Iowa
New Title IX rules on hold in Iowa as federal lawsuit continues
DES MOINES, Iowa — A federal judge has temporarily blocked part of the Biden Administration’s new Title IX rules from going into effect here in Iowa.
For now, Iowa schools and universities who receive federal funding won’t have to comply with the new Title IX rules.
The Biden Administration’s Title IX rules were set to take effect August 1 and would have expanded protections against sex discrimination and sexual harassment.
Dozens of Republican-led states criticized the new rules for including protections when it comes to gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination.
“The pushback on it was that this would allow biological males to identify as female into women’s spaces,” Tim Hagle a political professor at UI said. “Locker rooms, restrooms, things of that nature.”
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined five other states in suing the Biden Administration back in May. They cited concerns that a few of Iowa’s laws could be at risk. Specifically, one that requires students use the bathroom according to their sex assigned at birth and another that prohibits transgender girls from playing girls sports.
“Today’s victory delivers a major blow to the Biden-Harris Administration’s war on women and protects young women all across the country,” Bird said. “Biden and Harris’s woke gender ideology mandate seeks to abolish more than 50 years of landmark protections that women spent centuries fighting for. No schoolgirl should be robbed of the opportunity to compete and succeed in the sports they love or be forced to share restrooms and shower spaces with boys. I will continue fighting protect opportunity and privacy for young women across the country and to make this win permanent.”
Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls (D-Coralville) already opposed both of the those GOP backed law, said the lawsuit is unnecessary.
“I’m very troubled by the decision that this is what Republican politicians are focused on and I think it’s a misrepresentation of the priorities Iowans say they care about,” Sen. Wahls said.
A spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Education said they’re reviewing the recent ruling, but the department is standing by the final regulations and will continue to fight for every student.
“Obviously we’re going through a process now as a country,” Sen. Wahls said. “Trying to figure out how do we support protect kids who are a little different from their classmates and their peers and I think that we should be erring on the side of protecting those kids who, again, are already facing a lot of hardship in life.”
Gov. Kim Reynolds also applauded the federal judges decision in a statement on Thursday.
“Another federal judge has blocked the Biden-Harris administration’s attempt to apply Title IX protections intended for girls to biological boys who identify as girls.,” Gov. Reynolds said. “The definitions of “sex” and “gender identity” are different, just as biological males and females are different. I’m proud that Iowa is part of this lawsuit and I’ll never stop defending the rights of women of all ages.”
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on offense, defense development
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on how the Cyclones offense and defense is developing.
After securing multiple commitments on the offensive side of the ball, Iowa State football has landed its first defensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.
Keaton Wollan, a three-star linebacker out of Amery, Wisconsin, committed to the Cyclones on April 21. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker announced his decision on social media.
He chose Iowa State over other offers from Texas Tech and North Dakota State. He previously visited Ames in March, but he also took recent visits to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
As a junior at Amery High School, Wollan was a two-way standout and earned all-state honors for the 2025 season. Defensively, he racked up a team-high 125 total tackles, including nine for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown.
Offensively, he had a team-high 932 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 160 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 179 yards, and he was an impact player in the return game, logging more than 500 kick and punt return yards.
According to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Wollan is the No. 93 linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit in his class from the state of Wisconsin.
Wollan is the sixth player to commit in the Cyclones’ 2027 recruiting class.
Iowa State football 2027 recruiting commitments
As of April 21
- Gavin Ericson-Staton, OL | Lombard, Illinois/Montini Catholic
- Isaiah Hansen, RB | Newton, Iowa/Newton HS
- Koen Hinzman, OL | Hudson, Michigan/Hudson Area HS
- Will Slagle, OL | Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell HS
- Bryson Thompson, WR | San Antonio, Texas/Claudia Taylor Johnson HS
- Keaton Wollan, LB | Amery, Wisconsin/Amery HS
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
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Prepare for more overnight closures at the northeast mixmaster as the Iowa Department of Transportation closes the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 and northbound Interstate 35.
Here’s what to know.
When will the Iowa DOT close the westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 ramp?
The westbound I-80 to northbound I-35 ramp will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning from April 21-24.
What’s the detour when the Iowa DOT closes the westbound I‑80 to the northbound I‑35 ramp?
During the closures, drivers wanting to go from westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 will follow a signed detour.
Instead of taking the closed ramp, motorists will stay on westbound I‑80, bypassing the northeast mixmaster connection. They’ll then exit at U.S. Highway 69, turn around, and head back east on I‑80, where they can connect to northbound I‑35 using the open portion of the northeast mixmaster.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.
Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.
On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.
Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.
The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.
Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.
The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.
Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.
As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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