This week marks one year since Iowa’s law banning abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy went into effect, and it has had drastic effects on Iowa’s abortion numbers.
Planned Parenthood North Central States reports its abortions in Iowa fell 74 percent after the law went into effect, while Iowans who traveled to Minnesota and Nebraska clinics increased 182 percent.
Ruth Richardson is the president of Planned Parenthood North Central States.
“What we are continuing to see and this environment are just the number of people who are being forced to travel outside of the state in order to, to get access to care,” Richardson said.
Abortion rights opponents are celebrating the drop in abortions and say more needs to be done to encourage Iowans not to seek out-of-state care.
The law bans abortion when cardiac activity is detected. It has exceptions for rape, incest, life of the pregnant person and fetal abnormalities.
*Two paintings chronicling Abbie Gardner’s story will be back on display at the Gardner Cabin Visitors Center in Arnolds Park on Thursday, July 31.
The paintings have been restored, with money from a grant from the Okoboji Queen Questers and other donations, Explore Okoboji News reported.
The tragedy known as the Spirit Lake Conflict took place in 1857.
Amidst rising tensions between Native Americans and new settlers in the area, Gardner’s family was killed by men of the Dakota Indian nation, and Abbie, 13, was taken prisoner for 84 days.
One of the restored paintings depicts the final evening Gardner was held captive. Additional funding options will be sought to restore two other paintings for the visitors center.
*Additionally, the third finalist for the Sioux City city manager position said the city is well known as a vibrant city.
Andrew Barden, the city administrator of Winterset, Iowa, had his session on Friday,
“Your asset is you're a beacon of economic prosperity, housing, amenities, professional city service," Barden said.
He also said it is obvious the state has invested its resources in housing, so the city officials should lean into more of that.
The other two finalists interviewed last week were Eric Swanson from Phoenix, Oregon and Craig Clark from Austin, Minnesota.
The Sioux City Council members are working to pinpoint the successor for former longtime city manager Bob Padmore, who retired in April.
*In other news, South Sioux City officials are moving towards a nearly $10 million project to build a place for future industrial growth.
In the South Sioux City Council meeting on late Monday afternoon, council members will consider applying for a $6.3 million grant to cover about two-thirds of the project cost.
The project includes putting into place streets, water, and other infrastructure for the future industrial growth aimed for at 164th Street and nearby areas.
The council in May approved a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant application for the project, but this new one contains updated project costs.
*Additionally, a state program letting libraries borrow books from each other is on pause until August.
The State Library of Iowa is scaling back deliveries and pickups of interlibrary loans from twice a week to once a week. The state organization says this is due to rising costs and because federal money for the program is in limbo.
Carrie Falk is the director of the public library in Shenandoah, a city of 5,000 in southwest Iowa. Falk said the change means that for the rest of July, Iowans are “going to have to learn to have a little bit more patience”in waiting for books to arrive.
Beginning August 4, books will be delivered through a partnership with the Area Education Agencies in Iowa.
