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Government Policy and Law

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Polk County communities taking next steps toward sales tax vote

The Des Moines City Council will take the next formal step toward a vote on the 1 percent local option sales and service tax when it meets Wednesday. Under state law, city governments can submit …

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Former Sen. John C. Culver dies at age 86

Former U.S. Sen. John C. Culver died Wednesday at the age of 86 at his home in Washington, D.C., according to a statement released by the John C. Culver Public Policy Center at Simpson College. He was …

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Three former University of Iowa police employees claim discrimination in lawsuit

Three former officers with the University of Iowa Department of Public Safety are suing the UI and several administrators for allegedly enabling “a culture of discrimination” within its law enforcement ranks, reports the Cedar Rapids Gazette. …

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Microsoft seeks delays in finishing third West Des Moines data center

The West Des Moines City Council will vote today on a series of delays in the completion dates for Microsoft Corp.’s data farm that will be located west of Interstate 35 in portions of Warren …

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Smith leaving as governor’s press secretary

Brenna Smith will leave her jobs as press secretary to Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg on Jan. 2 to pursue opportunities outside state government, according to a release. Smith has worked for …

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Bureau of Economic Analysis suspends release of economic statistics during shutdown

The Bureau of Economic Analysis, a federal agency that produces official statistics on the U.S. economy, is required to suspend all operations until Congress appropriates funding for this fiscal year, the bureau announced in a …

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Leaders Survey: Des Moines and local option sales tax

The Business Record’s 2018 Leaders Survey asked readers their opinions on a number of topics, including whether or not Des Moines should have a local option sales tax. No matter the sentiment, it seems a…
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Reynolds appoints Kathleen Law to State Judicial Nominating Commission

Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday announced the appointment of Kathleen Law of Des Moines as an appointed member of the State Judicial Nominating Commission, according to a news release. Law fills a vacancy created by …

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Iowa offers public employees 1% pay hikes; the largest union wants 3% increases

Des Moines Register: Iowa is offering 1 percent across-the-board wage increases for each of the next two years to unions representing thousands of state employees in contract talks. The largest union — Council 61 of the …

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Grassley sees farm bill pros and cons

Successful Farming: After playing a key role in development of the 2018 farm bill, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley voted “no” in the final tally. For the past three farm bills, Grassley has advocated for caps on …