Iowa

After Iowa abortion ruling, should voters boot Justice David May? Rekha Basu weighs in.

Published

4 hours ago

August 9, 2024

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After Iowa abortion ruling, should voters boot Justice David May? Rekha Basu weighs in.

Opponents of same-sex marriage waged ideological warfare against the courts in 2010. This time, Kim Reynolds, lawmakers and justices are responsible for the ideological warfare.

Rekha Basu
| Guest columnist

Rekha Basu is a longtime syndicated columnist, editorial writer, reporter and author of the book, “Finding Your Voice.”
She retired in 2022 as a Des Moines Register columnist.

Fifteen years ago, a group of evangelical political activists, furious over the Iowa Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling for same-sex marriage, plotted revenge. Led by Bob Vander Plaats of the The Family Leader, they formed the ironically named “Iowans for Freedom.”

Funded partly by out-of-state money, it campaigned against three of the Supreme Court justices who happened to be up for retention elections in 2010. And it succeeded in unseating three fine ones: Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices Michael Streit and David Baker.

Fast forward to this year, when a reconstituted Iowa Supreme Court, a majority hand-picked by Iowa’s anti-abortion Gov. Kim Reynolds, turns back the clock 50 years with a 4-3 ruling effectively outlawing abortions after six weeks into a pregnancy. In doing so, the justices overturned precedent that had withstood previous Supreme Court challenges, deciding that abortion laws should not be assessed under the strict-scrutiny standard previously invoked.

And now, in response, some women are taking a cue from what Iowans for Freedom accomplished in 2010. They’re encouraging others to turn the page on the November ballot — literally — to the side where judicial retention votes are, and vote against Justice David May. He’s the only one who voted for the six-week ban who’s up this year.

So, how could anyone who opposed the 2010 campaign support the same tactic? Comparisons between the two efforts get complicated. Retention elections used to be mostly pro forma shows of support for sitting judges appointed on a nonpartisan basis, who were doing their jobs properly. In 2010, same-sex marriage opponents couldn’t accept that their religious-based agenda had lost in a court of law bound by the Iowa Constitution. So it used the elections to wage ideological warfare.

This time the ideological warfare has been waged by the governor, state lawmakers and the court’s new majority, by tampering with the once nonpartisan, constitutionally based process. Reynolds, an outspoken abortion opponent, called a special one-day session of the Legislature last summer to vote on the ban. Six weeks is before most women even know if they’re pregnant. Iowa’s Republican-led Legislature complied by passing it, though a nearly identical 2018 law had been permanently blocked. Reynolds had over the years appointed four new justices, including May, who could reliably be predicted to vote as they did.

More: Kim Reynolds picked this Legislature, and it steamrolled an extreme path for Iowa

The victims now will be untold numbers of pregnant women and girls, and children born to people ill-equipped to care for them.

“The ideological bias of this court does not reflect the will of most Iowans, and I’m not sure how far it follows the constitution,” said Des Moines’ Lea DeLong, the reproductive rights advocate who penned a letter making the case for opposing May’s retention. “My reading of the constitution is that it is intended to expand the rights and liberties of people.”

Her letter is being widely circulated by email. It points out that, as Reynolds’ appointee, May helped give Iowa “one of the most restrictive rulings in the nation against the rights of women.” It goes on to say, “It is an unfortunate development in our society that these kinds of actions against judges must happen, but I’m afraid we have had to learn some sad lessons from those who deny the rights of women. It is well known that most Iowans do not support these draconian restrictions on women’s lives and decisions.”

That’s true: 61% of Iowans polled support abortion rights in all or most cases. Still, the governor saw fit to impose her personal beliefs over the will of the majority.

DeLong is co-founder with Charlotte Hubbell of a group of some 15 women known as Iowans for Reproductive Freedom (one word but light years away from the group that waged the 2010 ballot battle). Formed in November, 2022, it has placed billboards defending reproductive rights on display around Des Moines.

They carry such captions as:

Reproductive Freedom Is KEY to a Strong Family.
Keep Government OUT of Women’s Health Care.
If Men Got Pregnant, We Wouldn’t Be Discussing This.

Though individual members support the ballot idea and are circulating DeLong’s letter, the organization isn’t officially involved in the effort. DeLong herself doesn’t doubt May is a good person. And she’s mindful that Reynolds would likely replace him with another justice of the same ideological bent. But she wants this to be a wake-up call. “It sends a message,” she said. “Maybe it will encourage people to think very seriously about what this court is doing to women.”

Unlike Vander Plaats’ well financed and heavily publicized initiative, she says, “We’re not trying to organize a campaign. We will do what women have always done before: Spread information to our friends.”

More importantly, the goal this time is protecting rights, not undermining them.

“Much as I don’t like the fundamental concept of doing this,” DeLong said, “I think so many destructive lines have been crossed.”

And she’s right. They have been.

Rekha Basu is a longtime syndicated columnist, editorial writer, reporter and author of the book, “Finding Your Voice.” She retired in 2022 as a Des Moines Register columnist. Her column, “Rekha Shouts and Whispers,” is available at basurekha.substack.com.

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Iowa

State-funded temporary housing for flood victims being implemented across northwest Iowa

Published

11 hours ago

August 9, 2024

Press Room

State-funded temporary housing for flood victims being implemented across northwest Iowa

SPENCER, Iowa (KCAU) — Just shy of two months after the historic floods, the state of Iowa is reaching out to those affected in a big way.

“I won’t say it was easy,” said Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director John Benson. “Because there are so many moving parts with this.”

FEMA approves $61 million for Iowans affected by severe weather

Working with FEMA, local officials and outside entities, the state of Iowa has created the Disaster Recovery Temporary Housing Program, putting affected families into RVs and travel trailers for six months at no cost.

“It takes a little bit of the stress off of them so [they] don’t have to worry about ‘where am I going to rest my head tonight?’ ‘No, I’ve got a good place to rest my head, now I can put a lot more effort into what my long-term housing solution is going to look like going forward,” Benson said.

As the number of those impacted grows, the state is prepared to temporarily house as many people as need it.

“The primary qualifier is that you’re in a county that was impacted, FEMA has been turned on, you’re engaged with the FEMA program, and that your house is uninhabitable,” Benson said. “Right now we’ve got 385 households that have applied. We’re initially planning for up to 500, and if we have to go beyond that, we’ll be more than able to accommodate that.”

153 of those applicants are from Clay County, Iowa, which is currently laying down the groundwork to move residents into the temporary homes.

“We couldn’t be more appreciative of the state because they saw the need right away,” Clay County housing team member Brittany Spieker said. “We knew that FEMA couldn’t get their trailers in as soon as we really needed them, and it’s July and August in Iowa, it’s really, really hot, with the flood mold can grow and the atmosphere and the environment can’t be the best for some people. So, absolutely, this came at the best time.”

With the first few trailers set up, Clay County is prepared to move forward in their community recovery process.

Goodwill gives large donation to American Red Cross

“We’ve had so much support from the state level, from the federal level, Red Cross, all of it, and we just worked really, really hard together,” Spieker said. “We keep hearing that we’re way further along in the disaster, and I don’t know what that means because this is our first disaster. But I’m super proud of our community and our housing team and everybody that came together to help.”

Officials expect Clay County residents to be able to move into the temporary housing in the upcoming weeks.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.

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Iowa

Turkey calling at the 2024 Iowa State Fair: Who took home the prize?

Published

18 hours ago

August 8, 2024

Press Room

Turkey calling at the 2024 Iowa State Fair: Who took home the prize?

Folks brought their best turkey calls to the opening day of the 2024 Iowa State Fair. While some used gadgets and gismos, others relied on their own voice.

The yearly event takes place at Pioneer Hall, and this year there were seven adult contestants. Each were asked to do four calls: a gobble, a cluck and purr, a kee kee run and a call of their choice.

While all contestants put their best foot forward, it was Ervin Eiben of Monticello, Iowa, who took home first place. Eiben said what he enjoys most about turkey hunting is calling the bird in.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.

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Iowa

Who needs a babysitter? Here’s 5 things to do with kids at the Iowa State Fair

Published

1 day ago

August 8, 2024

Press Room

Who needs a babysitter? Here’s 5 things to do with kids at the Iowa State Fair

End your kids’ summer with a visit to the Iowa State Fair and create memorable moments that will last a lifetime.

The Iowa State Fair offers a number of attractions for kids, many of which are free. So after you grab your fried treat, here are five different activities to bring your kids to at the fair this year.

Baby Animals

Introduce your babies to baby animals at the Iowa State Fair. Not only is this an adorable experience but it also makes for great photo opportunities. Children can watch baby chicks hatch, baby ducks slide or goats play in new playpens. The baby animal exhibit is located south of the Little Hands on the Farm area. Kids can also pet cattle, horses, pigs and sheep at the Hands On Barn Experience.

More: Ever heard of the Husband Calling Contest? Here are 5 bizarre Iowa State Fair contests

Kids in the Kitchen

Get your kids in the kitchen making healthy farm-fresh recipes at the Kids Can Cook area. Children ages 5 to 17 can work on their chef skills and learn about cleanliness, food handling and preparation. The kid’s kitchen is located in the east room at Maytag Family Theaters.

More: What’s the new Iowa State Fair logo? It’s not the one on social media

Free entertainment for kids

The fair doesn’t just have concerts for adults, there also is entertainment for kids at the Fun Forest Stage. Performances include interactive music with The Dollipops and a children’s magic show by The Chipper Experience. Kidz Bop will perform at the fair at 6 p.m. Aug. 18. Tickets are $20.

Pick a vegetable

Take your kids to The Garden where they can learn how vegetables grow. They can become a producer and harvest veggies that are then given to the Iowa Food Bank. The spaces are loaded with garden beds where the little ones can get their hands dirty. Children also can learn about sustainability at a special composting exhibit. The Garden is located north of Little Hands on the Farm.

Thrill parks

What’s a trip to the fair without enjoying some of the carnival rides? There are a number of kid-friendly rides for the whole family to do together.

Perhaps the most well-known ride for children is the giant slide, which parents can ride with their kids. Your screams might sound louder because there are microphones strung over the slide to amplify the sound. The giant slide is $3 per person and is located near Ruan Plaza.

Avoid walking around the fair and instead enjoy a ride with your child on the sky glider while seeing all the fair attractions. Riders taller than 48 inches can ride alone. It is $6 one way and $9 round trip. The sky glider runs east from Pioneer Hall to the entrance of the Thrill Ville and west from Gate 10 to Rock Island Avenue.

How much is a ticket to the Iowa State Fair? Where can I buy one?

You can buy tickets on the Iowa State Fair website.

Ticket prices at the gate and online during the fair are:

Adult (ages 12 and up): $16
Child (ages 6-11): $10
Under 5: Free

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.

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