On Tuesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said “from the very beginning” her position on same-sex marriage has been “it probably should go to a vote of the people and they should weigh in.” Later that afternoon, the governor’s spokesperson said the governor doesn’t believe what she said she believes, and that Reynolds accepts the legality of […]
Gov. Terry Branstad
Posted inCommunity/News
Nepotism and Iowa politicians back in the news, after Gov. Reynolds gives her father a job
When most adults give an elderly parent a job, it’s usually as a babysitter. Not Gov. Kim Reynolds. This week it was revealed that Reynolds has appointed her 78-year-old father to a state panel that will vet judicial candidates in District 5A to replace retiring Judge Paul Huscher of Waukee. Charles Strawn will serve on […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘It’s not safe for women to be around him’: Letter that led to firing of Iowa Finance Authority director released
On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office reversed its previous stated position, and released the letter that led the governor to fire Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) Director Dave Jamison last month. The governor’s office had originally responded to an open records request from the Associated Press that it had no written documents related to the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds supports bill that cuts reporting requirements on state’s privatized Medicaid program
During her regular weekly press conference on Monday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said she is committed to transparency, but also came out in favor of cutting the amount of publicly reported information about how well the state’s controversial privatized Medicaid management program is performing.
Posted inCommunity/News
UPDATED: It’s official: Branstad heads to China
Months after his initial nomination, Gov. Terry Branstad is officially closing the door on his tenure as the longest serving governor in the U.S. and will jet off to his new position as ambassador to China.
Posted inCommunity/News
Four Planned Parenthood clinics close in Iowa
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced this week they will close clinics in the Quad Cities, Burlington, Keokuk and Sioux City as a result of funding cuts passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Terry Branstad.
Posted inCommunity/News, Features
With the legislative session closed, activists respond to the Iowa Legislature’s conservative turn
Gov. Terry Branstad heralded this year as “one of the most significant and productive sessions in our history.” And it certainly did produce a large volume of wide-ranging, impactful bills. But for some, those bills represented a sharp lurch to the right and an abrupt end to bipartisan Iowa politics. Among the measures that left Iowa organizations and activists gearing up for a fight are laws impacting women’s access to abortions, reducing union bargaining rights, expanding and protecting access to guns and decreased support for public education.
Some measures, including a 72-hour waiting period for abortions and restrictions on collective bargaining rights for public employees, have already been challenged in court.
Posted inCommunity/News
Harreld issues call to action following proposed budget cuts to Iowa universities
University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld issued a call to action Thursday following Gov. Terry Branstad’s suggested $34.3 million cut to higher education — the largest cut made as part of an effort to slice $110 million from the budget for the current budget year. “This cut, in the current fiscal year, is not without […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Donald Trump’s Thank You Tour stops in Des Moines
President-elect Donald Trump visited Des Moines yesterday as one of the stops on his Thank You Tour. This tour is traveling to battleground states — including Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina — that favored Trump on Nov. 8 as a means of thanking his supporters. The Iowa Events Center’s Hy-Vee Hall hosted a crowd of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Branstad nominated as ambassador to China
Gov. Terry Branstad issued a statement Wednesday announcing his nomination to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to China, which had been rumored following his meeting with president-elect Donald Trump in Trump Tower in New York City on Tuesday, Dec. 6. “After long discussions with my family, I am honored and humbled to be nominated to […]
