Here First Iowa Public Radio

Hundreds of thousands of Iowans were dis-enrolled from Medicaid once the federal government lifted pandemic restrictions on how states manage the program. Gov. Kim Reynolds warns that state officials will closely watch pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Iowa. And wool isn’t worth much, so sheep producers are testing out new uses for it.

Immigrants and advocates gathered in Des Moines and a few other cities to protest Iowa's immigration enforcement law. A new state flat tax rate of 3.8% is now law. Medical experts say new insurance changes will help diagnose and treat cancer and other diseases. And people impacted by a tornado outbreak in western Iowa are receiving more assistance from near and far.

Waterloo hopes to build affordable housing on the site of an abandoned ammunition plant, but it’s worried about the toxicity of the property. State Auditor Rob Sand says he’s disappointed in a Supreme Court decision related to his office’s withholding of some emails requested by a conservative law firm. And the USDA says working-age rural residents die from natural causes at higher rates than people in urban areas.

A 10 p.m. curfew remains in effect in Minden, as residents and recovery workers clean up and restore power after Friday’s devastating tornado. Iowa’s Supreme Court has told a lower court to hold more proceedings to determine if the state auditor broke Iowa’s public records law. And Iowa Wesleyan University has been selling off assets since closing last month, but it’s unlikely to raise enough to pay a $26 million federal loan.

Volunteer efforts are underway in Minden after a tornado damaged or destroyed 180 homes. Additional tornadoes were confirmed across the state. And over the weekend, House Speaker Mike Johnson was on stage with Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is facing a competitive race in November.

Iowa’s public universities say they believe they’re complying with new state directives on diversity, equity and inclusion. Authorities in western Iowa say they don’t believe foul play was involved in the death of a trucker who’d been missing for five months before his body was found Wednesday. And, Waterloo plans to create a task force to help address the city’s homelessness problem.