From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says dramatic increases in the price of farm fertilizers have prompted him to look into the causes and whether farmers have been subjected to unfair practices. Miller on Thursday said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other state attorneys general are committed to helping conduct market research to assess the soaring prices. For example, anhydrous ammonia, a corn fertilizer, is up more than 300% from last year. Miller says the market study findings could lead to further investigation. The Fertilizer Institute, an industry trade group, says prices farmers pay are subject to a complex web of global supply chain and demand factors.
SEYMOUR, Iowa (AP) – A former Iowa dog breeder accused of violating federal animal welfare laws scores of times over several months last year has been charged in Wayne County with several animal neglect counts. Television station KCCI reports that 26-year-old Daniel Gingerich was charged with two counts of animal neglect with serious injury or death and four counts of animal neglect with injury. The misdemeanor counts are related to dead and sick dogs that had been in Gingerich’s care. Last November, a federal judge permanently barred Gingerich from selling, breeding or brokering dogs in an agreement that ended the U.S. Agriculture Department’s lawsuit against Gingerich, who also agreed to give up 514 dogs kept in various locations around the state.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Officials say one person has died in a house fire in Waterloo. The Courier reports that the fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in a duplex between the Cedar River and Rooff Park. Firefighters called to the scene arrived to find smoke coming from the two-story structure’s windows. Officials say an adult died in the fire, but have not released the victim’s identity. Waterloo’s city fire marshal is investigating to determine the cause of the blaze.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s Supreme Court has heard arguments about abortion restrictions Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law in 2020. Many of the conservative justices deciding the case have replaced predecessors who affirmed four years ago that the state constitution guarantees women the right to have abortions. Abortion providers filed a lawsuit challenging the law passed by the Republican Legislature and signed by the GOP governor in June 2020 that required a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can get an abortion. A judge struck down the law in June 2021, citing a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court decision that declared abortion a fundamental right under the Iowa Constitution.
ELDON, Iowa (AP) – A southeastern Iowa school district is joining a handful of others in the state in moving to a four-day school week. The Hawk Eye reports that the Cardinal School Board voted Monday to approve the switch. Under the new calendar, classes will be held Tuesday through Friday with an additional 20-25 minutes added to each school day. Cardinal Superintendent Joel Pedersen says the switch follows a staff survey that showed 95% approved of switching to the four-day school week. State law requires schools to provide students with either 180 days or 1,080 hours of instructional learning. Cardinal’s new 2022-23 schedule will cover 150 days, but will include a total of 1,095 learning hours.
SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa (AP) – The Woodbury County attorney says a sheriff’s deputy acted reasonably when he shot and killed a man in Sergeant Bluff in January. County Attorney Patrick Jennings announced his findings Wednesday after he reviewed an investigation into the shooting death of 35-year-old Michael Meredith. Jennings said Woodbury County sheriff’s deputy Eric Fay shot Meredith after he hit the deputy with a tire iron. Jennings said Fay had reason to fear for his safety and that of others at the scene. Fay, another county deputy and a Sergeant Bluff police officer responded to the scene after a report of a possible burglary in progress.
