DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state judge has struck down Iowa’s restrictive “fetal heartbeat” abortion law. Judge Michael Huppert on Tuesday found the law unconstitutional. He concluded that the Iowa Supreme Court’s earlier decisions that affirm a woman’s fundamental right to an abortion would include the new law passed last year.

The law would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. That can happen as early as six weeks into pregnancy. It would have been the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the nation. But the legal challenge by abortion providers Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and the Emma Goldman Clinic had halted it from taking effect last July.

Supporters of the law are likely to ask the Iowa Supreme Court to hear an appeal of Huppert’s ruling.

Police in Council Bluffs say a man robbed a woman at gunpoint Tuesday afternoon and stole her car. Authorities say a 23-year old Des Moines woman had parked her car near 35 North 1st Street and entered the apartment building. When she entered the unsecured common hallway, a man grabbed her and displayed a handgun demanding her money and keys. Police says the woman wisely complied, and the suspect fled in her gray 2013 Hyundai Sonata 4 Door with Iowa Plate GOK 912.The incident happened at around 2:15-p.m.

The vehicle was seen passing through the intersection of 8th and Broadway, traveling westbound.
The suspect is described as a black male, 6’1” and thin. He was wearing a multi-colored “flu” mask. The suspect displayed a handgun, so he should be considered armed and dangerous. Do not approach the subject, contact 911 with any information on the subject or vehicle.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The chairman of a House committee that would consider any changes to the public worker pension program says no legislation will pass this year or next that would change the system. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, chairman of the House State Government Committee, says Tuesday “simply unequivocally” there will not be any changes to the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System. The system covers state and local government workers and public school teachers. He says any groups saying otherwise are liars.

His intention is to squelch accusations by unions and other groups that have criticized Republicans for considering a plan to force future recipients into a self-saving retirement plan, similar to a 401k. A Senate Republican proposed change failed to advance last year. Others have talked about turning the program over to private management.

Democratic legislator Mary Mascher told Kaufmann that Democrats would hold him to his promise.
The group Progress Iowa has been raising concerns the pension program could be changed. Executive Director Matt Sinovic says the group will keep encouraging Iowans to stay informed and speak out.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Des Moines resident suspected of fatally injuring a pedestrian while driving a stolen car has been charged with first-degree murder. The new charge has been filed against 21-year-old Donterius Bomar, who’s already charged with attempted murder, robbery and criminal mischief. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press.

Bomar is accused of assaulting a business employee and stealing the employee’s car within hours of being released from jail on the unrelated charge of attempted murder. Police say Bomar was driving that car when he hit 69-year-old Charles Michael Childs and kept going. Childs was found dead two days later inside a tent at a homeless camp. Police say the Polk County medical examiner’s office has determined that Childs’ manner of death was a homicide.

(Radio Iowa) — Fire forced the evacuation of patients from Spencer Hospital in northwest Iowa last (Monday) night. The Spencer Fire Department says the call was received at 5:12 p.m. for a fire in the southwest corner of the hospital. Susan Zulk, the hospital’s vice president of marketing, says, “In our central sterilization area, which is adjacent to the surgery center, one of our coworkers smelled smoke and noticed sparks coming from a washer and immediately turned to a coworker and pulled the fire alarm.” She says both workers left the area after the alarm sounded and the automatic fire suppression system extinguished the threat.

“The sprinkler system took care of the sparks, however there was some smoke that spread to a few areas of the hospital,” Zulk says. “Because of that, we did transfer some of our inpatients to surrounding facilities.” A total of 16 patients were transferred to area facilities but the Spencer Hospital president says at no time were patients or hospital employees in danger. Hospital officials anticipate having the surgery center reopen later this week.

(Radio Iowa) –The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s office has released more information about a fatal accident on Storm Lake. The two people who died when a car broke through the iced-over lake late Sunday afternoon are identified as 40-year old Zackary Newlon, of Anthon and his 8-year old son. Two of Newlon’s other children, a 9-year-old girl and a 5-year-old girl, were airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital. Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston says their prospects for surviving “look positive.”

Elston says the family came to Storm Lake to play at an indoor waterpark Sunday afternoon. He says investigators don’t yet know why the man decided to drive out on to the nearby lake after leaving. The car was seen driving slowly before it became submerged in the freezing water, a quarter-mile or farther from shore. Elston says rescuers found the wet children on the ice, and the father was in the water. Rescuers used sleds to get the family to the shore.