Iowa Supreme Court Rules 3-Day Wait For Abortion Is Unconstitutional
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has blocked a law requiring a 72-hour waiting period before a woman can get an abortion.
The court rejected the law Friday, ruling that it violates the Iowa
Constitution.
The ruling sides with a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood of Iowa and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa. The organizations sued the state over the law approved by lawmakers last year.
A district court judge upheld the waiting period in September, but the Iowa Supreme Court blocked its implementation until it could hear arguments from both sides.
The waiting period is part of a law banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The 20-week ban is in effect and isn’t part of the legal challenge.
Iowa lawmakers this year approved a ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. That law is on hold pending a legal challenge.
University Of Iowa Dental School Will No Longer See Medicaid Patients
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa’s dental college plans to turn away new patients covered by Iowa’s Medicaid program, citing low payments and confusing rules.
The Des Moines Register reports that leaders of the college have decided that, starting next week, it no longer will routinely accept patients covered by Iowa Medicaid’s Dental Wellness Plan. The plan covers most adults who are among the 600,000 poor or disabled Iowans covered by Medicaid.
The college will continue to serve existing patients.
Associate dental college dean Michael Kanellis said in a letter to the Iowa Medicaid program dental program overseer that the Medicaid plan is paying less for services than it used to and has added confusing rules.
Department of Human Services spokesman Matt Highland said Thursday his agency will address the college concerns.
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Lyon County Pork Producer Comments On Hog Inventory Report
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the number of pigs on farms has reached a record high for June 1.
The agency says in a report released Thursday that the inventory of pigs was 73.5 million, up 3 percent from a year ago and up 1 percent from March 1.
It’s the highest June 1 inventory of all pigs since estimates began 54 years ago.
The USDA says 33.2 million baby pigs were born from March to May, the largest number of new pigs for the same period since 1970 when records began.
Dwight Mogler is a pork producer from Lyon County and serves on the board of directors with the Iowa Pork Producers Association. He says the large hog inventory numbers were expected.
Mogler says the pork industry has witnessed some uncertainty in recent weeks with the threat of trade tariffs. As a result of the uncertainty, pork prices have fallen.
The pork producer says the consumer will be the ultimate benefactor from the pork expansion.
Iowa has the most pigs with 22.7 million animals, also a June 1 record for the state. North Carolina is second with 8.9 million and Minnesota third with 8.6 million.
Man Accused Of Stealing Trade Secrets To Plead Guilty
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – The attorney for an Iowa man accused of stealing trade secrets says his client will plead guilty next week.
U.S. District Court records say 55-year-old Josh Isler has been indicted on charges of theft of trade secrets and making false statements to the FBI.
Attorney Alfred Willett said Friday his client will enter the pleas Thursday in a Cedar Rapids courtroom.
Court documents say that while Isler was working as a technical service account manager for DuPont’s ethanol fuel enzyme division in August 2013, he downloaded hundreds of electronic DuPont files after accepting a job with an unnamed DuPont competitor. The documents say he transferred some of the
DuPont information to his new employer.
The documents also say he lied to FBI agents when he told them he had not downloaded the files.
Audit Finds Inconsistencies With Mitchell County Deposits
OSAGE, Iowa (AP) – An audit has determined that nearly $6,000 in property taxes and delinquent charges was undeposited or improperly deposited in Mitchell County, where a former clerk pleaded guilty to theft.
The state auditor’s office also said in a news release Friday that a
$787 tax payment was improperly diverted to pay a portion of Tracey Mooberry’s taxes in March 2016.
Mooberry worked as a clerk in the county treasurer’s office from 2011 until May 2016. She was given a year of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor misconduct in office. Authorities say the thefts occurred in the last few weeks of her employment. The county attorney has said the money was paid back.
Mooberry was on the Mitchell County Conservation Board and the Osage School Board when the charge was filed. She’s since resigned both posts.
More Details Emerge Regarding Trooper’s Administrative Leave
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa trooper who has been on paid leave for 10 months has been linked to a gunshot that occurred inside a state office building.
Iowa State Patrol spokesman Nathan Ludwig says the incident involving trooper Wade Karp occurred in December 2016. He says a service weapon was discharged at the patrol’s Post 16 inside the Lucas State Office Building in Des Moines, where Karp was assigned.
Ludwig says no one was injured, and that reports detailing the incident are confidential personnel records.
It wasn’t clear whether the discharge was accidental or if it’s part of the internal investigation facing Karp.
The Associated Press reported Monday that Karp has been on leave since Sept. 5 and has earned nearly $50,000 since then. The patrol has refused to explain the reason.
Karp says he hasn’t committed misconduct, and didn’t respond to inquiries about the discharge.
