From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
It appears Michigan will replace Iowa as the Democrat’s first in the nation state to pick its 2024 presidential nominee. The Democratic National Committee is deciding its nomination calendar, and Politico reports the Iowa caucuses won’t get the premiere spot. National Democrats have criticized Iowa, saying the state is too small, too rural, and not diverse enough and some other state should have the important “first in the nation” spot. The Democratic Party’s Bylaws Committee is meeting to officially make its recommendation to the entire Party.
The economic impact in Des Moines alone is expected to reach more than a quarter billion dollars with the loss of the Iowa caucuses as the first in the nation. The Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau says the changes in the Iowa Caucus will cost the city 240-million dollars…and a lot of free publicity.
Republicans have said they still plan to keep Iowa as its first state in the 2024 nominating calendar. That race could still keep Iowa in the spotlight as the first big test of former President Donald Trump’s political strength.
The November midterm elections are official. The state board of canvassers certified the results yesterday morning. The Secretary of State’s Office says one point two million Iowans cast ballots. That’s a turnout of about 55 percent. While the canvass is done, three races are still outstanding–including House District 73 in Linn County.
A group of high school and middle school Students in Iowa City are calling on local officials for better protection against gun violence. The group of nearly 50 students walked out of City High and Southeast Junior High School, marching the almost 2 miles to the Pentacrest where several spoke out against gun laws in the state. They spoke about the very young lives lost in the Uvalde and Sandy Hook school shootings. And they demand more security in school buildings and more in depth background checks for potential gun buyers.
A judge threw out a lawsuit challenging a rail yard project for Cargill in Cedar Rapids. State Senator Rob Hogg filed the lawsuit in 2018 after the city gave Cargill the green light to build the rail yard, right between Rompot and the Prairie Park Fishery. The lawsuit says the city illegally re-zoned that property. The judge ruled the city council did nothing wrong when making that decision.
