HOUSTON – March Madness continues with a Cinderella-type run for the #9 seeded Iowa Hawkeyes. But it wasn’t an unfamiliar foe that the Hawks knocked off, as it was a 77-71 win over conference rival Nebraska to qualify for the school’s first Elite Eight Appearance since 1987. The Iowa State Cyclones will look to join their in-state rivals in the same round, seeking their 30th win of the season and first Elite Eight bid since 2000 against Tennessee. Tip-off is at approximately 9:10 central time on TBS.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds signed a temporary health maintenance organization tax increase into law on Thursday. House File 2739 narrowly passed both chambers to help address a budget gap in the state’s Medicaid budget. Health insurance companies have indicated they plan on passing the increased costs to consumers.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Environmental Council and Harkin Institute related a report this week that connects environmental factors to spiking cancer rates in Iowa. KCCI-TV reports that the three most common pesticides used in the state have links to cancer, and that the state’s rate of use is higher than most. Eighty percent of the top 25 counties with high cancer rates are largely rural.