Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a bill that will deny county officials the ability to use a voter database to confirm missing or incorrect information on absentee ballot requests. The measure was part of a massive budget bill. Reynolds had the option of using the line-item veto but she did not.

She signed the bill Tuesday, allowing the measure to become law. It requires county election officials to call, email or mail a letter to voters who make a mistake or leave information off an absentee ballot request form. County election officials opposed it. Democrats labeled it voter suppression.

ACKLEY, Iowa (AP)/ With extra from Radio Iowa — An SUV carrying Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds hit a Black Lives Matter protester who was trying to block her vehicle as she was leaving an event in northern Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol confirmed that the SUV hit the protester, who was among about two dozen Black Lives Matter protesters who had traveled 90 miles from Des Moines to Ackley.

Members of the group weren’t allowed into the Tuesday event at Family Traditions Meat, a small processor, so they gathered at the end of a driveway to block the governor’s car. Jaylen Cavil told the Des Moines Register that he wasn’t hurt but that he was shocked the governor’s SUV hit him. Cavil says, “I 100% think they intentionally hit me.”

A spokesman for the Iowa State Patrol told The Des Moines Register preliminary reports from the scene indicate Cavil intentionally stepped in front the moving vehicle and was not hurt. The protesters have been urging Reynolds to sign an executive order by July 4th that would automatically restore voting rights to released felons.

Iowa governors, by law, are not to drive themselves and state troopers are assigned to the task. The law was passed after Governor Dan Beardsley died when the car he was driving crashed into a truck in 1954.

(Radio Iowa) Governor Kim Reynolds says Iowa school officials who choose to mandate that everyone in a school building must wear face masks must seriously consider how to implement the policy. “What type of a face covering will be allowed?” Reynolds asks. “…Who will be responsible for providing the face coverings and take the measures to ensure that they’re sanitary? Who will be responsible for tracking the appropriate use and storage of a face covering?”

State guidelines released last week for reopening Iowa’s K-through-12 schools said face coverings could be allowed, but it will not be a statewide mandate. That sparked criticism from the state teachers union and some school administrators. Newly posted guidelines from the Iowa Department of Education have a list of considerations about face masks and the governor says schools must define what appropriate use means.  “What do you do during lunch? Naptime?…The other thing the CDC states is that cloth-based coverings should be washed after every use and it’s important to always remove face coverings correctly and wash your hands after handling,” Reynolds says, “so this is really important important and it becomes problematic.”

Reynolds says the state’s epidemiologists help the state’s education department develop its “broad guidance” to schools about how to safely resume classes this fall in the midst of a pandemic. A mandatory face masking policy has what the agency calls “considerable implications” — and it’s also urging schools to teach students not to judge others based on whether they wear or don’t wear a mask.

Iowa school districts must submit “Return to Learn” plans to the state by tomorrow (Wednesday), July 1st. The plans must include three components, outlining the option of in-person instruction in a classroom, an online only option and a third option that’s a hybrid of meeting inside the school building AND taking classes online.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled in a case involving a support dog and pet allergies. The case involved Karen Cohen, who has medically documented severe allergies and moved into an apartment in Iowa City with a “no pets” policy. Two months later David Clark moved in and asked for a waiver to allow his emotional support dog to live with him. The Iowa Civil Rights Commission informally advised the landlord that moving Clark to another building that allowed pets would not be a reasonable accommodation for his situation.

Efforts to use air purifiers didn’t work and Cohen sued after her allergies kicked in. The Supreme Court ruling says there is no law in Iowa or any other jurisdiction that clearly establishes how landlords should handle reasonable accommodation. The court says Cohen was the first to move into the apartment and in this particular case that should be the factor used to determine the outcome. The Supreme Court threw out the lower court ruling that Cohen could not sue the landlord over the pet issue.

The Harlan Police Department reports four arrests took place over the past week.  On Sunday, 40-year old Jason Robin Conwy Emery, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for a disturbance. Emery was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with public intoxication.

Last Saturday: 30-year old Sonja Ann White-Eagle, of Omaha, NE, was arrested following a traffic stop, in Harlan. White-Eagle was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with prohibited acts penalties, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and fail to obey a stop sign. And, 46-year old Chad Edward Crawford, of, Caldwell, ID, was arrested following a traffic stop. Crawford was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with open container, failure to maintain control, and operating while intoxicated.

And, on June 23rd, 51-year old John Anthony Wyatt, was arrested following a traffic stop. Wyatt was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating a non-registered vehicle, driving while suspended and operating while intoxicated.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — State statistics show that Black residents in Iowa are far more likely than whites to face the use of force from officers working for the state police agency. Blacks make up about 4% of Iowa’s 3.2 million residents. But data show they accounted for 24% of those who had force used against them by officers with the Iowa Department of Public Safety in 2018 and 2019.

Blacks accounted for a similar percentage of those who were visibly injured or complained of being injured during those interactions. The disparities are found in reports covering 2018 and 2019 on force used by officers with state police agencies.

Iowans with travel plans to New York will now have to self-quarantine. New York is urging travelers from Iowa ad eight additional states to self-quarantine for 14 days as it awaits a decision on the reopening of indoor dining in New York City.   Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a television interview that he plans to send state police and health and liquor officials to New York City tonight (Tuesday night) ahead of his decision expected Wednesday.

The Democratic governor said he’s worried by reports that dining in closed, indoor areas with air-conditioned systems could lead to spikes in COVID-19. Cuomo has warned that those out-of-state travelers could lead to a rise in infections. Among the 16 states where travelers to New York are required to self-quarantine for 14 days, is Iowa, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

The Iowa Department of Public Health reports an increase in coronavirus cases in the state over the last week.

CRESTON, IA — Democrat Iowa Third-District Representative Cindy Axne  today (Tuesday), announced nearly $815,000 in new federal grants to fund repairs at Creston Municipal Airport and Perry Municipal Airport. The grant, provided by U.S. Department of Transportation and funded in part by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, will fund reconstruction of runways at the airports in Union and Dallas counties.

The grants awarded are as follows:

$620,551 for the Creston Municipal Airport, including $62,055 from the CARES Act
$194,444 for the Perry Municipal Airport, including $19,444 from the CARES Act

Earlier this year, Rep. Axne announced a $30,000 grant for Creston Municipal Airport that was authorized by CARES Act. The CARES Act was passed unanimously in March to provide economic relief to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Page County, Monday, arrested 41-year old Justin Allen Williams, from Greene County.

Justin Allen Williams

Williams was taken into custody at the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, on a Page County Warrant for Probation Violation. Williams was transported to the Page County Jail where he is being held on $4,000 bond pending further court proceedings

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Pottawattamie County say a person hit by a train in Council Bluffs was transported in critical condition to a hospital in Omaha. Council Bluffs police say the incident happened late Monday night on the south side of Council Bluffs. First responders called to the area at around 10:40 p.m., found a person injured near Union Pacific Railroad tracks and applied pressure to the person’s wounds until an ambulance arrived.

The victim was taken to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. No name has been released. Police and the railroad continue to investigate.