From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A jury has awarded a Dubuque firefighter $575,000 in her lawsuit against the city for sexual harassment and discrimination. The jury found Friday that Jami Boss proved her claims of harassment and discrimination but did not prove a claim of retaliation. Boss, an equipment operator who has worked at the department since 2011, claimed in her lawsuit that she suffered years of sexual harassment while working as a firefighter, and that she was passed over for promotions in favor of male colleagues. An attorney for the city said he could not say if his clients would pursue the legal case further.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against Gov. Kim Reynolds by a group of six Des Moines area bars that challenged her brief shutdown of their businesses in August and September 2020 when COVID-19 was rapidly spreading. The bars initially sought damages but later dropped those claims and were asking the court to allow their case to go to trial so they could pursue a case to limit the governor’s powers to close targeted groups of businesses during a proclaimed emergency. Their case was dismissed by a state court judge who concluded the case was moot because the bars were closed only for a short period and then reopened by the governor. The Iowa Supreme Court agreed Friday and affirmed the dismissal.
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (AP) — Four men were pulled to safety after being buried in grain that poured out of a bin near the eastern Iowa city of Mount Vernon. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says the accident happened Friday morning after two men began setting up a grain bin to unload corn just north of Mount Vernon. An outer door opened, causing corn to rush out and cover the men. Two men passing by on nearby Highway 1 saw what happened and stopped to help but they also became trapped. It took more than an hour to rescue the four men. One man was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s state Senate passed rules this week limiting where the press can go to report in statehouses, marking the latest move by Republican state lawmakers nationwide who are peeling back access to chambers after the pandemic provided new accessibility. Rules governing where journalists can work vary across the nation’s 50 statehouses. But in states such as Utah, Kansas and Iowa, reporters who have been accustomed to reporting from the floor of legislative chambers are being restricted to public galleries. Lawmakers argue that creating formal rules brings needed clarity and allays security concerns. Newspaper executives and press advocates have opposed the changes, arguing they inhibit accountability reporting and limit transparency.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Ankeny chiropractor has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges in a child sex abuse case. Television station WHO 13 reports that 41-year-old Joshua Hanisch pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of third-degree sexual abuse and a drug count and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on each count. Two of the terms were ordered to be served at the same time, so Hanisch was effectively sentenced to 20 years. Court records say Hanisch was first charged in April 2020 after the Iowa Department of Human Services reported possible abuse to police. Police say they discovered more victims, all girls under the age of 12 when they were abused.
LANCASTER, Wis. (AP) — A unique, 60-foot round barn that has likely stood on land near Lancaster for 100 years or more has a new home several miles away at Vesperman Farms, a popular fall attraction. The red barn drew plenty of attention this week as Heritage Movers of Grant County slowly hauled the structure over two days along private roads crossing six farms to get to its destination. The Dubuque (Iowa) Telegraph Herald reports that the barn is expected to be the new showpiece of Vesperman Farms. Owner Kyle Vesperman says the barn dates back to the early 1900s. By 2019, it had lost much of its value as a farm building and there was talk of dismantling it before Vesperman decided to give it new life as a public attraction.
