Rod Boshart

Reynolds bristled when asked her reaction to her Texas visit being a political stunt, saying those critics are missing the point and not looking at the data.

Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, has proposed federal legislation calling for the deportation of individuals seeking to enter the United States who have been convicted of violent sexual crimes.

Reynolds’ office did not provide details of the governor’s itinerary other than to confirm she will be part of a tour of the U.S. southern border and will hold a conference call with Iowa reporters in mid-afternoon following the event.

While senators are hearing concerns from their constituents over mask mandates and education-related topics, the Senate GOP leader said he expects this week’s special session will be confined to consideration of the proposed redistricting maps only and likely be completed in a day.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said he expects 2021 to be “another year where you’re going to have a lot of variability, but I think generally we can say things look better than we might have expected.”

But legislative Democrats have pressed for more state investments in K-12 education, regent universities, water quality, pandemic recovery and other perceived needs rather than stockpiling money for more tax cuts.

In a quick and abrupt development with little explanation, officials with the Iowa Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that Dr. Caitlin Pedati plans to leave in October.

Last year, 95.9 percent of Iowans seeking a high school equivalency diploma passed the HiSET exam compared with 80.5 percent nationally.

“The monthslong surge in illegal crossings has instigated an international humanitarian crisis, spurred a spike in international criminal activity, and opened the floodgates to human traffickers and drug smugglers endangering public health and safety in our states,” the governors wrote.

Democrat Tom Miller, already the longest-serving state attorney general in U.S. history, is hoping to add another four years to his record run in 2022.

Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent in August — a level that was well below the national rate and the number of Iowans who were thrown out of work a year ago during the economic throes of COVID-19 pandemic.

As president of Iowa’s largest teacher’s union, Mike Beranek, 61, has been at the tip of the spear in advocating for safe school settings, fair working conditions and compensation for his 34,000 members and adequate state funding to meet the needs of nearly 500,000 students educated in a system that traditionally has been highly regarded nationwide.

Opioid-related deaths increased by 35 percent in Iowa in 2020, following a national trend that has advocates raising the alarm about the surge. State officials reported 213 opioid-related deaths last year, up from the 157 deaths reported in 2019 and a previous high of 206 in 2017.

“Futures betting and a handful of college games are enough to move the needle. That’s how important football is to the sports betting industry,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network.

State money to replace county levies