Iowa Republicans Plan to Revisit Transgender Athlete Ban Next Year
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley says lawmakers ran out of time to pass a bill banning transgender athletes from competing in girls sports. Governor Kim Reynolds asked Republican leaders to approve the legislation this session. Reynolds said letting biological males who identify as females compete in volleyball, softball and other girls sports in Iowa is
unfair to girls who’re trying for college scholarships. Grassley said there remains a level of support among Republicans for the ban and it will be part of the conversations between now and next session. Representative Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, said it’s “a divisive policy” that hurts Iowa’s reputation and transgender students. Iowa Safe Schools says there have been zero cases of transgender athletes participating in sports in the state.
Possible Tornadoes Thursday Night in Dallas and Madison Counties
(Winterset, IA) — A strong band of thunderstorms swept over central Iowa last (Thursday) night and may’ve spun off a few small tornadoes. The National Weather Service says two possible tornadoes were identified on radar during the severe weather but there’s no confirmation from spotters of any twisters.
One was near Woodward in Dallas County, the other was in the Winterset area in Madison County, where residents are finding scattered wind damage to trees.
Iowa’s on track to have one of the quietest severe weather seasons on record.
Only two tornadoes are confirmed statewide so far this year. We average more than a dozen already by this date.
John Deere Reports 34% Increase in 2nd Quarter Sales
(Moline, IL) — Iowa’s largest manufacturing employer is reporting a solid rebound from the pandemic year of 2020. Quad Cities-based John Deere reports second-quarter net sales rose 34-percent while net income was nearly one-point-eight billion dollars for the quarter, versus 666-million from the quarter that ended a year ago. For the first six months of the year, net
income topped three-billion, compared to one-point-two billion last year. A statement from Deere says the report reflects strong market conditions and broad improvement across multiple divisions and geographies.
Iowa Man Wanted For Sexual Abuse Arrested In Minnesota
(Shakopee, MN) — A man accused of sexually abusing a child in northern Iowa is under arrest in southern Minnesota. Mason City police issued an arrest warrant Monday for 35-year-old Nathaniel Pierce on two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child. Officers say Pearce was taken into custody Thursday
in Shakopee, Minnesota and is being extradited back to Cerro Gordo County.
Authorities did a welfare check on a child May 5th and the Iowa Department of Human Services was called to assist with a criminal investigation.
