The Informer’s weekly news roundup, presented in partnership with KHOI community radio.
Iowa GOP Proposes More Cuts to Higher Ed, Regents Respond
Republicans in the Iowa Senate last week proposed $52 million in additional budget cuts for this fiscal year, taking aim at public universities, community colleges, human services, and the state’s justice system. In a statement, the Iowa Board of Regents criticized the $19.2 million in proposed cuts to higher ed, saying they would “cause disruptions on our campuses” and undermine the state’s goals for education and the economy. The cuts, which would take away already appropriated money, would be nearly four times Gov. Kim Reynolds’ recommendation of $5.1 million.
State Health Department Opens Application Process for Medical Cannabidiol Dispenary Operation
The Iowa Health Department recently released a set of rules for applicants interested in operating a cannabidiol dispensary under the state’s new medical marijuana program passed last year.
Iowa Health Department posted rules for cannabidiol dispensary applications. Applicants must have $5,000, no felony records, and – seriously – must use 12-point Times New Roman font. I guess using Comic Sans would imply you’re a stoner? https://t.co/IZxISWe7vw
— Tony Leys (@tonyleys) January 25, 2018
The 2017 Medical Cannabidiol Act allows people to possess the non-psychoactive part of the marijuana plant to treat a limited set of debilitating conditions including cancer and multiple sclerosis. The law expanded on an even more limited law passed in 2014 and authorizes the state’s health department to approve up to five dispensaries.
Grassley Says Judiciary Committee Will Soon Release More Interview Transcripts Related to Trump-Russia Probe
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley has said his committee will soon release the transcript of an interview it conducted with Donald Trump Jr. regarding a controversial meeting he held at his father’s Trump Tower in Manhattan with a lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. Grassley made the announcement shortly after two Democrats on the committee publicly called for interview transcripts relating to its investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election be released to special counsel Robert Mueller for his grand jury investigation of the same issue. In his remarks, Grassley blamed Democrat and fellow committee member Dianne Feinstein for previously releasing an interview transcript of Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of Fusion GPS, whose firm is responsible for the intelligence dossier alleging that Russia has compromising information about the president. Grassley said the release of that transcript ruined the committee’s “chances of getting a voluntary interview” with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is also tied to the investigation.
