A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items of interest for Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 | Political News
CONDITION OF THE STATE: Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver her annual Condition of the State Address at 6 p.m. Jan. 11 from the Iowa House Chamber at the Capitol.
Iowa PBS will provide a livestream online, and it can be watched on the governor’s Facebook page.
DOT OFFICES CLOSED: All Iowa Department of Transportation business locations will be closed Jan. 17 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. All Iowa DOT driver’s license service centers, normally open Tuesdays through Saturdays, will be closed Jan. 15 in observance of the holiday. Normal business hours will resume at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 18.
Many people, including commercial driver’s license holders, may be able to complete driver’s license business online at www.iowadot.gov.
The quickest way to get driver’s license business done is to schedule an appointment on the website. Walk-in customers will be served as time allows.
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SPANISH COURT FORMS: The Iowa Judicial Branch has launched its first free interactive court forms for self-represented Spanish speakers, Divorcio sin Hijos (divorce with no children).
Iowa Interactive Court Forms use a question-and-answer format to gather information, identify needed forms and complete the approved forms for users. For Divorcio sin Hijos, the interview and instructions for printing, signing and filing the forms with the court are in Spanish.
Each interview includes information in plain language and works on any smartphone, tablet or computer. Users can save their answers and complete the interview at a later time.
Future goals include translating other interactive forms and other materials on the website. The translated interactive forms are an example of Iowa’s Judicial Branch commitment to improving access to justice.
The online interviews are available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website.
TELEPHONE EXCHANGE MAP: The Iowa Utilities Board and the Office of the Chief Information Officer have made available an interactive map depicting the boundaries of wireline incumbent local telephone exchanges — the local telephone companies that provide traditional voice service.
The electronic tool offers a statewide geographic information system map with layers that detail Iowa’s county boundaries, telephone area codes, incumbent local exchange areas, and telephone exchange boundaries. Users can browse the map’s layers, with the ability to zoom in or out and to print the sections of interest.
The IUB began working with Office of the Chief Information Officer in September 2020 on an online geographic information system mapping tool and design of a GIS data warehouse for the utilities board. The IUB released its first interactive mapping, for statewide electric service providers, in April 2021. The online map replaces existing paper maps on file with the IUB.
The map can be accessed on the IUB website under the “Quick Links” column on the right side of the homepage under “View a Utility Service Area Map.”
CEDAR FALLS — As students milled about outside of Cedar Falls High School awaiting the start of a Black Lives Matter protest, a few pick-up tr…
“The discussion is always, ‘Will it go away? Will our bodies adapt, or is this something that is permanent?’ Which is a big worry.”
If you need to test the theory that laughter is the best medicine, you might take in an hour visiting the Payne family. They insist you do, in fact.
“There are some people that would say that Matthew was a stain on our family’s reputation. That’s not how we see it at all.”
“The biggest thing for me, I think, is awareness for it … but also just to remind people to be kind, be a good human.”
Islamophobia was around before Sept. 11, but the attitudes changed after the attacks, with some condemning the entire religion for the actions of a few radicalized individuals.
The African American Cultural Center in Waterloo has been ignored, disparaged and beleaguered by leadership setbacks over the years. Now, they’re trying to become something the founders envisioned: a beacon of the city’s rich Black history.
A traffic stop of a Black Waterloo resident this summer has been concluded as a “case of mistaken identity,” according to police, while the man police detained says he hopes for changes to how police make such stops in the future.
Three of the four races were won by Black candidates, meaning along with current Ward 4 councilor Jerome Amos, the council is majority Black for the first time in history, as well as being lead by a Black mayor.
