From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
An Iowa Senate subcommittee could vote today on a bill to remove civil rights protections for transgender Iowans. It’s the latest committee vote as Republicans in the House and the Senate push bills to remove ‘gender identity’ from the civil rights code. Protests in the Capitol were more muted than on Monday when the House considered a similar bill. That bill goes to the full House floor tomorrow for debate. Those speaking against the bills say both versions would remove protections for transgender Iowans when it comes to housing, employment, and accessing credit. Those supporting the bill says under current law, people identifying as female are allowed in private areas like bathrooms and lockers rooms.
Iowa lawmakers advanced a bill which would ban obscene material from public libraries in the state. Right now, it’s illegal to distribute obscene material to minors in Iowa. But public libraries are exempt from the law. This bill would remove that exemption. The bill advances to a Senate committee next. An Iowa House committee already approved a companion version of the bill.
NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids says its expansion project is pushed back due to recent executive orders putting a pause on federal funding. The project was set to be finished this fall, but Newbo says the pause has hit local nonprofits, causing it to temporarily suspend the project. Its board of directors voted to delay construction to September 1.
A 14-year-old girl has died after a crash in Black Hawk County yesterday morning east of Gilbertville. The Sheriff’s Office says the SUV was on fire and a passenger escaped. But the 14-year-old driving the car was trapped inside. The sheriff’s office is investigating what caused the crash and hasn’t released the names of anyone involved.
And an old barn is hitting the road again today in Washington County. The building is leaving a homestead in Ainsworth and headed to the Kalona Historical Society. The move started yesterday. It continues at 9 this morning on Highway 22. The move should be finished by around 2 in the afternoon.
