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Using her gift of gab for good, Tiara Phillips hosts random social opportunities for Iowa City locals through Bitchin’ Events

Tiara Phillips invited the public to her 30th birthday party on Monday, April 20: a ’90s themed party at the Iowa City Big Grove. Instead of bringing her gifts, she requested attendees bring items such as cake mix, frosting, gift bags and blank birthday cards so she can build birthday kits to donate to the […]

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Iowa Senate sends ‘MAHA bill’ with SNAP restrictions, over-the-counter ivermectin to governor’s desk

The Iowa Senate sent Gov. Kim Reynolds’ “Make America Healthy Again” legislation to her desk Monday, a package that includes SNAP restrictions, over-the-counter ivermectin and several school health and nutrition policies. HF 2676, passed 30-16, seeks to make permanent the state’s currently implemented waivers restricting the purchase of unhealthy foods through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance […]

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U.S. Attorney continues effort to deport South American asylum seeker in Iowa to Africa (Updated)

Update: On Monday, U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher lifted his order prohibiting ICE from removing José Yugar-Cruz from Iowa. Locher wrote that an April 18 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court left him “little choice” in the case, and ICE can now proceed to deport Yugar-Cruz to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country in […]

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Farm runoff linked to elevated nitrate levels in drinking water serving more than 60 million Americans

More than 60 million Americans get their water from sources contaminated with elevated levels of nitrate pollution, which is most likely coming from agricultural manure or fertilizer runoff, according to a new analysis.  The report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) used federal drinking water data and found that roughly 6,114 US water systems that […]

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Judge orders hearing for ICE detainee in Polk County Jail after immigration officials fail to comply with two previous orders for a hearing

For the third time, a judge in Iowa has ordered the federal government to provide a bond hearing for a truck driver detained 10 weeks ago by the Iowa State Patrol and immigration officials. U.S. District Judge Stephen H. Locher ruled this week that the government must provide a hearing at which truck driver Suraj […]

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New study finds higher cancer rates in counties with more CAFOs

People living near concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, in California, Texas and Iowa suffer from higher rates of cancer, suggesting that the air and water pollution from the massive farms may be playing a role, according to a new study.  The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, comes just weeks after a years-long […]

Posted inStatewide

Iowa House panel passes bill restricting medication abortions

Efforts to pass a bill restricting access to abortion medication earlier in this year’s legislative session stalled, but the bill was brought back and advanced Tuesday by an Iowa House Appropriations subcommittee. HF 2563 would require medications that can induce abortions, including mifepristone, to be administered or prescribed in person. This proposal would limit the […]

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State government ‘inadvertently posted’ confidential info about almost 7,000 Medicaid recipients

Confidential information about almost 7,000 Medicaid recipients in the state was exposed in a data breach caused by a mistake at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). According to a HHS news release on Monday, a file containing confidential information on 6,717 Iowans receiving Medicaid was “inadvertently posted to the Department’s website […]

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