Iowa
Iowa House passes ban on ‘gay panic defense’
Iowans charged with a violent crime couldn’t use a sufferer’s sexuality or sexual orientation or gender identification as a mitigating issue of their protection underneath a invoice handed Thursday within the Iowa Home.
It was one in all a number of payments Home lawmakers handed by way of the chamber, together with payments prohibiting black bear searching and creating protections in opposition to defamation lawsuits.
The invoice banning the “homosexual panic protection,” Home File 159, handed the Home with near-unanimous assist. Rep. Mark Cisneros, R-Muscatine, was the one member to vote in opposition to it.
“This protection is each heinous and ridiculous, and this invoice would eradicate it as a protection in Iowa,” mentioned Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton.
The invoice has handed the Home twice prior to now, however nonetheless has not made progress within the Senate. The invoice was supported by LGBTQ rights teams, together with One Iowa and Iowa Secure Colleges.
Black bear searching
A black bear ambles by way of a cornfield in 2016 close to the Yellow River State Forest in Northeast Iowa. Likelihood is the bear was passing by way of from its residence in a neighboring state. In keeping with the Iowa Division of Pure Assets, the state doesn’t have a reproducing inhabitants of black bears. However black bear sightings are rising extra widespread in Iowa. (Photograph provided by Brian Gibbs)
Home File 175, a invoice that provides black bears to a listing of “fur-bearing animals” which are protected and managed by the Iowa Division of Pure Assets, handed within the Home 90-5.
The invoice would make it against the law to hunt black bears with out following rules set out by the state.
The invoice, proposed by Rep. Dave Jacoby, a Democrat from Coralville, goals to guard the potential resurgence of the species in Iowa. Black bears initially are native to Iowa, however the state has not had a viable inhabitants for over a century, in line with the Iowa DNR.
There have been greater than 40 black bear sightings in Iowa since 2002, in line with the company.
“This certainly is to guard black bears that migrate to Iowa or remigrate to Iowa,” Jacoby mentioned. “…This provides them a protected standing till the DNR has time to overview any searching or trapping seasons that could be acceptable.”
Anti-SLAAP invoice
Home lawmakers additionally handed a invoice that will make it more durable for public figures to sue people and media retailers for exercising first-amendment rights.
The invoice, Home File 177, is supposed to go after what are generally known as strategic lawsuits in opposition to public participation, or SLAAP. Beneath the invoice, a celebration that’s sued underneath sure situations would have the ability to file for expedited aid and keep away from a lot of the fee related to the lawsuits. The court docket may additionally award the successful social gathering legal professional and litigation charges.
Rep. Steve Holt, a Republican from Denison, mentioned the invoice turned a precedence for him after a 2018 incident through which the Carroll Instances Herald was sued by a former Carroll police officer for libel. The newspaper received the lawsuit, however was left with tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in litigation charges.
“This laws is about defending our small-town newspapers and media retailers,” Holt mentioned.
Iowa
Grinnell window manufacturer announces plans to lay off 152 workers in November
JELD-WEN, a manufacturer of windows and doors in Grinnell, has announced it will be laying off 152 workers effective Nov. 7.
The announcement was made on Iowa’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) site.
The company, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was founded in 1960 and has 18,000 employees, with operating facilities in 16 countries in North America and Europe with 2023 sales of $4.3 billion, according to the company’s website.
JELD-WEN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, JELD-WEN announced the closing of its Hawkins, Wisconsin facility, affecting 338 employees, and in Vista, California, resulting in the loss of 110 jobs.
Iowa
Iowa Coach Fires Brutal Quote at Players Leaving Via Transfer
The Iowa Hawkeyes lost two players from their football team this week.
Both running back Leshon Williams and wide receiver Kaleb Brown have announced that they will redshirt for the rest of the season and enter the transfer portal at the end of the year.
Despite the two players opting to leave the program, it hasn’t phased head coach Kirk Ferentz. He isn’t worried about the decisions that they made at all.
When asked about Williams and Brown transferring, Ferentz offered a short and brutal quote.
“Not to be callous, but if a player isn’t playing, you don’t lose much.”
Williams had been dealing with an injury throughout the season thus far. Before the injury, he had shown flashes of being a player that could end up making an impact. Unfortunately, those flashes were never able to come to light on the field.
As for Brown, there were big plans for him coming into the season. But, he was suspended for the first game of the year and was never able to earn his role back.
Clearly, Ferentz is not worried about how his team will respond to the news. Basically, he doesn’t think the losses of them will impact the team at all.
Ferentz isn’t necessarily wrong with what he stated. Neither player had a role that will change how the team has been operating. However, it was the way he said it that was a bit out of line.
Regardless of the role that they players had, handling the situation with a bit more grace would have been a better look.
All of that being said, Iowa is not a program that needs to be graceful necessarily. The Hawkeyes want to win football games and neither Williams or Brown was contributing to that goal so far this year.
Looking ahead to the future, we wish the best to both Williams and Brown. Hopefully, they find success in their future endeavors.
Iowa
Iowa High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – Oct. 8
The Iowa On3 Massey Ratings top 25 list as of Oct. 8 underwent some changes compared to last week’s rankings. These updates highlight the competitiveness of Iowa high school football, especially when you consider that only three of the top ten teams remain unscathed.
Meanwhile, two teams ranked 11 to 25 swapped spots. Here’s how the state’s top teams fared after the 2024 Iowa high school football season has reached its halfway point.
The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.
CLICK HERE to watch your high school’s games on NFHS Network now!
After losing to Dowling Catholic, the Tigers have secured victories against ranked teams. Their latest conquest was against 23rd-ranked Waukee Northwest, wherein Drake DeGroote completed three touchdown passes to Zay Robinson. Valley can extend their winning streak to five games against Waterloo West.
The Maroons survived the fierce opposition ushered in by fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial in a match that needed three overtime periods to be settled. Dowling Catholic showed resilience despite a 21-3 halftime deficit and scoring their first touchdown with six minutes left in the third quarter. Overcoming that test of character should give the Maroons confidence in their upcoming match against Urbandale.
The Dragons are flying again after clinching their third consecutive victory against ranked opponents. This time, they’ve shut out eighth-ranked Southeast Polk, thanks to their defense, ranked fourth in Iowa high school football. After limiting Ankeny, Waukee, and Southeast Polk to 14 points, Johnston should have no problems defeating Urbandale on the road.
The Bulldogs remain undefeated after five games and haven’t allowed 20 points to an opponent since their season opener against sixth-ranked Pleasant Valley. Bettendorf’s latest result was a 33-14 masterpiece over Kennedy, a game practically over by halftime when the Bulldogs established a 27-6 lead. Bettendorf can improve to 6-0 by defeating Davenport Central this week.
The Jaguars could not translate their fantastic start against Dowling Catholic into a victory. Failing to close out the Maroons after three overtimes handed them their second consecutive defeat. However, they remain in the top ten and could bounce back with easier matchups against Roosevelt and Waukee Northwest over the next two weeks.
In their last match, the Spartans surrendered 28 points to Cedar Falls. While that’s a concern, the second-best offense in Iowa high school football scored a season-high 52 points. Pleasant Valley is on a groove, scoring 101 points in their two previous games. In that case, they should have no problems maintaining the momentum against Muscatine.
After starting the season at 1-3, the Hawks have won two consecutive games, beating Iowa City West and Prairie by a combined score of 73-38. However, their schedule gets more challenging as they face 11th-ranked Liberty and top-ranked Valley in their following two assignments.
The Rams’ shutout loss to Johnston halted their winning streak. That result also brings their record against the top ten teams to 2-2. It’s also a total contrast to their 48-3 win over Sioux City East the week before. Southeast Polk should make a better effort in the next two weeks to defeat No. 13 Waukee and second-ranked Dowling Catholic. Those games are perfect for the Rams’ defense to prove why they are Iowa high school football’s top-ranked defense.
The Titans have scored over 50 points in back-to-back games, defeating Jefferson 56-6. The week before, they scored 55 on Glenwood. Lewis Central can keep their hopes for a perfect season intact by defeating Winterset, Norwalk, and Dallas Center-Grimes in their next three games.
The Comets flew to the top ten after a 29-8 victory over Ballard Community. North Polk’s defense has intensified, allowing only 33 points in its last three games. Before that run, they gave up 68 points to Bondurant-Farrar and Carlisle combined. On deck for the Comets are Indianola this week and Boone on the 18th.
11. Liberty
12. Pella
13. Waukee
14. Linn-Mar (+1)
15. West Lyon (-1)
16. Decorah
17. Xavier
18. Iowa City High
19. Cedar Falls
20. Humboldt
21. Grundy Center
22. Williamsburg
23. Waukee Northwest
24. ADM
25. Western Dubuque
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