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Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Iowa lawmaker wants ‘stiffer penalties' for online grooming after missing child reunites with family
DES MOINES, Iowa – After a missing teenager was reunited with her family earlier this week, community leaders and lawmakers are calling for a change in how these types of crimes are prosecuted in the state. '…Stiffer penalties,' said State Representative Rob Johnson (D) District 34, Des Moines. 'You can make it so tough, and you even think about doing it and you get caught? You are going to be looking at a much, much stiffer penalty than you were before.' Rep. Johnson told WHO 13 News that he is using the interim of the 91st General Assembly to work on legislation with lawmakers on the other side of the aisle and community members to deter bad actors from committing the events that were alleged this weekend. 'We will stop at nothing to protect our babies,' said Rep. Johnson. Former Marshalltown substitute teacher accused of sexually exploiting student The founder and CEO of Creative Visions also spoke with WHO 13 News about how glad the family is to have their child back, and what the community will do to continue to support the family. 'Counseling is needed, not only for our victim, but her little brother. You see it in him, he is traumatized,' said Ako Abdul-Samad. 'We have to talk about what has transpired, what has traumatized this child and what this child had went through and what other children to date are going through, those children that don't have the result that this child had.' Abdul-Samad reiterated that the community will be there for the needs of the family, whatever those may be. West Des Moines Police Department told WHO 13 News that because of the case being an active and open investigation, there was nothing new to add at this time. Metro News: Iowa lawmaker wants 'stiffer penalties' for online grooming after missing child reunites with family Golfers get practice in pro-am before Principal Charity Classic Round 1 begins Friday New tactile mural, sensory wellness space helps Ruby Van Meter students find calm The Rook Room opens this weekend in downtown Des Moines Iowa's high school musical theater talent on display in Des Moines Thursday Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill restricting DEI in government entities sent to Gov. Reynolds to be signed into law
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa House lawmakers advanced House File 856 in a vote along party lines on Tuesday morning. The bill would expand diversity, equity and inclusion measures passed last year. The bill restricts state, county and city government entities from spending money on DEI offices or employees. The bill was just amended in the Iowa Senate last week to take out the language of private colleges and universities as part of the restrictions. Republicans in both chambers held the belief that this will help return state agencies and universities to a merit-based system. House Republicans did take issue with the Iowa Senate removing the private college language. ARL sees rise in parvovirus cases in the community '…private colleges from the original bill. And it also changes the wording, clarifying that this is not about encouraging preferential treatment or special benefits,' said State Representative Henry Stone (R), District 9 from Forest City. Meanwhile, both Senate and House Democrats urged this expansion not be passed. One representative argued that this is how the state remains competitive. 'This is how we compete. Going into the future by holding down diversity, equity and inclusion in our state,' said State Representative Rob Johnson (D), District 34 from Des Moines. 'This isn't about checking boxes, this is about building bridges.' The bill, if signed into law, will take effect on July 1, 2025, meaning that cities and counties need to be looking at this change before passing a budget for the next fiscal year. Iowa News: Bill restricting DEI in government entities sent to Gov. Reynolds to be signed into law Caitlin Clark Foundation dishes another assist Iowa veteran battles through illness on Appalachian Trail journey WHO 13 Farm Report: Tuesday, May 13th Iowa's first Latina legislator sworn in to office Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hamilton Spectator
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
County-owned greenhouse takes on significant winter damage
DAMASCUS — This year's winter weather has wreaked havoc on one of the county's tree nurseries in Wellington North. A new staff report has identified 'significant structural damage' in one of the County of Wellington's Green Legacy Program nurseries, which is located on Grand River Conservation Area (GRCA) land near the Luther Marsh in Damascus. Operating since 2012, staff said the damage was caused by snow accumulation along the building's west side this February, causing it to collapse. Green Legacy member Rob Johnson said the greenhouse's interior contents, like tables, water lines and tree stock, weren't severely damaged and can be salvaged. The original greenhouse installer, DeCloet Greenhouse Manufacturing Limited, said installing a new greenhouse and removing the existing greenhouse will cost approximately $48,776. A Disaster Recovery Program Rebate will reduce that by 10 per cent to $43,808. Since the cost for the greenhouse replacement is below the county's insurance deductible, staff said $50,000 will be added to the capital budget from the Contingency and Stabilization Reserve to fund the project. This was recently approved by county council. Any rebates or salvage value from the old greenhouse will be credited back to offset the reserve funding requirements. Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Legislative Black Caucus calls on public to speak up about opposition to anti-DEI bills
Rep. Rob Johnson, D-Des Moines, spoke at a Iowa Legislative Black Caucus news conference March 19, 2025 criticizing the measures focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives passed by the Republican-led Iowa House the day earlier. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Members of the Iowa Legislative Black Caucus called on the public Wednesday to speak up and get involved if they oppose anti-diversity, equity and inclusion legislation that Republicans passed through the Iowa House the evening before. The tenets of DEI were born out of the need to address problems in the state and country, and there's a reason the acronym and what it represents caught on with the public and private sectors, Rep. Rob Johnson, D-Des Moines, said during a news conference. He said it is still needed today as he and other Black lawmakers in the Iowa House work to defend it. Iowa has a history of furthering progressive movements, Johnson said, from enacting the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education before any other state to establishing the first national bar association for Black attorneys in Des Moines and more. Echoing comments he made while urging his fellow representatives to vote against anti-DEI bills on the House floor, Johnson said such legislation moves Iowa back in time rather than into the future. 'Dismantling (DEI) dismantles the progress that Iowa has pushed forward,' Johnson said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Iowa House passed multiple bills Tuesday aimed at doing away with DEI across the state, from state entities and local government departments to community and private colleges. Legislation sent over to the Iowa Senate would also establish a center for intellectual freedom at the UI, place general education requirements on each of the three public universities and bar DEI and critical race theory-related content from being required in college classrooms. Ruth Ann Gaines, D-Des Moines, agreed with Johnson's comments, saying the legislation passed this week 'will throw us back from progress that we've made as a country, as a state, in the last 60 years.' This cannot happen, she said. The caucus was discouraged by how the debate played out, Gaines said, but there is power in coming together as a collective to push back against these actions with hopes of encouraging Iowa senators and Gov. Kim Reynolds to reject anti-DEI legislation. 'We'll make it,' Gaines said. 'There's always hope.' If the Senate passes the bills and Reynolds signs them into law, Rep. Ross Wilburn of Ames said she needs to be questioned on why she is prioritizing a 'false narrative' about DEI and its impacts over funding schools. After refusing to answer questions from Democrats about House File 856, Rep. Henry Stone, R-Forest City, said during debate that despite hearing members of the Black caucus had expressed concerns with the legislation to the media, no one ever reached out to him in any way about questions or problems in the more than a month of the bill being public. It wasn't until it came up for debate and people were watching that they decided to speak up, he said. Rep. Jerome Amos Jr., D-Waterloo, called Stone's comments 'political fodder,' adding that both sides need to get better at reaching out across the aisle. Rep. Mary Madison, D-West Des Moines, said she was surprised to hear Stone's comments since there had been discussions on the legislation during subcommittee and committee meetings. When asked whether Stone reached out to any members of the caucus after debate, all replied they haven't heard anything. 'I feel like we were thrown under the bus, and I just don't think that that is what we should be doing,' Amos Jr. said. What people who share lawmakers' concerns about these bills and anti-DEI sentiments should do boils down to a few things, Johnson said, that could have a large impact. Johnson said constituents should reach out to their representatives, Democrat or Republican and from the Senate or House, and show up in person at the Statehouse to voice their opposition to these actions. 'Please take a minute to let us do what we have to do, but support us in this process,' Johnson said. 'Let us know what you're thinking. Contact us and let us know how you and us can work together to make this a possibility and an opportunity.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa House Republicans pass bills barring DEI in higher education and across government
Iowa House Republicans handily passed sweeping restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across higher education institutions and governmental entities in Iowa Tuesday as Democratic lawmakers warned the move would make Iowa a less inclusive state. GOP lawmakers touted the bills, which mostly emerged from the House's new Higher Education Committee, as refocusing Iowa's higher education system on workforce training and dismantling DEI initiatives they say perpetuate prejudice. Democratic legislators in the Iowa Legislative Black Caucus had urged their House colleagues to vote against the various DEI measures and said DEI had become "a punchline and weapon in the culture wars," though it benefits all. Republicans brushed aside their plea as they passed a plethora of bills explicitly targeting DEI programming in state agencies, local governments, public and private universities and community colleges. Rep. Rob Johnson, D-Des Moines, said the DEI restrictions would have an effect on Iowans for generations to come and limit people's potential based on their identity. "To dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion is dismantling the progress that we have made as a state," said Johnson, who is a Black pastor. President Donald Trump's crackdown on DEI at the federal level through executive order has emboldened Iowa Republicans to further expand restrictions on DEI throughout governmental entities in the Hawkeye State. Republicans argue that growth in DEI programming has stoked more division among Americans and called for people to be judged based on merit rather than the color of their skin. 'In my opinion, DEI at its core is racist, which is one of the reasons we are becoming so divided as a nation," Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison, said during debate on a measure barring DEI course requirements at regent universities. The measures still have to be taken up by the Senate before they can be sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk. State agencies, counties, cities and schools would be blocked from having DEI offices or coordinators under House File 856, which passed 61-37 over Democrats' arguments that communities should have the power to celebrate diversity without interference from the state. The Iowa Attorney General's Office would have authority to take governmental entities to court to enforce the law if it receives complaints from the public. Many House Democrats spoke at length against the bill, fearing the effects of potentially dismantling DEI-related programs and threatening the operations of local civil rights commissions. Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, said supporting this bill would be 'standing on the wrong side of history.' 'Diversity is naming the reality in front of us,' James said. 'We are different, and that is beautiful, and there is cause to celebrate. We do not have to be afraid.' Rep. Henry Stone, R-Forest City, who is Asian American, said he understands what minorities go through and has experienced prejudice, and that's why he disagreed with the idea of teaching people to look at the color of someone's skin before anything else. 'DEI creates divisiveness and animosity toward one another,' Stone said. 'At the end of the day, we're all the human race made up of different colors and ethnicities and backgrounds." Republicans amended the bill to add DEI restrictions to community colleges and private universities, expanding limits already placed on public universities. One amendment bars community colleges from establishing DEI offices and another prohibits colleges and universities from participating in the Iowa Tuition Grant financial aid program if they operate a DEI office. The Iowa Tuition Grant is awarded to Iowa residents attending one of the state's private colleges or universities based on financial need. Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, has called the measures, which were previously separate bills, a shift toward "merit, excellence and intelligence." Several Democrats raised concerns about the ability for the attorney general to yank grant funds from schools and said it too vastly exposed private institutions to liability should someone label a campus initiative as a DEI program. House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said about 9,000 students receive the grant and the measure would 'punish students who go to a school that doesn't agree with your politics.' "What else are we going to tell private businesses in this state that they can and cannot do?' Konfrst said. Iowa's state universities are facing additional limits on DEI in the classroom. The schools governed by the Iowa Board of Regents have had to curtail and restructure DEI programming and personnel because of legislation passed last session blocking them from operating DEI offices. They have redirected more than $2.1 million from DEI roles and offices in response to the law and the regents' directives. Under House File 269, which passed 63-34, the regents would have to adopt a policy ensuring students are not required to enroll in any course related to DEI or Critical Race Theory, a decades-old academic framework that analyzes how racism is embedded in American institutions. The regents also could not require faculty to apply any DEI and CRT-related content in their courses. There are exceptions carved out for programming specifically required by federal rules including Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination Act and the Civil Rights Act or for degree programs focused on racial, ethnic and gender studies. The bill defines this content as: Promoting "the idea that racially neutral or colorblind laws, policies, or institutions perpetuate oppression; injustice; race-based privilege, including white supremacy or white privilege; or inequity by failing to actively differentiate on the basis of race, sex, or gender." Promoting "the differential treatment of any individual or groups of individuals based on race or ethnicity in contemporary American society." Promoting "the idea that a student is biased on account of the student's race or sex." Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, warned of unforeseen consequences and said it may be a 'knee-jerk reaction to diversity, equity and inclusion.' Instead of "micromanaging" the universities governed by the regents, Wilburn said lawmakers should express to the governor that they are not pleased with her appointees to the board. 'This will lead us on a course of further complaints, lawsuits and not the opportunity for education, understanding, learning how to work across difference, learning how to make yourself a very viable candidate for a job, especially those that interact with other cultures and other communities around the world,' Wilburn said. Holt said this was "one of the most misrepresented bills in my time here." 'We're not banning it (DEI)," Holt said. "It just can't be taught as a condition for other degree programs, and it can't be used to incentivize or punish employees.' Rep. Megan Srinivas, D-Des Moines, moved to amend the bill to add an exception for healthcare fields. Without the amendment, she said the bill jeopardizes medical schools' accreditation at a time when Iowa is grappling with a physician shortage. Srinivas, a practicing medical doctor, said medical students need to be taught how to administer treatment to account for patients' differences. In administering treatment, for instance, she said physicians must know to consider the elevated risks of certain conditions for patients based on their race. Holt said he did not see the legislation as written impacting medical school instruction and he imagined the regents would have raised concerns if a school's accreditation was at risk. The UI is Iowa's only public university with a medical school. Undergraduates attending regent universities after July 1, 2027, would face a new general education requirement to take three semester hours in American heritage, such as Iowa history or American history, government or literature, under House File 401. It passed the House in a 61-36 vote. This can also satisfy requirements for credit hours in social studies or the humanities. Broadly, it sets undergraduate general education requirements across Iowa's regent universities with specific credit hours in English, Mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, Western heritage and American heritage. The regents also would have to adopt a policy ensuring that courses satisfying general education requirements "do not distort significant historical events or include any curriculum or other material that teaches identity politics or is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States of America or the state of Iowa." More: Iowa higher ed bills would block required DEI instruction, add transparency measures Wilburn said he was concerned that the bill did not outline who would determine the teaching of a historical event had been "distorted." Someone could make a complaint because they didn't understand or were upset by a historical event that was taught, "whether or not it's distorted or not," Wilburn said. He questioned whether determining an event was distorted would fall to the regents, universities or the Legislature. Holt said the bill was needed to ensure regent universities are consistently enforcing the principles of "American exceptionalism" and western civilization. "If our country is to be fought for, those doing the fighting must know the precious principles that are at stake," Holt said. Another measure does not explicitly target DEI, but says accrediting agencies could not take "any adverse action" against a public higher education institution in Iowa for complying with a state law. As part of House File 295, which passed 65-32, the Iowa attorney general or the universities could bring a civil lawsuit against an accrediting agency that penalizes an institution for complying with a state law. Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, said the measure enhances the autonomy of Iowa's public higher education institutions. Referring to the law passed last year barring DEI programs at regent universities, he said, "if an accrediting agency should come and say that those universities have to have a DEI program, this bill would allow the credit the universities to go back on the accredited accrediting agencies in a civil manner." Wilburn said he was concerned risking accreditation "puts the whole institution under a cloud." Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@ Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: House Republicans pass sweeping restrictions on DEI in Iowa
