From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state court judge has concluded that Democrat Abby Finkenauer cannot appear on the June 7 primary ballot for U.S. Senate, knocking off the candidate considered by many to be the party’s best chance to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. Judge Scott Beattie filed a ruling late Sunday that overturned a decision by a three-member panel of state elected officials. The panel concluded last week that Finkenauer’s campaign had substantially complied with Iowa law requiring at least 100 signatures from at least 19 counties. However, Beattie said the law requires that each signature be accompanied by the date and some of Finkenauer’s petition signatures didn’t comply, leaving her with too few signatures. Finkenauer might appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.
NEVADA, Iowa (AP) – Iowa was Barack Obama’s unlikely launching pad in 2008 to become the nation’s first black president. Today, voters in the overwhelmingly white state aren’t showing a similar embrace for the woman running to become its first black governor. Democrat Deidre DeJear is finding Iowa a much changed place, trending staunchly conservative and endorsing many aspects of Trumpism. Educated younger adults who were once reliable Democratic voters have fled rural Iowa, and the strength of organized labor has eroded. DeJear tells The Associated Press there is a question of whether a black woman can win Iowa’s governorship.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Authorities said a shooting inside a crowded Cedar Rapids nightclub has left a man and a woman dead and 10 people wounded. Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said investigators believe two men fired more than a dozen shots inside the Taboo Nightclub and Lounge just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday. He said officers who were just outside the club because of an earlier incident rushed inside just as 100-150 people streamed out of the bar and found the victims. The gunmen likely escaped as the crowd fled. The names of the victims were released. One of the people injured was in critical condition Sunday afternoon while the other injuries ranged from serious to minor.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A man serving a 25-year prison sentence for rigging computers to win lottery jackpots has had his parole revoked after he got into trouble in prison just before his scheduled release. The Iowa Board of Parole approved Eddie Tipton for release in January for good behavior, after he had served nearly five years of his 25-year sentence. The board reversed its decision and rescinded his parole in March after a major disciplinary incident occurred and prison officials recommended revocation of his parole. Tipton pleaded guilty in 2017 to ongoing criminal conduct and was ordered to repay $2.2 million in ill-gotten winnings from lotteries in Colorado, Wisconsin, Kansas and Oklahoma.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa center for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities that has been the subject of persistent criticism and federal investigations will close. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday that the Glenwood Resource Center, which has treated vulnerable people since the early 1900s, will close by June 30, 2024. The facility about 115 miles southwest of Des Moines has 152 patients and a staff of 650 people. The state will begin moving patients out in July, placing them either at another state-run facility in Woodward or in community housing facilities. Over the next year transitions will continue until the facility is closed. The state plan to sell the facility in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – When cases of bird flu are found on poultry farms officials act quickly to slaughter all the birds in that flock even when it numbers in the millions, but animal welfare groups say their methods are inhumane. USDA officials defend their methods as the most humane options available under the circumstances. The goal is to kill all of the birds within 24 hours to limit the spread of avian influenza and prevent them from suffering with the disease. The methods used to do that include spraying birds with firefighting foam to cut off their air supply, piping carbon dioxide into their barns or in some cases shutting down a barn’s ventilation system and allowing the temperature to raise high enough to kill the birds inside.
