art-related events over three days.

World travelers: The Stanley Center for Peace and Security awarded two Muscatine teachers the Catherine Miller Explorer Award, which offers a chance to travel abroad and gain global perspectives that can be passed along to their students.

More in the news

Billboard campaign: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched an Iowa billboard campaign taking Republican Reps. Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks to task for opposing the bipartisan committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Miller-Meeks broke with Republicans to support a bipartisan independent commission, but did not support the House Select Committee investigation, which also has Republican members.

Pro-weed: The first pro-marijuana legalization billboard in Iowa went up this past week outside Des Moines. It seeks signatures on a letter demanding legalization. Marijuana is legal for adult use in 18 states and the District of Columbia.

Management change: Gov. Kim Reynolds will name a new director of the Iowa Department of Management, replacing Michael Bousselot, who was nominated by Iowa Republicans as their candidate in an upcoming special legislative election.

Wings clipped: Iowa Democrats canceled the annual Wing Ding fundraiser over concerns of rising COVID-19 case numbers in Iowa.