Regional News
Iowa News
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state judge has struck down Iowa’s restrictive “fetal heartbeat” abortion law. Judge Michael Huppert on Tuesday found the law unconstitutional. The law would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. That can happen as early as six weeks into pregnancy. It would have been the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the nation.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Sen. Joni Ernst says she turned down Donald Trump after interviewing to be his running mate, according to a court filing that describes an “extremely painful journey” that led to her divorce from a man she alleges was abusive. The Iowa Republican wrote in an affidavit in her divorce proceeding that after Trump interviewed her in 2016 to join his ticket, “I turned Candidate Trump down, knowing it wasn’t the right thing for me or my family.” She doesn’t explicitly say if he offered her the job.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The chairman of a House committee that would consider any changes to the public worker pension program says no legislation will pass this year or next that would change the system. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, chairman of the House State Government Committee, says “simply unequivocally” there will not be any changes.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a Des Moines resident suspected of fatally injuring a pedestrian while driving a stolen car has been charged with first-degree murder. Donterius Bomar already is charged with attempted murder, robbery and criminal mischief. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press. Police say Bomar was driving the stolen car when he hit 69-year-old Charles Michael Childs and kept going. Childs was found dead two days later inside a tent at a homeless camp.
Wisconsin News
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republicans say they are disappointed with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ priorities as outlined in his first State of the State speech. Evers touted his plans for cutting income taxes for the middle class, raising spending on K-12 schools and expanding Medicaid. Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he was disappointed with the speech, saying “he spent a lot of money and I don’t even know where the revenue’s coming from for some of these proposals.”
MILWAUKEE (AP) – The home of the Milwaukee Brewers will no longer be known as Miller Park after next year. American Family Insurance will take over the naming rights to the stadium in 2021 under a 15-year agreement. The exact name of the stadium has not been chosen yet. MillerCoors holds the naming rights through the 2020 season.
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Schools closed early as a major winter storm approached Wisconsin with projections of up to a foot of snow in some areas followed by a plunge into single-digit high temperatures. While some districts sent students home for the afternoon, others canceled classes altogether Tuesday, including Platteville, Portage, Baraboo, Prairie du Chien and Wisconsin Dells.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republican leaders in the state Assembly aren’t happy with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers saying legalizing medical marijuana could start the process for full legalization. Evers said last week he would probably include a “first step” toward legalizing medical marijuana.
Illinois News
DECATUR, Ill. (AP) – Authorities in central Illinois are attempting to determine the cause of death of two people whose bodies were found in an auto repair shop. Macon County Coroner Michael E. Day says 34-year-old Beau W. Ford and 30-year-old Jacinda M. Jiles were found dead Saturday in the back room of the shop in Decatur. Day says in a statement that autopsies were carried out on both bodies the same day they were discovered and there was no injury or trauma detected in either person.
CHICAGO (AP) – A judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against a suburban Chicago school by the parents of a student who killed himself after staff warned him he may have to register as a sex offender because they suspected he made a video of himself having sex with a classmate without her knowledge. However, the judge struck a disapproving note in describing how Naperville North High School officials in January 2017 told 16-year-old Corey Walgren any video may constitute child pornography.
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) – An attorney says a Chicago suburb has reached a tentative $1.25 million settlement with a former doctoral student who was tackled to the ground by police officers for stealing a car that turned out to be his own. Evanston City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz confirmed a settlement was reached with Lawrence Crosby, who was 25 in 2015 when the incident occurred. He declined to confirm the amount, pending final approval by the City Council.
EUREKA, Ill. (AP) – A sheriff says he’s committed to getting a clock and bell working again atop an Illinois courthouse that was built in 1897. The clock tower and a one-ton bronze bell were added to the Woodford County courthouse in Eureka in 1906. But neither has worked reliably for about 10 years. The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports Verdin Clock, a Cincinnati company, inspected the site and said a total rehab would cost about $46,000. Sheriff Matt Smith says the county paid $12,000 as a partial down payment.