On Tuesday, the Federal Communication Commission voted to eliminate a 77 year-old rule intended to ensure TV and radio stations serve the needs of their local communities. The vote on the so-called “Main Studio Rule” followed party lines, with all three Republican commissioners voting in favor of killing it, and both Democrats voting to preserve it.
Paul Brennan
Posted inCommunity/News
‘I was patient zero of losing a personal reputation’: Monica Lewinsky will be speaking at the IMU tonight
Monica Lewinsky was 24 years old was she suddenly became internationally famous in January 1998. In a 2015 TED Talk, Lewinsky described what it was like when news broke that she, a White House intern, had been having an affair with President Bill Clinton.
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Gov. Kim Reynolds calls Iowa liberals ‘unhinged’
Speaking at a fundraiser on Saturday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said, “As we all know as we travel the state, the liberals are unhinged and they are out for us.” The remarks came at the end of Reynold’s Harvest Festival in Des Moines, her first public fundraiser since becoming governor.
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Cedar Rapids Sen. Rob Hogg voted out as Minority Leader
Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids is out as minority leader in the Iowa State Senate, following a vote by the chamber’s Democratic caucus on Sunday. Hogg had only been minority leader since last November. He was elected to the position after Mike Gronstal, who had led the caucus for 20 years, lost his seat in the 2016 election.
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Tell Iowa City who should be honored on a new feature planned for the Ped Mall
Iowa City wants to know who its most prominent citizens are. Or were. And it wants to know by Nov. 1. As part of the Ped Mall improvement project, two walls will be installed to hide utility cabinets and transformers from public view. In addition to hiding ungainly bits of infrastructure, those walls are supposed to tell “the story of Iowa City.”
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Auction for Access will raise money to support a woman’s right to choose
People will be able to support reproductive rights and have a good time at the Auction for Access in Cedar Rapids on Saturday. The auction is a fundraiser for Iowa Abortion Access Fund (IAAF), which has helped women seeking to exercise their right to choose cover the cost of clinic expenses since 1978.
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Early voting starts in Johnson County
Early voting in Johnson County for the Nov. 7 election started on Wednesday. Voters will be able to cast ballots at the Auditor’s office in the Johnson County Administration Building in Iowa City. The office will be opened from7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The office will also be open on Sunday, November 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Cedar Rapids ICE agents arrest woman and hold her without bail even though she has papers to be in the U.S.
Asucena Natareno Ramirez has been held without bail in an Iowa jail since Oct. 3, and her attorney still can’t get a satisfactory explanation for why she was arrested. Natareno Ramirez, a native of Guatemala who has been living with relatives in Mount Pleasant while her application for asylum is under consideration, was at the Cedar Rapids office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for a routine check-in when ICE agents arrested her. Her attorney Dan Vondra was informed by phone that the agents had an administrative arrest warrant that alleged she is present in the country “in violation of the law.”
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Iowa City Council to vote on smoking ban for city parks
The Iowa City Council will vote on a proposed ordinance banning the use of tobacco products in city parks at its Tuesday night meeting. In addition to prohibiting smoking, the measure will also ban the use of smokeless tobacco. And because of an existing city regulation, if smoking in parks is banned, vaping in parks will also be automatically banned.
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Sen. Grassley skips town hall meetings in Johnson, Linn and other big Iowa counties for the fifth straight year
Last week, the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley announced Iowa’s senior U.S. Senator had completed another annual tour of all the state’s 99 counties. But once again, he skipped town halls in the biggest counties.
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Zombie Burger’s Debbie is back in one piece, following the return of her stolen body parts
Debbie the zombie is whole again, after her stolen upper body was returned to Zombie Burger.
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Phony money marked with Chinese characters is being circulated in Iowa City
The Iowa City Police Department issued a warning about phony money of various denominations being passed in the Iowa City area.
