After the Sunday announcement that President Joe Biden is getting out of the 2024 presidential contest, a Siouxland delegate to the Democratic National Convention is throwing support to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Catelin Drey, of Sioux City, will be a delegate attending the August convention in Chicago. Drey told Siouxland Public Media News that Harris is the person she will support, calling her the future of the Democratic Party.
“The path forward with Kamala Harris as our next president is hopeful and bright. Vice President Harris has proven herself as a skillful legislator and compassionate advocate for those in our country who are often excluded,” she said.
There has been speculation about how wide open the nominee selection process might be at the convention next month. Democratic lawmakers, organizers, and potential rivals on Monday were largely rallying around the candidacy of Harris.
The Donald Trump campaign in a Monday release said the Republican former president beats Harris in every poll.
*Additionally, an Iowa law that would ban abortions as soon as cardiac activity is detected has not yet taken effect.
Health care providers and others are watching for court filings that would allow the state to begin enforcement. Before the law is official, the court must return the case to a Polk County judge who will issue an order lifting a temporary injunction.
In a brief conference with attorneys in the case Friday, Judge Jeffrey Farrell said he was inclined to allow some time after the Supreme Court’s action before the law takes effect. However, he did not settle on an exact number of days.
Three weeks ago the Iowa Supreme Court ruled a law that bans most abortions when cardiac activity is detected can go into effect. That can be as early as six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many people know they’re pregnant.
Planned Parenthood has asked the Iowa Supreme Court to rehear the case.
Emily Boevers is an OB-GYN in Waverly who used to work for Planned Parenthood. She says the new law takes away her pregnant patients’ ability to make their own medical decisions.
Abortion opponents say the new law will help save more fetuses across the state.
*As flooding recovery enters a fifth week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened a fifth Disaster Recovery Center in Northwest Iowa on Saturday.
Over the last two weeks, FEMA has opened centers in four towns heavily impacted by flooding. Those centers have FEMA workers who can explain disaster assistance programs and help people complete or check the status of applications for federal assistance.
The new center was added in Cherokee on Saturday, and the others are located in Spencer, Rock Valley, Rock Rapids, and Estherville. The most severe flooding occurred four weeks ago in late June, and some Siouxland rivers are still running high.
Relatedly, a City of Sioux City release on Monday reminds homeowners and renters that they may be eligible for FEMA Rental Assistance if they cannot live in their homes because of recent flooding in Iowa.
People can check into that rental assistance by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or visiting a Disaster Recovery Center.
*Missouri River Historical Development, or MRHD, has announced more than $71,000 in emergency grants to non-profit organizations that are assisting local flood victims impacted by the disaster.
The floods have caused widespread damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. In response to this disaster, MRHD officials said they created the new emergency grants to provide support and assistance to those in urgent need in their recovery efforts.
Six Siouxland organizations received funding amounts ranging from $5,000 to $16,500 to help support residents in the Sioux City metro and rural Woodbury County.
Those are the Community Action Agency of Siouxland, Correctionville Economic Development Corporation, McCook Lake Isaac Walton League, Riverside Lutheran/New Hope Church, the Salvation Army, and Sioux City Junior League.
