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Iowa early News Headlines: Tuesday, March 21st 2017

News

March 21st, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

AMES, Iowa (AP) — President Steven Leath’s departure will leave Iowa State University seeking a new leader as it faces budget cuts, enrollment growth and fallout from controversies. Auburn University has announced that Leath will be its next president. Leath’s move to Auburn will end his 5 ½ year tenure at Iowa State, which saw the school’s enrollment surge past 36,000 students but also questions about Leath’s travel and personnel decisions.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House passed legislation Monday to shorten the deadline for filing discrimination lawsuits in the state from two years to 90 days. The Republican-controlled chamber voted 58-39 to pass the bill. It now heads to the GOP-majority Senate. Under current Iowa law, people have two years to file lawsuits in district court after discrimination claims are investigated by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, which oversees such complaints. The proposed 90-day change aligns with federal guidelines.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Democratic lawmaker has criticized a state agency director for declining to send staff to an informal committee meeting about how the department handles child abuse investigations. Sen. Matt McCoy says Iowa Department of Human Services Director Charles Palmer lied about the agency’s ability to attend and answer questions at the Monday meeting, which was led by Democrats on the Senate Government Oversight Committee.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — FBI agents have met with leaders of an Iowa mosque about a threatening note it received in the mail. Dr. Samir Shams, the president of the Islamic Center of Des Moines, says he found the handwritten note Sunday morning. It said Muslims were a “vile” people and that President Donald Trump would “do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the Jews.” An FBI spokeswoman in Omaha says agents met Monday with center members and are assessing the situation.