Community/News
Posted inCommunity/News

Federal court stops Trump administration attempt to punish ‘sanctuary cities’

by Paul Brennan

On Monday, a federal judge in the Northern District of California issued permanent injunction preventing the Trump administration from cutting off federal funds to so-called “sanctuary cities.” The administration’s attempt to punish those cities with funding cuts is also the subject of lawsuit the city of Chicago has filed against the U.S. Department of Justice. In August, Iowa City joined in a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Chicago in that case.

Posted inCommunity/News

Sen. Bill Dix changes his mind again about what Iowa Senate Republicans will do about sexual harassment

by Paul Brennan

Iowa State Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix has reversed his position on what he will do to address sexual harassment and other workplace problems in the Senate Republican caucus. Again. Two weeks ago, Dix and Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer announced the State Senate and House would jointly hire a human resource manager for the legislature. Creating the HR position was a response to jury to award a former Senate Republican staffer $2,2 million, after finding the Senate Republican caucus violated laws against workplace sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation.

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First survey of the health of Iowa’s LGBTQ community has begun

by Paul Brennan

A first of its kind health survey of Iowa’s LGBTQ community is now underway. The Iowa Cancer Consortium, in partnership with One Iowa, the University of Iowa College of Public Health and Des Moines University, is sponsoring the survey. “Basically we saw the need for more data,” Levi Lappin of the Iowa Cancer Consortium explained. “There’s not much health data for the LGBTQ community at the state-level.” But that’s not an issue unique to Iowa, he said.

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