Roxy Ekberg

1 week ago | dailyiowan.com | Roxy Ekberg

The U.S. Department of Food and Nutrition Service approved Iowa's federal waiver to opt out of summer EBT and create a statewide summer food pilot program Wednesday, according to a news release from the governor's office. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Healthy Kids Iowa, an alternative to the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, or Summer EBT, that will utilize community providers across the state.

2 weeks ago | dailyiowan.com | Roxy Ekberg

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Wednesday restricting the use of cellphones in state classrooms. House File 782 was a priority for Reynolds this legislative session. The law bars the use of personal electronic devices - smartphones, mobile phones, and video game devices, among others - from being used during instructional time in classrooms. The law allows, and encourages, school districts to implement further restrictions.

2 weeks ago | mvlsun.com | Roxy Ekberg

Iowa lawmakers advanced two pieces of legislation to aid the state’s ailing child care workforce and childcare centers Wednesday. Senate File 445 passed by the Iowa Senate in a 33-14 vote Wednesday. House File 623 is the companion bill to the Iowa Senate bill. The bill will create a pilot program to award competitive grants.

2 weeks ago | dailyiowan.com | Roxy Ekberg

Dismayed by the dating scene on campus, University of Iowa first-year student Mary McCurdy added a special request on her Tinder bio: "Please do not swipe right if you voted for Trump."Burned in previous relationships with Republican-leaning men, the Democrat said she has drawn a line and will no longer date across the aisle. McCurdy broke things off a month and a half into seeing someone because she found out he voted for President Donald Trump.

2 weeks ago | dailyiowan.com | Roxy Ekberg

Iowa Senate lawmakers swiftly gave final approval for a bill that would prohibit the use of automated bots to purchase online tickets. Now, the bill heads to the governor's desk for her approval before becoming law. The bill, Senate File 146, would prohibit the creation of an online bot to circumvent ticket limits, online queues, presale codes, or sales limiting systems. The bill would require ticket sellers to report infractions within five days at the discretion of the Iowa attorney general.