Gazette Daily News Briefing, July 3
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Monday, July 3.
According to the National Weather Service Monday will feature sunny skies with a high near 89 degrees. The wind will be calm all day, and the even low will settle in at around 68 degrees.
We are already into July, and as of July 1 several new Iowa laws will take effect. For example, Iowa teens ages 14 to 17 can work more jobs at longer hours, low-income families will face new stricter requirements for receiving public benefits such as food assistance, and more Iowa parents will qualify for child care assistance, but will have to work more hours to remain eligible.
Lawmakers this year passed a slate of education bills into law, including a bill limiting LGBTQ instruction topics through sixth grade and barring books with sexual content from school libraries.
The new law requires schools to remove library materials depicting or describing a specific set of sex acts or sexual activities defined by Iowa law. Religious texts are exempted.
A new law also requires schools to notify parents if a student requests changing their name or pronouns.
LGBTQ advocates have said that could lead to schools forcibly “outing” students even if they might be put in danger at home. Supporters contend it codifies parents’ rights.
Legislation went into effect July 1 that greatly reorganizes the state government, reducing cabinet-level state agencies from 37 to 16, and eliminating hundreds of vacant state government positions. Meanwhile, another bill reduces the powers of the state auditor, essentially the only position of power at the state level that is occupied, at the moment, by a Democrat.
Other bills restricted the amount of damages trucking companies face for accidents, increased the penalty for distributing fentanyl, required in-person participation for Caucuses, and sought to fill maternal care deserts by enlisting midwives in that capacity.
A Cedar Rapids man who had an outstanding warrant is accused of leading officers on a high-speed chase Saturday evening.
According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy attempted to stop a vehicle going east on Highway 100 near Ellis Road NW around 8 p.m. The deputy said the vehicle was going 80 mph in a 65 mph zone. The driver refused to pull over, leading to the pursuit.
As the fleeing vehicle continued east on Highway 100, the driver reached speeds as high as 125 mph before exiting onto Covington Road, according to the sheriff’s office. The vehicle then traveled west on Highway 100 before exiting on Highway 30 eastbound, then entering southwest Cedar Rapids.
The driver pulled into a parking lot behind GNC at 2320 Edgewood Rd. SW, according to the release. There, police arrested Michael Bowman, 24, of Cedar Rapids, who was the only occupant of the vehicle.
Bowman was taken into custody and transported to the Linn County Jail on the outstanding warrant plus several eluding charges.
