DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state court judge has temporarily halted enforcement of a new Iowa law that would have blocked Planned Parenthood of the Heartland from receiving federal grant money for sex education courses.

Judge Joseph Seidlin signed an order Wednesday prohibiting the state from implementing the bill that Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law on May 3 until the court can decide whether the law is constitutional.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed a lawsuit for Planned Parenthood on May 15 challenging the law as a violation of free speech, due process and equal protection rights. Seidlin says Planned Parenthood is likely to succeed in its equal protection claim and that it has demonstrated significant harm through loss of funding.

The law passed on the last day of the legislative session. It was the latest effort by conservative lawmakers to end streams of government funding for the organization, which also provides abortions. The judge says it’s likely the court would not find the new law rational.

The City of Atlantic’s Personnel and Finance Committee, Wednesday evening, voted to unanimously recommend to the Mayor and full Council, the appointment of Pat McCurdy to fill a vacancy on the Council for the City’s 3rd Ward.

McCurdy, who attended the meeting and had submitted his application for the seat prior to the deadline, said he is just about done with CADCO (the Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation), where he serves as President of the public/private partnership for economic development. McCurdy said his eight-year term with the organization expires in July, and he likes to be involved in local happenings. “I think I kind of know what’s going on in the city. I’m highly invested in this town. I want to see it grow and prosper.”

City of Atlantic Personnel & Finance Committee (L-R): City Administrator John Lund; Councilperson Kathy Somers, Atty. David Wiederstein; Councilmen Dana Halder and Chris Jimerson.

If the Council approves the appointment, McCurdy would fill the seat left vacant by the resignation earlier this month of Ashley Hayes, and would need to run for the seat in the November General Election in order to retain the seat.

In other business, the P&F Committee will recommend to the Council the City Attorney’s position be filled by David Wiederstein, who was previously the attorney before handing-off the duties to his associate, Mark Bosworth. Bosworth has resigned and moved with his family to Colorado to work with a family-oriented law firm. Wiederstein said Bosworth “Left on good terms” with him, and moving to Colorado is something Mark and his family had always wanted to do.

Wiederstein said he has spoken with Audubon County Attorney Sarah Jennings, who has agreed to sign-on as the City of Atlantic’s part-time attorney as needed, to handle certain cases, such as those pertaining to the City’s Code of Ordinances. Jennings also serves as the Assistant Cass County Attorney and primarily handles the Juvenile Court Docket.

(Radio Iowa) — People in southwest Iowa are preparing for more flooding as recent heavy rains and rising river levels could push even more water beyond now-useless flood barriers. There’s a 12-hundred-foot breach on a levee south of Highway-34 in Mills County . Fixing it is a priority of the U-S Army Corps of Engineers but that could take until mid-June.

Mills County spokesperson, Sheri Bowen, says that’s one reason the county is being proactive-recommending that some areas prepare to evacuate as the Missouri River is projected to rise again. Bowen says the few people that had moved back into their homes in these areas since the March flooding have heeded the warning.

“We’re estimating around 5 families that were actively living in their properties and those families are no longer residing there temporarily,” Bowen says. She adds officials are closely watching Missouri River levels, since the county currently has no levee protection. “We wanted people who live west of the interstate there between the river to be very watchful and to be sure they were aware of the rising water and not caught by surprise, Bowen says. Bowen says most families in the areas had not yet returned to homes severely damaged from March flooding.

(CORALVILLE) – Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Corrections report a staff member was assaulted by an inmate at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville, at approximately 8:45 a.m. today (Wednesday).

A member of the support staff was talking with an inmate in her office when the inmate unexpectedly began to physically assault her. She used personal safety defensive tactics to keep the attacking inmate at bay, and additional staff members arrived to restrain the inmate.  The incident lasted less than twenty seconds.

The staff member was assessed by institution medical professionals and found to have suffered minor scratches and soreness.  The incident remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Disappointed in Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ veto of a bill that would have expanded Iowa’s medical marijuana program, two Democratic lawmakers are calling for a special session of the Legislature to override the veto.

Sen. Joe Bolkcom and Rep. John Forbes called Wednesday for the special session, but that’s unlikely because it would require a request by two-thirds of lawmakers in the House and Senate. Republicans control both chambers.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer says a special session is “ill-advised” since it’s unclear whether there’s enough support to override a veto. She supports Reynolds’ request for a new compromise bill next year.

Bolkcom and Forbes say Reynolds is wrong when she argues the bill she vetoed allowed too much THC, the chemical that produces a high. Forbes, a pharmacist, says a lower THC limit supported by Reynolds wouldn’t help those who rely on capsules, oils and creams infused with a marijuana derivative to treat conditions like pain, nausea and lack of appetite.