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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Convenes Special Legislative Session Solely to Ban Abortion

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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Convenes Special Legislative Session Solely to Ban Abortion


Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) announced she’s convening a special legislative session next week “with the sole purpose of enacting legislation that addresses abortion,” per a Wednesday news release. The announcement comes after Iowa’s Supreme Court last month permanently blocked the state’s six-week abortion ban, which Reynolds originally signed in 2018. The Des Moines Register notes that special sessions in Iowa are “rare”—the most recent one came in 2021 to complete the state’s once-a-decade redistricting process.

Reynolds claimed in the news release that the state Supreme Court’s ruling “disregards the will of Iowa voters,” despite the fact that the majority (61 percent) of said Iowa voters actually support abortion rights, according to a March poll.

As the governor notes in her news release, the ruling was handed down despite a 3-3 deadlock among the justices; but as a result of the deadlock, the justices’ writings on the case don’t hold value as legal precedent. Nor do their writings provide guidance into which abortion laws are and aren’t permissible, or even whether the court would rule the same on a new abortion ban passed today.

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But what we know for certain is that Reynolds has called the legislature to return nearly three months after this year’s session wrapped, because that’s how determined she is to make life as hellish as possible for pregnant people in Iowa. This session comes after Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R) in April paused the state sexual assault victim compensation fund’s long-time practice of covering emergency contraception and abortions for rape victims.

Iowa Democrats have since criticized the special session as an act of extremism from Reynolds and her party. Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum accused Republicans of “rushing to take away Iowans’ established rights and personal freedoms” and “[hoping] they can do it fast enough that Iowans won’t even notice.”

In the governor’s news release, she wrote, “Not only will I continue to fight against the inhumanity of abortion, but I will also remain committed to supporting women in planning for motherhood, promoting fatherhood and parenting, and continuing policies that encourage strong families.” This, of course, is despite how abortion care has been an essential resource for families, and the majority of people who have abortions already have kids. Abortion access is, in fact, a vital tool to “plan for motherhood,” “promote fatherhood,” and “encourage strong families.”

Whatever Reynolds might insist about her stances on the value and dignity of human life and the family unit, her actions speak for her: In May, Reynolds signed a bill dangerously loosening basic child labor protections. In 2020, she was sitting in an SUV that drove into a Black Lives Matter protester, which the protester characterized as an intentional move. It’s not exactly surprising that someone with a record like this is so determined to practically upend her state’s legislative process to ban abortion.



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Iowa

Iowa State 81-70 Cincinnati (Feb 15, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN

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Iowa State 81-70 Cincinnati (Feb 15, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN


AMES, Iowa — — Backup guard Curtis Jones made all 12 of his free throws and scored 22 points to help No. 10 Iowa State beat Cincinnati 81-70 on Saturday for its 20th victory of the season.

Joshua Jefferson added 13 points and three steals for the Cyclones (20-5, 10-4 Big 12). Milan Momcilovic had 12 points, and Tamin Lipsey added 11. Lipsey made all three three of his attempts from the field, two of them 3-pointers, and had four steals.

Jizzle James matched his career high with 25 points for the Bearcats (15-10, 5-9). Day Day Thomas added 13.

Takeaways

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Cincinnati: The Bearcats struggled to stay out of foul trouble. They they were called for 23 personal fouls and three technical fouls, with two players fouling out.

Iowa State: The Cyclones outrebounded Cincinnati 37-19, with 12 coming off the offensive glass. Iowa State also held the Bearcats to their lowest rebounding total of the season.

Key moment

Iowa State had a 10-run midway through the second half to regain the lead.

Key stat

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Iowa State overcame a season-high 18 turnovers.

Up next

Iowa State hosts Colorado on Tuesday night. Cincinnati is at West Virginia on Wednesday night.

—— Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball



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Snow blanketed the state overnight and more is on the way. How much did we get?

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Snow blanketed the state overnight and more is on the way. How much did we get?


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The snow continues to fall in Iowa and more is expected throughout the weekend.

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A thick band of snow swept through the state in the overnight hours and into Saturday morning, depositing varying amounts outside of the metro. Light snow continues to fall in some areas of the state, likely adding to the below totals.

What are the highest snowfall totals in Iowa?

It looks as if most of the overnight snow fell in western and north central Iowa. Here are the areas across the state that received the highest snowfall as of 9 a.m.

  • Clayton County: 3.2 inches
  • Templeton: 3 inches
  • Fort Dodge: 2.5 inches
  • Iowa Falls: 2 inches
  • Ames: 0.8 inches

How much snow did Des Moines get?

Des Moines and the surrounding metro area avoided any significant snowfall overnight. Neither the National Weather Service nor Iowa Environmental Mesonet had reported accumulation by 8:45 a.m. Saturday.

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How are road conditions in Iowa?

Iowa road conditions, according to Iowa 511, were “completely covered” as of 9 a.m. in a west-to-east band from just north of Omaha through Caroll and Boone. Many roads surrounding Fort Dodge and up to Interstate 35 were also completely covered.

The arc of the winter storm seemed to curve around Des Moines and make its way back to north-central Iowa.

Much of Highway 30 from Denison and east to just outside Ames was completely covered while I-35 from Ames to Randall was partially covered. Interstate 35 north of Ellsworth is completely covered until just south of Clear Lake.

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Winter weather advisory capable of producing snow, ice and rain in place for much of Iowa

The snow isn’t quite done, as the National Weather Service out of Des Moines expects another system to drop off precipitation west and north of the metro. Ice and blowing snow are anticipated to cause problems as well.

Much of Iowa remains under a winter weather advisory, but not a winter weather warning, throughout Saturday. National Weather Service officials warn of snow across much of Iowa and freezing rain contained to the south.

Des Moines could get two inches of snow or less. A band of snow could produce 2-4 inches from Carroll to Mason City.

Blowing snow thanks to wind gusts beyond 25 mph may impact drivers, especially on “east-west facing roads and rural areas,” the NWS said in a 5 a.m. briefing. The wind could cause drifting along highways and visibility could be reduced to less than a mile in some areas.

Temperatures begin falling Saturday night

Temperatures are expected to plummet as the day bleeds into the night. Wind chills will start falling below zero in Ames, Carroll, Fort Dodge and Creston as midnight hits. The wind is only supposed to worsen as the cold works its way into Monday with most of the state expected to expect wind chills well beyond -10, including Des Moines.

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Temperatures may start to dive well beyond zero Sunday night in Des Moines, possibly bottoming out at -3 by 5 a.m. Monday.



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Iowa State men add foreign talent to incoming recruiting class

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Iowa State men add foreign talent to incoming recruiting class


TJ Otzelberger and the Iowa State men are in the midst of a successful season. But they also know that the future is on the horizon.

The Cyclones announced the signing of Dominykas Pleta for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Pleta is a 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward from Germany.

Pleta is the fifth member of the signing class, joining Macari Moore from Michigan, Xzavion Mitchell and Jamarion Batemon from Wisconsin, and Killyan Toure of France who all signed in December.

Currently playing for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in the German BBL and for Porsche Ludwigsburg in the Germany – Pro B South Division, Pleta is averaging over 20 points and almost nine rebounds per game. 

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He is also a member of the German U20 team, averaging 9.6 points, four rebounds and an assist per game at the 2024 European U20 Championship.

“Dominykas is a skilled and versatile player,” Otzelberger said. “He has the ability to drive the ball and attack off the dribble. He moves well defensively and plays with a great motor.”



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