'Heartbeat' abortion ban, sweeping energy bill clear hurdle for Iowa Legislature: In addition to the contentious abortion restriction and a rewrite of provisions in Iowa’s utilities laws, lawmakers acted Thursday to clarify the line of gubernatorial succession, allow small businesses to form health insurance associations and require cities, counties and state government to go through a competitive bidding process before awarding contracts for public projects. Read more >
You can also find a more complete status list of bills that are "alive" or "dead" here, and keep up with all our coverage of the 2018 legislature here.
Cedar Rapids shooting under investigation: Cedar Rapids police are investigating a Thursday night shooting that left one person with potentially fatal injuries. Cedar Rapids police said 28-year-old Kent T. Stevens faces multiple charges — including attempted murder. Read more >
Schedule: St. Patrick's Day Parade ready to go for Saturday in Cedar Rapids: Whether you’re Irish by birth or by blarney, it's time to don festive apparel as the annual SaPaDaPaSo parade returns Saturday afternoon. Read more >
Johnson County Crisis Center reopens fundraising drive: Though the Crisis Center of Johnson County met its fundraising goal for an expansion and plans to break ground Friday morning, rising construction costs are forcing the organization to look anew for more donations. Read more >
Iowa sends 3 to NCAA wrestling quarterfinals: Three quarterfinalist helped the Hawkeyes to third place with 27 points after the first day of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Ohio State lead the team race with 36 points, leading second-place Penn State by 7 1/2. Read more >