Lots of flooding around the metro from last night’s storms…several trails and parks are closed today, including Grays Lake and sections of the Des Moines River Trail. No date or time has been set as to when those locations will reopen. Want to know how much rain we actually got yesterday? The National Weather Service reports Adel won the prize with 7.1 inches…here in Des Moines…rainfall totals from yesterday got to a little more than 4 inches.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to keep Obamacare subsidies available helps about 34,000 Iowans who were at risk of losing their health insurance. The court’s decision grants tax subsidies to people who buy health care coverage through exchanges run in part or in full by the federal government.
Governor Branstad is in Kansas today, speaking at the EPA hearing on the proposed Renewable Fuel Standards. Branstad told the crowd that biofuel and ethanol need to be offered in all parts of the country, not just Iowa. Ag Secretary Bill Northey also testified at the hearing.
There could be another Republican throwing his hat into the ring for the White House…New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to make a major announcement next Tuesday at the high school he went to school at…the only potential contender left to make his intentions known is Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
One of the three Iowa State Patrol officers who were on leave during an internal investigation has been transferred. Major Todd Misel will be overseeing the department’s compliance with national law enforcement accreditation standards. The three officers are being investigated on if they mishandled a contract with a gun company.
A Des Moines pharmacy whose former owner was busted for illegally selling hundreds of pain pills to drug addicts will soon be allowed to sell medications again. The state Board of Pharmacy has agreed to restore Bauder’s Pharmacy’s prescriptions permit.
The University of Iowa and the University of North Iowa rank in the top 25 schools with the lowest default rates on student loans, according to BestColleges.com. U-I ranked 12th and UNI ranked 20th on the list. ISU was 35th on the list, out of 700 public colleges.
Iowa business groups are hoping to capitalize on the possible normalization of trade relations with Cuba. USDA’s Bryce Cooke says there are many similarities with the Dominican Republic, where the U-S has a healthy trade relationship. But Cooke says Cuba has a growing need for soybeans, which happens to be a bumper crop in Iowa.
Ag businesses dealing with foreign companies may not be happy at the end of the month, if the federal Export-Import Bank is allowed to go out of business on June 30th. Senator Joni Ernst says a lot of businesses in Iowa have benefitted from the bank, which deals with foreign trade.
