Catholic leaders in the region are mourning the death of Pope Francis on Monday with messages celebrating his leadership and compassion.
The Most Reverend Walker Nickless, who is Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Sioux City, in a statement said he was honored to meet Pope Francis in January 2020 at the Vatican.
“My brother bishops and I found him to be very warm and welcoming and an attentive listener. He was very encouraging to us in our shared challenges as bishops,” Nickless said.
Pope Francis died this morning at the age of 88. He was the first non-European to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
Des Moines Bishop William Joensen said in a statement that Pope Francis was a bridge builder who called on the church to foster unity.
Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska said Francis was a “pope of the people” due to his humility and kindness.
Governor Kim Reynolds ordered flags in Iowa to be set at half-staff in honor of the pope.
*Republican Iowa Senator Mike Bousselot on Monday announced he is launching an exploratory campaign for governor in the Iowa 2026 election.
The news comes after Governor Kim Reynolds earlier this month said she would not run for reelection in 2026.
Bousselot is a Davenport native, who’s been representing Ankeny in the Iowa Senate since 2023.
He served as Chief of Staff to former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and as Director of the Iowa Department of Management under Reynolds.
Former state representative Brad Sherman had previously announced he’s seeking the Republican nomination, and other current Republican officeholders are also considering becoming candidates.
*Additionally, a jury in Woodbury County recently delivered a conviction in the first-degree murder of a Native American man. Activists say the case is an example of how indigenous people are at higher risk for gun violence and death.
After the verdict against Yasin Abdi, the family of Marlon Whiteeyes spoke to reporters including his sister Tamara Blackbird.
“I'm just relieved. And it's over and now my brother can rest. And justice has been served,” Blackbird said.
Whiteeyes died after Abdi shot him four times. Investigators say the shooting happened when Whiteeyes ran away after trying to break up a fight on a street in Sioux City.
Josh Taylor is with the advocacy group Red Sky Nation. His group says the firearm homicide rate is four times higher for Native Americans.
“We have too many cases here just locally, of this, the missing and murdered indigenous relatives, and, you know, Marlon's case fell, fell right into that,” Taylor said.
Red Sky Nation works on community awareness, including an annual powwow and keeping cold cases involving Native Americans alive.
*Additionally, the Family Planning Council of Iowa says it’s concerned that its services could be affected after receiving significantly less federal funding this year.
Last month, the Trump administration announced it was freezing millions of dollars in Title Ten funding, which covers family planning services for low income people. It sent letters to 16 grantees stating their funding was being withheld due to possible civil rights violations.
The Family Planning Council of Iowa says it did not get a letter, but says it only received about half of its expected $2.2 million, with no explanation.
Allison Smith is the executive director of the non-profit.
“This funding supports about 30,000 Iowans. And so, you know, when we're looking at halving that amount of care, that's a pretty significant cut,” Smith said.
The state’s other Title Ten recipient is the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, which says it has received nearly all of its expected funding and expects to see the rest soon.
*In other news, the Iowa Department of Education is one step closer to approving new K-12 science standards, after amending some controversial wording changes.
Earlier this year, members of the public accused the department of watering down language around evolution, climate change and human impacts and activities. The current version restores some, but not all of the phrasing in question.
It also adds Iowa connections to the material and incorporates what the department calls career connections to show relevant science career paths students can pursue.
The standards were last updated in 2015.
The Board of Education could adopt the new standards at their next meeting in May.
