(Radio Iowa) — Sunday was the 50th anniversary of an historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling on student free speech rights that was sparked by three students from Iowa. In December,1965 Mary Beth and John Tinker, along with a friend, wore black armbands to school in Des Moines to protest the Vietnam War. John Tinker says black armbands have been worn as a symbol of mourning for centuries. “It’s a silent, non-disruptive symbol and so we thought it fit what we were trying to do very well,” Tinker said.

The Tinker siblings and their friend were sent home and threatened with expulsion for wearing the armbands. The parents of the three teens sued on their behalf and four years later the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a student’s right to free expression doesn’t end “at the schoolhouse gate.” Tinker says it’s a landmark case. “It declared that students in the public schools are persons under the law and are endowed with their First Amendment rights,” Tinker says. Tinker and his sister were featured in a day-long event at the State Historical Building on Friday. More than 200 Iowa students attended. There was a national livestream discussion with students in other states as well.

“Having stood up for what we believed way back then about the war in Vietnam and having the courts vindicate us — I think that helps the students today understand that if they’ve thought about an issue and if they feel strongly about it, that they do have the right to speak out about it,” Tinker said, “and I encourage them to do that.” Tinker and another high school student were 15 years old when they wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. His younger sister, Mary Beth, also wore an armband to school. She was 13 and in junior high. John and Mary Beth Tinker will speak at Iowa State University this (Monday) evening; at the University of Iowa Tuesday night and at Drake University on Wednesday night.

The Iowa DOT reports Highway 92 between Pottawattamie County Road L-43 and Interstate 29/U-S 275, is blocked due to a crash.  Travel is NOT ADVISED on:

• Highway 92, west of Treynor
• I680, I-80, I-29 (west of the 80/29 split).
• Highway 191 from Earling to Council Bluffs
• Highway 30 from Carroll to Missouri Valley/I-29
• Most roads in Harrison and Monona County
• Highway 141 from Hwy 59 to Coon Rapids.
• Highway 59 from Denison to Harlan.
• Hwy 44 from Panora to Dallas Center.

Other roads are partially covered with snow/drifted snow. Highway 6 from the Griswold turn to I-80 is completely covered with ice, snow/blowing snow.Highway 59 from Oakland to Shenandoah is also completely covered with ice/snow and or blowing snow. The latest road conditions can be found on the web at 511ia.org, or by calling 5-1-1.

The Iowa Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the Iowa State Patrol, reports also, that Interstate 35 north of the U.S. 30 interchange at Ames will likely remain closed through this morning’s commute. Crews are diligently working to reopen the roadway which is still experiencing extensive drifting in many areas. Interstate 35 is also closed across the Minnesota border. Officials in both states are coordinating operations and the opening to ensure the safety and mobility of drivers moving between the two states. The Iowa DOT will issue a notification when I-35 will be safely reopened. Once the interstate does open, winter conditions on the roadway will still make traffic difficult. Please slow down and use caution. Truck parking at the Northbound Elkhart Rest Area and on the Dayton exit is at capacity. If you need parking, you are encouraged to use the Hilton Coliseum parking lot.

Classes at CAM are cancelled for today, but the CAM School Board is still slated to meet this evening in the High School Media Center. During the 6:30-p.m. meeting, the Board will consider: approval of early retirement applications; A Vocational Rehab Service Delivery Plan; Granting permission to request bids for mowing services for Summer 2019 and consider granting permission to request bids for a school vehicle.

The Board will also set the date for a Public Hearing on the 2019-2020 School Calendar, changes to the 2019-20 Calendar, and take action on open enrollment applications, resignations and contracts. After the CAM School Board adjourns, they’ll hold an exempt session for the purpose of contract negotiations.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Republican lawmakers are moving forward with bills to limit or even eliminate abortions despite recent court rulings. A Senate panel approved a bill that would ban virtually all abortions by declaring a human being’s life begins at conception and is due all rights of the state and federal constitutions. Other bills would elevate prison sentences for anyone convicted of terminating a human pregnancy and deny federal funds for sex education conducted by organizations that perform abortions.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police say they’re investigating the shooting of a 20-year-old man in Cedar Rapids as a homicide. Police spokesman Greg Buelow says in a news release that Tenacious Harris died Sunday morning at a Cedar Rapids hospital. Harris was found wounded Tuesday evening in a vehicle near Franklin Middle School. No arrests have been reported.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Iowa officials are still urging people to stay off the roads in most of the state because of blowing and drifting snow. Interstate 35 remained closed in northern Iowa because of the conditions. In Nebraska, officials were able to reopen Interstate 80 on Sunday after clearing the road.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A national fight between for-profit banks and nonprofit credit unions is spilling into Nebraska, and state lawmakers could get caught in the middle. Nebraska’s banking industry is supporting a bill that would require state regulators to notify them anytime a credit union seeks approval to expand its membership, giving bankers the opportunity to challenge it. Credit unions say the bill is intended to stifle competition. Bankers note that credit unions enjoy tax breaks that banks don’t get.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police say they’re investigating the shooting of a 20-year-old man in Cedar Rapids as a homicide. Police spokesman Greg Buelow says in a news release that Tenacious Harris died Sunday morning at a Cedar Rapids hospital. Harris was found wounded Tuesday evening in a vehicle near Franklin Middle School. No arrests have been reported.

(Radio Iowa/KJAN weather date) — A blizzard and treacherous travel conditions struck much of the state this weekend. Snow plows were pulled from areas of northern Iowa Saturday night. The Iowa D-O-T closed Interstate-35 from the Ames exit all the way to the Minnesota border on Sunday morning. Rescue crews struggled to reach stranded motorists. Wright County Emergency Management director Jim Lester says road crews in his county will set out this (Monday) morning after the winds subside. “It’s going to be a chore for them,” he said. “Several of the roads are (drifted) completely shut.”

Hamilton County engineer Nikki Stinn said snow plows went out at noon Sunday to help clear paths to rescue motorists, but the plows were pulled off the roads after all rescues were completed. “It’s just too much (blowing snow), too unsafe to be out there trying to clear roads,” she said.

Buffalo Center seems to have had the most snow from this weekend’s storm — 15 inches. The National Weather Service announced early Sunday morning this is the snowiest February on record at the Des Moines Airport. There’s been more than 24 inches — that’s two feet — of snow in the capital city. Here in Atlantic, we’ve received 30.3 inches of snow since the beginning of the month. At Eppley Airport in Omaha, there’s been more than 44 inches of snow since December 1st. That shatters a record set during the winter of 2003 and 2004. If Omaha gets another two-tenths of snow this week, it will set the all-time snowiest February record as well.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County said late Sunday, that another, non-injury accident occurred that day. At around 3:20-p.m., a 2005 GMC Sierra driven by Tobias H. Luna, of Omaha, was traveling east on Highway 34, when the vehicle hit a patch of ice on the road near the intersection with A Avenue. The pickup went out of control and entered the north ditch, where it came to rest on the driver’s side. Tobias was cited for failure to have a valid driver’s license.

Snow-packed roads caused trouble all over southwest Iowa, Saturday and Sunday. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Sunday, said two, non-injury accidents occurred. At around 11:15-a.m. Sunday, a 2002 Dodge pickup pulling a horse trailer, was traveling northbound on Highway 71, when due to the snow and ice on the road, the vehicle went out of control. The pickup and trailer skidded across the highway and entered the west ditch, causing the pickup and trailer to jackknife. The driver of the vehicle, 84-year old Melvin D. Zimmerman, of Ochelata, OK., was not hurt. Damage from the accident amounted to $4,500. No citations were issued.

And, an accident at around 2:10-p.m. Sunday, occurred on northbound Highway 71, when a 2002 Chevy K2500 pickup driven by 20-year old Samuel E. Barkley, of Cumberland, slowed for a vehicle turning off Highway 71 onto High Street, in Montgomery County. After the vehicle turned, Barkley began to accelerate, but lost traction. His pickup went out of control and entered the east ditch, where it rolled over and came to rest on its top. No injuries were reported. The truck is owned by Robert Barkley, of Cumberland. The sheriff’s report did not list a dollar amount of damage to the vehicle. No citations were issued.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Travel remained difficult in eastern Nebraska and much of Iowa after a strong winter storm moved across the area. Iowa officials closed Interstate 35 between Ames, Iowa, and the Minnesota border on Sunday because of blowing and drifting snow. The storm dropped several inches of snow on central Iowa, but parts of northwest Iowa received as much as 16 inches of snow. In Nebraska, Interstate 80 re-opened after several hours. The road had been closed Sunday between Grand Island and Gretna because of weather conditions and several crashes. Much of eastern Nebraska received between 6 and 10 inches of snow in the storm.

Forecasters warn that even though the snow has stopped falling in Iowa and Nebraska strong winds could still cause blizzard conditions. Many churches canceled their Sunday services because of conditions.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Undeterred by multiple court rulings that have turned back efforts to limit abortion in the past year, some conservative Iowa lawmakers are moving forward with the ultimate in abortion control measures, a bill that would declare life begins at conception. It would place Iowa once again at the head of the pack of states attempting to ban all abortions and makes clear that abortion-rights opponents are committed to such a course regardless of the likelihood of future court defeats. “Let me be very clear to everyone in this room,” said Republican Sen. Jake Chapman, a staunch anti-abortion lawmaker who led a subcommittee Thursday that moved the bill banning abortions to a full Senate committee. “We’re not going to stop. We will continue to fight for life.”

The bill declares a person is an individual living human being from the moment of conception until natural death. It affords such a person all rights and protections accorded in state and federal constitutions.
Democratic Sen. Janet Petersen called the bill “another extreme and dangerous bill harmful to the health of women around our state.” She said she’s concerned it has no exceptions for rape, incest or for child sexual abuse. She said the language could be used to control certain types of birth control, could make it difficult for women to get some types of treatment for cancer that might endanger a fetus and force women to undergo a criminal investigation if they have a miscarriage or stillbirth. “To have government intervene and potentially investigate what has gone horribly wrong with a woman’s body, it just disgusts me,” she said.

The bill isn’t the only abortion measure moving forward in the Republican-majority Legislature with support from Gov. Kim Reynolds. More than half of the Iowa Senate signed on to a constitutional amendment that declares there’s no right to an abortion in the Iowa Constitution. The bill, which has no Democratic signers, is aimed at weakening the state court system’s power to review abortion restrictions. It was introduced in January just days after an Iowa judge overturned what would have been the nation’s broadest abortion limit — a bill that banned abortions at the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

The judge concluded the Iowa Supreme Court affirmed in a June 2018 ruling that women have a fundamental right to an abortion under the Iowa Constitution and the heartbeat law violated that precedent. In that ruling last year, the court struck down another of the legislature’s attempts at limiting abortion by forcing women to wait 72 hours before getting the procedure. The court concluded women have a fundamental state constitutional right to control their own bodies and health care decisions, including abortion. The proposed constitutional amendment moved out of a Senate subcommittee on Feb. 6 and must pass this legislative session and another before it goes to a statewide vote.

Two other abortion-related bills also are eligible for committee consideration after passing subcommittees last week. One would elevate the prison sentence to life for anyone convicted of intentionally terminating a human pregnancy, taking an action they reasonably should have known would terminate the pregnancy, or terminating a pregnancy in the commission of a felony. It also increases penalties if a drunken driver causes termination of a pregnancy. Another would deny federal funds administered by the state for sex education programs conducted by any organization that performs abortions or regularly refers people to an entity that performs abortions.

Iowa also is among at least four states where Republican lawmakers are trying to lessen the role of attorneys on state judicial nominating panels, and although legislative leaders deny their effort is related to abortion or gay marriage rulings, critics say it’s a way to stack the courts with more conservative judges. Legislative leaders say it’s about giving Iowans more control of judge selection through their elected representatives. Instead of attorneys choosing half of the members of the judicial selection commission, legislative leaders in the House and Senate would make the picks. Reynolds has insisted it isn’t related to abortion and isn’t politically motivated. However, at a state Capitol rally Thursday she made it clear she believes the courts are wrong to strike down the abortion laws.