Week in Iowa: Recap of news from across the state

Gambling revenue may fall: The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has received studies projecting Iowa gambling revenue could fall somewhere between $183 million and $256 million a year because of the expansion of casinos in Nebraska.

School bills: Republican lawmakers have passed differing education bills that must next find a compromise agreement. Bills include school transparency requirements, parental objections to classroom materials and a proposed taxpayer-funded private school tuition assistance program.

Change of address: Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced that the annual National Change of Address process to update and maintain Iowa’s voter registration records is underway.

Help for Ukraine: Iowa’s public safety department donated 146 protective helmets and 714 ballistic vests to Ukraine.

Budget approved: The Johnson County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $138.4 million county budget — nearly 9 percent larger — but sharply scaled back recommended raises for themselves and other county elected officials for fiscal 2023.

They said …

“I think if you triple the amount of money that goes into a certain sector, whether it’s cotton candy or a gun shop or a luxury car dealership, you’re going to get more of them. I think if we add more money to the redemption centers, we’re going to get more redemption centers.”

— Sen. Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, during Senate floor debate on changes to the bottle bill at the Iowa Capitol.

“Gang-related shootings take up a fairly decent amount” of time for the Davenport Police Department's major crimes unit.

— Davenport police detective Jordan Sander, during a preliminary hearing on a murder case involving rival gangs.

Odds and ends

Vegan treat: The Iowa State University Creamery has named a vegan frozen treat after Lucy Slizewski, a senior studying culinary food science and nutrition science.

On the path: The oculus on the Interstate 74 bridge bike and walking path in the Quad Cities has been put in place. When the path opens, users will be able to look through the oculus and see the Mississippi River below.

Conviction upheld: The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the second-degree murder conviction of Annette Dee Cahill, whom a Muscatine County jury found guilty last year in the cold-case beating death of 22-year-old Corey Wieneke in 1992.

Water cooler

Signatures challenged: Two Democratic candidates — Attorney General Tom Miller and former state Rep. Abby Finkenauer — ended up with just enough qualifying signatures on their candidate filing forms to remain on the 2022 ballot.

More arrests in murder case: Des Moines police arrested four more teenagers on charges of murder in the March 7 shooting death of a 15-year-old outside East High School, bringing the total number of people arrested in the case to 10.

Iowan exits show: The show’s judges and viewers didn’t vote Alisabeth Von Presley of Cedar Rapids into the semifinals after the first round of “American Song Contest” on NBC-TV. The judges ranked her anthem, “Wonder,” eighth out of the 11 contestants.

More in the news

Hoover Service Award: Rep. Cecil Dolecheck, R-Mount Ayr, and Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, were presented the 2022 Hoover Uncommon Public Service Award. The award is presented annually to Iowa legislators who exemplify the late President Herbert Hoover’s humanitarian efforts.

New venue: Henry Earl Dinkins, the Davenport man accused in the kidnapping and shooting death of 10-year-old Breasia Terrell in July 2020, has been granted a change of venue for his trial. A new location has not been decided.

More bird flu: Northwest Iowa’s Buena Vista County has recorded another case of the highly contagious bird flu — its fourth outbreak this year. The latest case makes 10 outbreaks recorded this year — and all in March — to strike in Iowa.

Wages owed: A federal judge has ruled the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics not only violated wage laws by paying workers late, but it did so intentionally and must pay “liquidated damages” to more than 8,000 current and former UIHC employees.