Week in Iowa: Recap of news from across the state

Judge blocks immigration law: A state law that would allow officials to arrest and deport non-citizens who had previously been denied entry or deported will not take effect after a federal judge blocked the law this past week. The judge said the law conflicts with federal law and is unconstitutional.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird appealed the ruling to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals and said she expects the case, or something like it, will reach the Supreme Court. Immigrant groups promised to continue to fight the law in court, calling it hateful, discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Trucker died of hypothermia: A Wall Lake truck driver whose body was found in April after being missing for months died of hypothermia related to acute methamphetamine intoxication, according to a death certificate. David Schultz, 53, was found in a rural Sac County field about a quarter-mile from where his truck was discovered abandoned.

AG opens cold case unit: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced her office would be creating a new cold case unit to investigate more than 400 murders that have remained unsolved for years. Using an allocation of $530,000 from the state, the unit will feature three investigators and one prosecutor, Bird said.

Hemp groups sue state: Two Iowa companies that produce THC-infused beverages sued the state health regulator this past week seeking to prevent the state from enforcing a new law that limits the potency of consumable hemp products. The lawsuit argues the state health department is misinterpreting the law and that federal law preempts the state's regulation of hemp.

The law, which caps the amount of THC allowed in a product at 4 milligrams per serving and 10 milligrams per container, was passed by state lawmakers this year. They cited a lack of regulation over the industry and the availability of the products to minors as reasons for the law. Climbing Kites and Field Day Brewing, the companies in the lawsuit, say 80 percent of their inventory would be wiped out under the law.

Bird flu found on more farms: Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been found in at least eight dairy herds in northwest Iowa, and was found in a third poultry flock Thursday. Health experts say the threat to the general public remains low, and poultry products and pasteurized dairy products remain safe to consume.

Unemployment remains steady: Iowa's unemployment rate was 2.8 percent in May, matching the previous month and May 2023. The number of working Iowans dropped by about 2,200. Iowa Workforce Development officials said the state saw a moderate decrease in hiring in most sectors, and state programs have been successful in helping unemployed Iowans find work.

They said ...

"With this injunction states are left defenseless to the ongoing crisis at our southern border. Plainly, the Biden administration is failing to do their job and enforce federal immigration laws, allowing millions to enter and reenter without any consequence or delay." -- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on illegal immigration enforcement law

"We have to keep fighting, we have to keep going on, because this is not over yet. We have not received what we want. We want to stop the law, we want to cancel the law. That's what we want." -- Petra Mujica, immigration activist, on Iowa's immigration enforcement law

Odds and ends

Mercy Hospital lawsuit: MercyOne, the former managing partner of the bankrupt Mercy Iowa City, plans to appeal a judge’s decision earlier this month to confirm a liquidation plan for the insolvent community hospital that leaves the Des Moines health care system vulnerable to lawsuits.

Trump leads Biden: Half of likely Iowa voters support former President Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election, a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found. The poll found 50 percent of likely Iowa voters support Trump, while 32 percent support President Joe Biden. Nine percent said they would vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and 9 percent said they would vote for someone else, were not sure or would not vote.

Water cooler

Clarion investigation: The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting in an investigation after a deceased male and female were found in a rural Clarion residence Monday. An autopsy will be performed by the State Medical Examiner, and authorities did not release any further information.

Abortion decision: The Iowa Supreme Court is likely to rule on the constitutionality of Iowa's "fetal heartbeat" abortion law this week, the last week of the court's term. The law has been blocked since being signed last year, and the court's decision will likely define how far state lawmakers can go in regulating abortion.