From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office is staying tight lipped about a double shooting inside a car found on an Interstate 80 on-ramp. Deputies do report the Friday night shooting left a man dead and seriously hurt his wife. It happened just off I-80 in rural Williamsburg. The sheriff’s office says David Morse died of a gunshot wound, while his wife went to the hospital with serious gunshot wounds. The couple is from Michigan. An autopsy is set for this week.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Iowa has one of the highest binge drinking rates in the nation. According to 2022 CDC data, more than 23% of adults binge drank within the previous month. Binge drinking is defined as having five drinks in one occasion for men, and four drinks for women. Only Montana and North Dakota had higher rates. A University of Iowa addiction specialist says these high numbers are likely a result of cultural attitudes towards drinking.
A lawsuit is challenging a newly signed state law that regulates pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). They’re essentially the middlemen working with insurance companies, drug companies and pharmacies to negotiate drug costs. Some pharmacists in Iowa called for the law, with 31 pharmacies closing across Iowa last year because they were losing money filling prescriptions. The Iowa Association of Business and Industry argues the law is unconstitutional and will increase health care costs across the state. Governor Reynolds’ office has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
The state reports Advanced Drainage Systems in Waterloo is closing, impacting 71 employees. The layoffs go into effect August 17.
The National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline will end services specifically for LGBTQ youth in a few weeks. Last week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced it would end its LGBTQ subnetwork–also known as the “press 3 option”–to better focus on serving all help seekers. One of the organizations that answers those LGBTQ-specific calls is CommUnity Crisis Services in Iowa City. However, this doesn’t mean crisis intervention services are going away. Anyone can still call the 988 lifeline and receive help; it just won’t have the option to talk with someone specially trained on LGBTQ issues.
