Iowa

Iowa Hawkeyes Defensive Star Earns Massive Recognition

Published

1 year ago

September 10, 2024

Iowa Hawkeyes Defensive Star Earns Massive Recognition

The Iowa Hawkeyes did not exactly have a great week as a team this past Saturday, blowing a double-digit lead in a loss to the Iowa State Cyclones.

However, Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins is earning some major recognition for his standout performance.

Higgins was Pro Football Focus’ highest-ranked linebacker for Week 2, earning a spectacular 92.4 grade.

The senior defender racked up 11 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in the 20-19 loss, although his role in a blown coverage resulted in a 75-yard touchdown pass by Iowa State.

Higgins has totaled 18 tackles over the Hawkeyes’ first two games of the 2024 campaign. Last year, he led the country with 171 tackles to go along with five tackles for loss, a couple of sacks, a pick, a forced fumble and a pair of fumble recoveries.

The 22-year-old arrived at Iowa in 2020 but had a very limited role, logging two tackles. It was more of the same for Higgins in 2021, as he finished with just five stops and a fumble recovery.

Higgins’ role finally began to grow in 2022, with the Indianapolis native registering 39 tackles and a half of a sack. Still, he didn’t quite put himself on the map until last season.

While Higgins isn’t considered an elite NFL prospect at this stage, he will almost certainly be drafted next spring. Whether that’s early on or in the middle rounds remains to be seen.

Iowa will look to get back on track when it takes on Troy this Saturday.

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Iowa

Bill expanding Iowa’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law takes another step forward

Published

9 hours ago

February 5, 2026

Press Room

Bill expanding Iowa’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law takes another step forward

Iowa lawmakers are considering a bill to ban teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation in all K-12 public schools.
The proposal would expand a 2023 law that currently applies to students through the sixth grade. It is tied up in federal court.
Supporters argue the bill keeps schools focused on core academics, while opponents say it harms and isolates LGBTQ youth.

A bill prohibiting Iowa’s public K-12 schools from teaching students about LGBTQ-related topics at all grade levels is advancing in the House and Senate as GOP lawmakers consider expanding what critics call the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.

The measure would subject all of Iowa’s K-12 students to a law Gov. Kim Reynolds signed in 2023 that bans instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation through sixth grade. The wide-ranging education legislation also ordered schools to remove books that depict sex acts and remains tied up in court.

The House Education Committee voted 14-9, to advance House File 2121, which would extend the prohibition on LGBTQ-related teaching through high school. Two Republicans, Reps. Chad Ingels, R-Randalia, and Tom Moore, R-Griswold, joined Democrats in voting no.

It advanced out of subcommittee in a 2-1 vote earlier Wednesday morning.

Rep. Helena Hayes, R-New Sharon, said the measure pushes educators to stick to core curriculum such as language, English, math and history. She voted with Rep. Wendy Larson, R-Odebolt, to move it forward.

“This very narrow bill, it simply says teachers, please focus on educational topics,” Hayes said. “Please talk about academics, and that’s what we’re asking our educators to do, and that’s as simple as it is. Stay focused on the topic at hand, and that is we want to graduate intelligent, articulate, critical thinkers in this world.”

Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City, who opposed the bill, questioned why lawmakers would further legislate something that’s already tied up in court and how it helps Iowans afford their daily living costs.

“I am myself queer,” Levin said. “I have been since I was born. It is part of my existence. I experienced no great trauma or abuse growing up. In fact, I grew up in an incredibly healthy and happy family with no direct queer role models. … To pretend that queer people do not exist is neither remarkable nor wise in thinking about how we care for our kids.”

Republicans on a three-member Senate subcommittee advanced their proposal, Senate Study Bill 2003, on Jan. 21. Similar legislation has not advanced in past years, including in 2025 after a House proposal stalled once it passed out of subcommittee. There was no Senate companion bill in 2025.

The bill says that Iowa’s public school districts and charter schools cannot provide “any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion or instruction relating to gender theory or sexual orientation” to K-12 students.

GOP lawmaker pushes to allow discussion of gender as a ‘theory’

Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham, who serves on the House Education Committee, proposed amending the bill and said it may be “fairly appropriate” to discuss gender identity as a theory.

He said there are many legal questions or works of art pertaining to trans people that high school students would be mature enough to debate in a classroom setting.

“I think there’s a lot of things that could sink your teeth into if gender theory is just debated as a theory in the classroom,” Shipley said.

Hayes said the committee would consider amendments but this was already “narrowly tailored to instructional time.”

“A lot of those conversations still happen in other places and school grounds or outside of school grounds,” Hayes told reporters. “I mean, certainly people should have connections and networking beyond just their teaching and beyond just the classroom.”

Existing law still tied up in court

Iowa’s 2023 law, Senate File 496, is being challenged as unconstitutional in a federal lawsuit.

A federal judge initially granted an injunction blocking parts of the law, including the ban on teaching about gender orientation and sexual identity, while the lawsuit is decided.

But the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed his decision, allowing the law to take effect. Attorneys argued the law’s constitutionality in federal court in January.

Iowa is one of several Republican-led states, including Florida, with similar prohibitions on classroom teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation.

Levin said it would be unwise to extend Iowa’s law while the state’s current court challenges are pending.

“I genuinely can’t think of a reason why we would move forward with this when the previous legislation is tied up in the courts,” she said.

Opponents say sexual orientation, gender identity are ‘immutable’ traits

Like in the Senate’s initial hearing, opponents of the bill outnumbered supporters as people warned lawmakers of the detrimental effects the legislation would have on LGBTQ youth.

Annie Craven, of Urbandale, said she is openly bisexual and was homeschooled and raised Catholic so she didn’t know people with her sexual orientation existed growing up. Craven is running for the Iowa House District 46 seat held by incumbent Republican Rep. Dan Gehlbach.

“That didn’t make me any less queer,” Craven said. “It did make me feel very alone and isolated and different. I resent that gender identity is being touted as political or something that we can debate or theorize. It’s immutable. It caused great harm to me as a person and as a kid growing up to not know that there were other people like me and to think that I was so different and I didn’t understand why.”

Drake University law student Karrecia Crawley said the bill imposes a “sweeping ideology that rushes to conclusions about what is taught.”

“They don’t see the foresight of what happens or what occurs when this bill is passed,” Crawley said. “I don’t believe Republicans will be in power for all that much longer if bills like this keep getting pushed and introduced into the (Legislature).”

Rev. Lizzie Gillman, an Episcopal priest in Des Moines and mother of a high school and sixth grade student, shared with lawmakers that her children’s friends feel they have no adults with whom they can discuss LGBTQ topics after recent law changes targeting LGBTQ rights.

“Jesus never said anything about gender or homosexuality,” Gillman said. “Jesus was all about love. And so what I want to know is that when we marginalize these students at a young age, they can pick it up. … I’d like you to understand whose dignity matters here.”

Supporters asks lawmakers to restore ‘focus’ on academics

Jeff Pitts, with the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, supported the bill.

“Political indoctrination ought not to be done on the taxpayer dime at public institutions,” Pitts said.

Katherine Bogaards, with Protect My Innocence, supported the measure and said it “gives families confidence that schools will remain focused on academics and age appropriate research-based health education, not topics that confuse or overwhelm the students.”

“Supporting this bill is about preserving family values, respecting parental authority, and assuring minors are allowed to grow up without unnecessary pressure related to sexual orientation and gender identity,” Bogaards said.

Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X at @marissajpayne.

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Iowa

Iowa High School State Dual Tournament Pairings Revealed

Published

21 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Press Room

Iowa High School State Dual Tournament Pairings Revealed

The fields are set for the Iowa high school wrestling state dual tournament, which takes place this Saturday, February 7 from the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.

All three 2025 champions are back to defend titles this year including Southeast Polk in Class 3A. Algona qualified in 2A and Don Bosco seeks a seventh championship in 1A.

The Rams will open with Pleasant Valley, as either Dallas Center-Grimes or Dowling Catholic awaits in th semifinals. The other side of the 3A bracket features Indianola vs. Linn-Mar and Waukee Northwest vs. Iowa City West.

Algona is the No. 7 seed and will face North Central Conference rival Clarion-Goldfield/Dows in the quarterfinals. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont meets Alburnett on the other half.

Top-seed Decorah faces Glenwood and West Delaware wrestles Independene in the other 2A quarterfinals.

Don Bosco battles Logan-Magnolia, Woodbury Central faces Hinton, Jesup wrestles Nashua-Plainfield and Lake Mills takes on Riverside in the 1A duals.

Semifinals and finals will also take place on Saturday.

Here are the Iowa high school wrestling state dual tournament pairings.

Quarterfinals, 9 a.m.

Quarterfinals, 10:45 a.m.

Semifinals, 2:15 p.m.

Championship, 6 p.m.

Quarterfinals, 9 a.m.

Quarterfinals, 10:45 a.m.

Semifinals, 2:15 p.m.

Championship, 6 p.m.

Quarterfinals, 9 a.m.

Quarterfinals, 10:45 a.m.

Semifinals, 2:15 p.m.

Championship, 6 p.m.

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Iowa

Man causes explosion while smoking meth in Iowa City shelter, police say

Published

1 day ago

February 4, 2026

Press Room

Man causes explosion while smoking meth in Iowa City shelter, police say

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – A man is facing multiple drug charges after the Iowa City Police Department says he caused an explosion in a winter shelter bathroom.

Officers detained Abdiqani Haji Mohamud, 44, on December 4, 2025, after police and fire responded to the incident at the Winter Extreme Temperature shelter early that morning.

The Iowa City Fire Department found no active fire when they entered the shelter’s bathroom, but there was “charred spatter” on the wall, sinks and mirrors. One of the stalls had a “melted” backpack alongside some personal items.

First responders found the source of the explosion to be a butane cannister in the backpack. Haji Mohamud told officers the backpack was his.

Officers say they found methamphetamine in Haji Mohamud’s sock during a pat down.

When questioned, Haji Mohamud told officers that he was smoking meth in the bathroom and started to put his lighter back in his backpack. The hot lighter ignited items in the bag, setting off the butane cannister.

He is facing repeat drug possession offenses.

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