Gazette Daily News Briefing, August 25
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for August 255, 2023.
The hot air is finally moving on–Slowly. According to the National Weather Service it will be a comparatively cooler 94 degrees on Friday, with highs in the 80s predicted starting on the weekend. There will be a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors is likely to provide public funding for emergency contraception for victims of sexual assault and rape as a state program remains in limbo.
The move comes as more than 160 reimbursement requests for emergency contraception provided to sexual assault survivors from across the state are pending approval from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
According to records obtained by The Gazette, and first reported by Iowa Public Radio, the reimbursement requests from hospitals and pharmacies across the state total about $7,000. The vast majority are from this year, but one dates to August 2020. One is coded as confirmed child abuse.
Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird paused the funding as part of an audit of the victim services administered through her office. Bird announced the audit upon taking office in January.
However, it was not until early April that sexual assault response teams and other victim advocacy organizations learned of the policy change after her office confirmed it to the media, according to interviews and emails obtained by The Gazette under a public records request.
A fire at Iowa State University’s power plant Thursday disrupted the campus’ cooling system, compelling instructors to move classes online — or cancel them altogether — and prompting administrators to encourage on-campus residents to head home for the weekend.
As a result of the fire, reported at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, classes for the remainder of day and Friday were moved online or canceled.
Students were instructed to check their email and class communication channels for further direction from instructors and professors.
Six people were injured Wednesday after an anhydrous ammonia tank exploded at an agricultural cooperative facility in Manchester.
The city on Manchester initially reported on Facebook that three anhydrous ammonia tanks had exploded at the Three River FS facility, 1000 S Fifth St., but Manchester Fire Chief Mike Ryan said Thursday that only one tank exploded.
Other nearby tanks were pushed around by the force of the explosion, causing minor leaks in two other tanks.
The Manchester Fire Department was called at 2:07 p.m. Wednesday, Ryan said.
No injuries were reported at the scene, but six people were later transported in personal vehicles to the Regional Medical Center in Manchester to be treated for injuries related to the explosion, according to Delaware County Emergency Management.
Anhydrous ammonia, as a liquid, is a widely used source of nitrogen fertilizer. Its fumes, if inhaled, can cause lung irritation and respiratory problems, according to state websites.
