From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
A hearing is set for this morning in Des Moines over the ACLU of Iowa’s lawsuit filed over the state’s education reform law. The lawsuit argues the requirement to keep LGBTQ topics out of the classroom is leading students to conceal their identities. It also argues the book ban portion of the law violates the constitution. The lawsuit also argues Iowa teachers are being forced to “out” students who want to go by a different name or pronoun. The law is already in effect. But penalties for educators who don’t comply begin next month.
The Cedar Rapids Community School District is considering a new tool to keep its schools safe. It’s called “CrisisGo.” With this technology ,the district says it can monitor and track any suspicious activity in real time, and the system will automatically alert authorities in case of any threat. The Board is to vote on the technology next month.
Iowa families are at risk of losing out on tens of millions of dollars in federal aid intended to feed children during the summer. The Summer EBT program gives children who are on free and reduced lunch about $40 a month that can be used to buy groceries. The deadline for the Reynolds administration to tell the federal government the state is interested in participating is January 1, but the state doesn’t have to commit until mid February. In a statement, the state Health and Human Services department says it’s still reviewing the program and will make a determination of whether or not the state will participate before the January 1 deadline.
Some Iowa City streets are closed due to a water main break. The city says it happened near the intersection of East Court Street and Muscatine Avenue. East Court Street from Muscatine Avenue to South Seventh Avenue is closed so crews can fix the main break. It will also impact bus stops in that area.
It may cost travelers more to take a road trip this Christmas. Gas prices fell to a yearly low of $3.06 a gallon Monday. But they’re starting to inch up and have gained six cents since then. This puts the price of a gallon of gas 17 cents less than last month, and two cents more than this time last year. Mild fluctuations in gas prices are expected during the holiday season.
