From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
575 Iowa National Guard members are back home this morning after almost a year overseas serving as a deterrent to ISIS in Syria and Iraq. 90 of those soldiers from eastern Iowa were welcomed home last night at the Cedar Rapids National Guard Armory. This is the same Infantry Division that lost two soldiers who were ambushed by a lone ISIS attacker. Nate Howard and Edgar Torres Tovar lost their lives in that December attack.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office identified the inmate who died in the county jail. Staff found 46-year-old Lawrence Bohnenkemp of Iowa City unresponsive in a cell yesterday morning. Staff performed lifesaving measures and asked for an ambulance but he did not survive. It’s not clear how he died. The sheriff’s office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating.
Iowa is bringing in less money than state forecasters expected. And that means revenues will fall short of expenses by about $1.3 billion. This is the first full fiscal year under Iowa’s new 3.8 percent flat income tax, which is also contributing to the revenue decline.
Some Iowa City students remain stranded at Chicago O’Hare airport. The 150 students were headed to a band trip to Germany when they became stuck Wednesday after pilots at Lufthansa airlines went on strike. While 74 students made it on other flights to Germany, dozens are still stateside. The Iowa City School District says some of the students and chaperones are staying in Chicago, and some boarded a charter bus and came back to Iowa City.
Five food stamp recipients, including one from Iowa, are suing the U.S. department of agriculture. This is over USDA waivers that ban them from using their SNAP benefits to buy sugary drinks, candy, or prepared desserts. The group argues this violates laws that authorize SNAP benefits and governing changes in policies. So far, the USDA approved waivers limiting food covered under SNAP in 22 states. This lawsuit aims to stop waivers in Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
