From the Associated Press:
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, who is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, announced he would run for re-election in 2022 and not for governor as some supporters had been urging. Sand said in a video posted to his Twitter account Tuesday that he would not challenge Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is expected to run for re-election to a second full term. The decision leaves Democrats without a candidate who has been elected to statewide office in the race for governor. State Rep. Ras Smith of Waterloo and Des Moines businesswoman and political organizer Deidre DeJear are among those running for the party’s nomination in the June primary.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines say a suspect has died and an officer chasing him across a city street was seriously injured when both were hit by a car. Police say the incident began Monday night when the officer spotted a van driving in reverse on a city street, then pull into a parking lot. Police say the officer stopped and questioned the van’s driver, who soon ran away. The officer gave chase, and a struggle between two men occurred. The 31-year-old suspect then ran into SE 14th Street, followed by the officer, and both men were hit by a vehicle. They were rushed to a hospital, where the suspect died. The 48-year-old officer remained hospitalized Tuesday.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state panel has agreed to spend nearly $2 million to settle two federal lawsuits brought against the University of Iowa in 2017 after a religious group denied a gay student a leadership role. The Iowa State Appeal Board on Monday approved the court ordered settlements. Lawyers for the student group Business Leaders in Christ were awarded $1.37 million dollars in fees and costs for litigating the case. Intervarsity Christian Fellowship will be paid $20,000 in damages and about $513,000 in attorney fees. The cases stem from the university delisting the two organizations for what officials said was a failure to comply with civil rights.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Masks will continue to be required in Iowa courtrooms and some proceedings may continue to be held via teleconference under orders issued by the Iowa Supreme Court chief justice. The requirement order by Chief Justice Susan Christensen on Monday includes all counties and everyone regardless of vaccination status. All 99 Iowa counties are considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be experiencing a high rate of COVID-19 spread. The mask requirement stands out since Iowa has no other personal protective requirements regarding the virus. Gov. Kim Reynolds has resisted mask mandates and is fighting in court to prevent school districts from imposing them.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is continuing to see a high level of coronavirus cases with the number of confirmed infections rising significantly in the past week. State Department of Public Health data released Monday show 12,254 confirmed positive cases in the past week, up from 9,706 on Friday. There were 721 people hospitalized with the virus. Of those, 162 were in intensive care, up from 156 reported Friday. The CDC says Iowa has 57.2% of its population fully vaccinated, ranking it 24th in nation. A third of Iowans age 5 and older remain unvaccinated.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines say they’ve arrested a man suspected in a string of overnight arson fires involving half a dozen vehicles that also damaged at least two homes. Police say in a news release that the fires occurred starting around 11:30 p.m. Sunday into early Monday morning. The fires included six vehicle fires, two of which damaged homes, an electrical box fire and a trash fire that all happened within blocks of each other in northeastern Des Moines. Police say patrol officers spotted a person leaving the scene of the last fire around 2:20 a.m. Monday and arrested 32-year-old Andrew Anthony, of Des Moines. Police said later Monday that Anthony has been charged with seven counts of arson and a drug possession count.
