Iowa
Which Iowa bills made it through the “Funnel Week” deadline
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Friday is the end of what’s called the “first funnel” of the Iowa legislative session. It’s the deadline for most bills to be passed out of committees if they’re going to continue this legislative session.
After a rush of meetings to get bills out of committee and ready for debate, the first funnel week is over.
Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley said, “So I think at this point we’re continuing on pace. We know we have a lot of work left to do to get those things done.”
Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner said, “The legislature’s been doing a lot this week but it hasn’t been doing anywhere near enough for Iowa’s workers.”
Some bills made it, others didn’t.
Two vaccine bills failed. One Senate bill that proposed a ban on mRNA vaccines like the covid-19 shot did not advance out of committee. Another bill in the House banning vaccines unless manufacturers waived legal protections also isn’t moving forward.
Rep. Steve Holt says he withdrew his bill requiring local police to do work for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
But – lawmakers could still vote on Holt’s bill that would jail and decertify police officers who don’t honor ICE requests to hold suspects.
Rep. Skyler Wheeler (R-Hull) said, “I wish we didn’t have this in front of us. It’s unfortunate that one individual wanted his five minutes of fame and made a absolutely ridiculous statement.”
A bill targeting obscenity protections for public libraries will continue this session.
Michelle Warren, a supporter of the bill said, “The children’s and young adults’ sections of the library should serve as spaces for learning and growth, not repositories for sexualized content that confuses and distress young minds.”
Berry Stevens, who opposes the bill, has concerns the bill could impact what sex ed materials are available for minors.
“Don’t take away appropriate materials for educational purposes. Iowa’s youth deserve the knowledge and wellness,” she said.
There’s still ways for bills that “died” to be brought back up for votes.
House Speaker Pat Grassley says now that the first funnel is over, his members are turning their attention to various tax cuts, such as property tax reform.
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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV on X/Twitter @ConnerReports, and on TikTok @ConnerReports.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
TAMA COUNTY, Iowa — A pair of power outages left more than 700 people without power in Tama County Friday afternoon.
Alliant Energy says the larger outage, just north of Garwin, was caused by a semi-truck striking one of their power poles. That outages impacted 690 customers as of 5 p.m. Friday.
The smaller outage impacted roughly 36 people in Tama. The outage was caused by equipment needing repairs.
Alliant says crews are on site and working to fix both outages.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (KTIV) – The Iowa Great Lakes community is remembering Leo “Butch” Parks, a longtime lakes-area businessman and founder of Parks Marina.
He died Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the age of 81.
Parks established the marina on East Lake Okoboji in 1983, growing it from a small fishing boat operation into a business with marinas, sales, service, rentals, storage, and popular destinations like the Barefoot Bar.
Parks and his wife, Debbie, also owned Okoboji Boat Works for 23 years.
Funeral services are set for Friday, Jan. 16, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Spirit Lake. It will be followed by a celebration of life at Snapper’s restaurant in Okoboji that evening.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Iowa woman accused of pandering for prostitution and harassment after incidents at Casey’s and a daycare
AURELIA, Iowa (KTIV) – A Northwest Iowa woman is facing charges of harassment and pandering for prostitution after two incidents took place in December 2025.
Forty-seven-year-old Kristal Miller of Odebolt was taken into custody on an arrest warrant and faces three charges: one count of pandering for prostitution and two counts of first-degree harassment, according to court documents.
The charges stem from two separate incidents that took place on Thursday, Dec. 18. 2025.
According to court documents, at 6:15 a.m., Miller reportedly went to the Casey’s General Store, located at 100 Pearl St. in Aurelia. Documents state Miller approached an employee and customers, requesting money from them.
Authorities state Miller claimed she was wanted by the FBI and told people, if anyone called the police, “she would kill them.”
During this encounter, she also allegedly asked an employee to remove the string from her hooded sweatshirt. Documents state when the employee refused this request, she threatened to strangle them.
That same day at 7 a.m., Miller reportedly approached a female employee outside an Aurelia daycare and asked them for money.
Court documents stated Miller suggested the unnamed employee leave her boyfriend. Miller reportedly told the employee, if she did, then she and Miller would both be paid.
Authorities say when she was told no by the employee, Miller became upset and started yelling at them.
Miller also allegedly threatened to “steal her car” and ”take her away to her guys to start a new life.”
She was booked into the Cherokee County Jail on a cash-only bond of $5,000. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled in Cherokee for Friday, Jan. 9, at 10 a.m.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
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