DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Planned Parenthood officials in Iowa have decided to dismiss their challenge to an Iowa law that requires abortion patients to wait 24 hours after their initial appointment to return to the doctor to get an abortion, The Iowa Supreme Court on June 14 allowed the law to go into effect, reversing a judge’s ruling that it was unconstitutional and sending the case back to lower court for additional action. Planned Parenthood says it made the decision to dismiss the 24-hour waiting period law to focus its efforts on fighting the governor’s attempt to revive a six-week abortion ban law. The group also wants to counter efforts by Republican lawmakers to put before voters a constitutional amendment declaring no constitutional right to an abortion in Iowa exists.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrats are poised to boot Iowa from its traditional lead-off spot in the presidential nominating calendar in 2024. It’s part of a broader effort to better reflect the party’s deeply diverse electorate by allowing less overwhelmingly white states to vote first. The Democratic National Committee rule-making arm is delaying the decision until after the November midterm election. But rules committee members say the party is leaning toward having either New Hampshire or Nevada go first — or perhaps on the same day. South Carolina would move from fourth to third. That’d free up a larger, midwestern state to perhaps go next, with Michigan and Minnesota making strong cases.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A southwest Iowa company that makes metal castings used by military contractors in helicopters and other equipment has reached a settlement in a lawsuit alleging the company failed to test the castings and falsely certified test results over seven years. Wellman Dynamics, a Creston company that manufactures large metal castings used by military contractors including Bell Helicopter, Sikorsky Aircraft and Boeing Co. will pay $500,000 in restitution to the U.S. government to settle the allegations which surfaced when an employee reported lack of testing and filing of false documents under a whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Sunday morning, at approximately 10:38 am, police say a man started a fire in the 1000 block of 40th street. According to the criminal complaint, Christian Raymond Franklin is accused of setting his mother’s house on fire while knowing she was inside. Police say he poured gasoline onto a vehicle inside the garage and then used a candle to ignite the fire. Franklin has been charged with Arson in the First Degree and Reckless Use of Fire or Explosives.
