Interest in the Iowa Straw Poll is waning, and Iowa Republican Party officials will be discussing the fate of the event in a conference call tomorrow. A few presidential contenders such as Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush have come out and said they’re not attending the August political event, but state GOP officials have fought to keep it alive.
Donald Trump is taking a plane ride to Des Moines hours after making a “major announcement” in New York next week. The likely GOP presidential contender will speak at Hoyt Sherman Place on June 16, and then go on to New Hampshire.
Iowa’s Congressional delegation helped pass a bill that repeals Country of Origin Labeling requirements yesterday. Congressman Steve King spoke on the House floor in support of the bill…saying he’s always been a proponent of maintaining good trade relationships with neighboring countries.
The rate of bird flu cases popping up across Iowa could be slowing down. No new cases have been reported so far this week. Ag officials say hot weather kills the virus, allowing farmers and USDA officials to focus on cleanup.
Reps from the Department of Veterans Affairs say the Des Moines VA hospital did NOT deny mental health services to veteran Richard Miles, who was found dead at a Des Moines park in February. Miles’ death was ruled a suicide, but Senator Joni Ernst still called for a federal investigation into VA programs and if Miles was adequately served.
A slew of presidential hopefuls are in central Iowa the next few days. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is in Ames and West Des Moines today. Democrat candidate Martin O’Malley will stop in Marshalltown this afternoon. Bernie Sanders has several events this weekend, starting at Drake University tomorrow night, and most recently announced: Hillary Clinton is hosting a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Sunday.
If you’re getting annoying with the loud Amber Alerts going off on your phone…you’re not alone. Iowa usually sees about two Amber Alerts a year…but four were issued in the span of three months so far this year. Most recently, an Urbandale Amber Alert was called this week that ended when police found what they believe to be the bodies of a boy and his father in a burned car in Missouri.
The Iowa Board of Regents has officially adopted a common application portal for potential undergrads wanting to apply to two or more of the public universities in the state. ISU will be the host school for the system…allowing applicants to answer a series of common questions to all three universities. The new portal will be live on July 1st and cost the board about $90,000 to create.
Redevelopment of the former Younkers in downtown Des Moines could soon be decided. Blackbird Investments will decide by the end of the month if it’s going to go through with plans to partner with Alexander Companies to renovate the property, go it alone, or just walk away from the project. Younkers burned down more than a year ago.
Two ISU economists are debating over if a skills gap among potential Iowa workers is the reason companies can’t fill positions. Data from Iowa and across the country shows that Iowa has a pretty good supply of skilled workers, but the economists say there’s been a long-term shift of skilled labor moving to cities and other states, making it difficult for small businesses in Iowa to find workers.
