From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa judge has ruled that 2019 state law passed by Republicans prohibiting Medicaid coverage for sex reassignment surgeries for transgender residents violates the Iowa Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection clause of the Iowa Consitution. Judge William Kelly ordered the Iowa Department of Human Services to provide coverage for sex reassignment surgeries when ordered to treat gender dysphoria. The ruling is a victory for Aiden Vasquez and Mika Covington, two Iowans represented by the ACLU of Iowa, who sought surgeries under their Medicaid plans but were denied. ACLU of Iowa Legal Director Rita Bettis Austen says it’s an historic win for civil rights in Iowa. Gov. Kim Reynolds says she disagrees with the district court’s ruling and is exploring all options moving forward.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Hedge fund Alden Global Capital, one of the country’s largest newspaper owners with a reputation for intense cost cuts and layoffs, has offered to buy the local newspaper chain Lee Enterprises for about $141 million. Lee owns the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Alden said in a Monday press release that it sent Lee’s board a letter with the offer. It already owns 6% of Lee’s stock and is proposing to buy the rest for $24 a share. A Lee spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Lee’s papers include the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Buffalo News, along with dozens of smaller papers.
CENTERVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A person was killed after authorities were called to a Centerville area home to check on a reported assault. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says Monday that Centerville officers and an Appanoose County deputy responded to the report about 3:45 p.m. Sunday at a location outside the city. After they arrived, someone fired shots and a person was killed. The dead person wasn’t identified. Officers were not injured. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting. Centerville is about 70 miles southeast of Des Moines.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — A man and woman face charges for allegedly restraining a man while striking and burning him in Cedar Falls. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 46-year-old Donovan James Danielson and 32-year-old Nicole Elise Sage could face life in prison if convicted. Both were arrested Sunday on first-degree kidnapping charges and it wasn’t immediately clear on Monday if they had attorneys. Police say the suspects were armed with a handgun when they restrained the victim to a chair, gagged and burned him and struck him with blunt objects inside a Cedar Falls home. The man later made his way to a motel and called police. The suspects are jailed on $500,000 bond each.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say they will continue to strive for fewer than 300 annual traffic deaths, but it won’t happen in 2021. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that as of Friday, Iowa traffic death count stood at 312. Iowa Department of Transportation officials say that outpaces the death toll for the same date in the four previous years, but it is below the 350 count by the same time in 2016 — the last year that highway crashes claimed more than 400 lives. A safety campaign will continue that urges drivers to slow down, buckle up, drive sober and remain distraction-free heading into the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Much of downtown Des Moines, Iowa, has been transformed in the past decade by new apartments, shops and restaurants, but a stench from animal processing plants still often lingers over all that shiny new development. Many other cities across the country are dealing with similar problems as angry residents deluge officials with complaints and file lawsuits. Companies have responded by installing new equipment, making payments to neighbors or even closing down. In Des Moines, officials recently began a comprehensive study that will lead to tighter regulations on some smelly manufacturing plants to finally clear the air.
