Northey Visits Le Mars
(Le Mars) — President-elect Donald Trump has stated he does not favor any of
the current trade agreements. Fellow republican, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Bill Northey, on the other hand, sees trade agreements as being beneficial to
agriculture and especially to Iowa agriculture. Northey was in Le Mars Friday
afternoon visiting the Blue Bunny Ice Cream parlor. Northey was asked, if he
was to consult with Trump, what message would he share with the incoming
president regarding trade?
Will the new administration be in favor of agriculture? Northey says he believes the Trump administration may try to do away with some burdening regulations.
Protesters Block Traffic On Interstate Highway
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Hundreds of protesters angry about Donald Trump’s presidential win blocked Interstate 80 in Iowa City for about a half-hour, backing up traffic for miles.
The protests began Friday afternoon when about 200 high school students walked out of class and held a rally on the University of Iowa campus, dubbed a “Not My America” protest. University students joined the protest and listened to
speeches before marching through downtown and down Dubuque Street toward the
freeway.
Protesters walked out onto I-80 about 5 p.m. Iowa City police and state troopers held back traffic but didn’t intervene in the protests. Protesters dispersed about a half-hour later and walked toward downtown.
The protest caused huge traffic snarls on the freeway and Dubuque Street.
State Senate Selects Dix As Majority Leader
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The new Republican-controlled Senate has selected leaders for the next two years.
Members of the chamber met privately Friday at the Iowa Capitol and selected Sen. Bill Dix as majority leader and Sen. Jack Whitver as president.
The selections will be official in January when the legislative session begins.
The Senate has been controlled by Democrats since 2007, while since 2011 the Republicans have held a majority in the House. Republicans flipped six Senate seats in Tuesday’s election and now have a 29-19 majority. There is one independent and one open seat.
Dix, of Shell Rock, replaces Mike Gronstal. The Council Bluffs Democrat was majority leader for the past decade and lost his re-election race on Tuesday.
Whitver, of Ankeny, replaces Sen. Pam Jochum, a Dubuque Democrat.
Parents File Lawsuit Against County Prosecutor
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The parents of a 14-year-old Iowa girl are suing a county prosecutor to try to stop him from filing criminal charges against the teen after she sent suggestive photos of herself to a boy.
Marion County Attorney Ed Bull has threatened to charge the Knoxville girl with sexual exploitation of a minor or child pornography. Bull has said she can avoid the charge if she signs an admission of guilt, performs community service
and temporarily gives up her laptop and cellphone.
The lawsuit was filed in September and amended Thursday to add new arguments and to add the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa as attorneys for the girl. The ACLU says it’s seeking to protect the girl’s rights to free speech
and freedom of expression. The ACLU says the photos don’t show nudity and are not obscene.
Bull has asked the federal court not to intervene in a state prosecution.
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Pipeline Protesters Sleep Inside Pipes
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Law enforcement officials in central Iowa have used ropes to drag three people from inside a 30-inch pipe – part of continued protests over construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. The Des Moines Register says the three entered the pipe after 2 a.m. Thursday near the Des Moines River in Boone County. Sheriff’s Detective Andy Godzicki says they managed to crawl 50 feet to 100 feet inside the pipe, taking food, sleeping bags and other supplies with them.
