MASON CITY – Repairs are underway on the existing Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’. The bridge was closed on Feb. 25 after it was discovered that two of the bridge piers shifted, making it unsafe for traffic. During the repair process, portions of the bridge deck will be removed, leaving large gaps in the surface. The repairs are expected to be complete by late April. Construction continues on the new bridge adjacent to the existing bridge. Project completion is anticipated in 2026.. IOWA – The majority of Iowa’s K-12 schools and colleges have hit spring break, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be heading out of state for the week. According to AAA, just under one-fourth of Iowa’s families had planned a vacation. Among those, 21% planned on a beach getaway and 28% were headed to a large city or metro area. However, the same survey conducted by the group shows nearly 80 percent of Iowans will take some form of out-of-state vacation this year. MINNEAPOLIS – It was championship Saturday for many NCAA collegiate athletes from the teams in Iowa. The Iowa Hawkeyes Women’s Basketball team pulled off a comeback in Minneapolis, winning 94-89 in Overtime against Nebraska to win their third consecutive Big Ten Tournament Championship. Just a few hours later, the Drake Bulldogs Men’s Basketball team earned an NCAA tournament bid at Arch Madness, holding off Indiana State 84-80 to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament title. Late into the evening, the Iowa State Cyclones wrestling team fended off Oklahoma State to win the Big 12 wrestling crown and send eight individuals to the NCAA bracket. UNI had Parker Keckeisen and Ryder Downey win individual gold and earn their way to the final tournament of the season as well.

DES MOINES – A bill passed in the Iowa House this week with bipartisan support could require more parental involvement for minors in social media. House File 2523 passed by an 88-6 margin, which if it gets through the Iowa Senate and Governor’s signature, would require a written statement signed by parents or guardians for anyone under the age of 18 to create a social media account. It would require the companies to verify that information and provide access to those adults of any private messages or other account activity. DES MOINES – Four state boys basketball champions were crowned on Friday, with a lot of familiar faces winning the top prize in their respective classes. North Linn in 1A, Western Christian in 2A, Davenport Assumption in 3A, and Valley in 4A won their respective brackets this week at Wells Fargo Arena. All four schools have won multiple championships in their programs’ histories. MINNEAPOLIS – Another special milestone was knocked down by the country’s best collegiate basketball player, this time during the Big Ten tournament opener against Penn State Friday. Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA all-time three pointers made mark held by future NBA Hall of Famer Steph Curry, hitting her 163rd from downtown during Iowa’s 95-62 win over the Nittany Lions. Clark and the #2 seed Hawkeyes are the top remaining team in the final four of the bracket, after several first and second round upsets.

DES MOINES – Iowa House Republicans approved legislation Thursday that criminalizes the death of an unborn person, over objections from Democrats that this would cause issues related to in vitro fertilization. WHO-13 reports current Iowa Code outlines penalties for serious injury or termination of a human pregnancy. The goal is to expand legal protections for embryos and fetuses, part of a larger nationwide conservative movement to get closer to outright abortion bans in many states following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. IOWA – Nearly 100% of Iowans remain in abnormally dry conditions or worse, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report. More than half of the state is in severe drought or worse following the warmest winter on record, according to the National Weather Service. Many in the state today could see close to an inch in their rain gauges, but dry conditions are expected to follow again well into next week. DES MOINES – A nearly unanimous bill was approved out of the Iowa House of Representatives to increase minimum starting teacher salaries in Iowa. KCCI-TV reports House File 2630 the new educators across the state would make a baseline $47,500 per year next fiscal year, and $50,000 after July of 2025. It would also establish a minimum wage of $15 per hour for education support personnel, paid for with state funds.

DES MOINES – Lawmakers have drafted a bill that would give parents more oversight of their children’s social media accounts. KCCI-TV reports that House File 2523 would require social media companies to get written permission from a parent or guardian before a minor could create an account, and allow those adults to have access. Parents could see messages and posts and control privacy settings. The measure passed 88-to-6 and moves to the Iowa Senate. IOWA – Traffic fatalities were up by 20% in 2023, according to the Iowa State Patrol. The department completed its analysis of crashes resulting in death last year, and the number was well above the previous five-year average, according to KCRG-TV. Several state troopers reported speeds well above 100 MPH last year in traffic stops, and claimed distracted driving as one of the main causes for the increase in fatalities. AMES – It’s been a special year for college basketball in Iowa, and that continued on the hardwood and in the awards column Wednesday. The #6 in the nation Iowa State Cyclone’s men’s basketball team capped a perfect season at home, coming back to beat BYU 68-63. This was the fifth time ever and first time since 2001 that the Cyclones successfully defended Hilton Coliseum in every home game in a season. Earlier in the day, Drake University’s Tucker DeVries won the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year for back-to-back seasons, leading the Bulldogs to the regular season title in that league.

IOWA – After six weeks of voting, preliminary results were in for the new mail-in process for Iowa Democrats and nomination of their candidate for president. A total of 12,000 cards have been received so far, according to the Des Moines Register, with 91% choosing President Joe Biden. Dean Phillips had 2.9% and Marianne Williamson reported 2.1% of votes. DES MOINES – Iowa Republicans passed a second bill related to unauthorized immigrants on Tuesday, as Senate File 2340 make those who are in the state without documentation a state-level crime. WHO-13 reports this comes after the Senate passed legislation requiring businesses to confirm they have no undocumented workers. The first tier of criminal activity is an aggravated misdemeanor, while the act could be enhanced to a felony based on prior charges. It would still need to pass in the house and be signed by Governor Kim Reynolds to become a law. DES MOINES – Lawmakers in the Iowa House are attempting to end guaranteed income programs in the state — even those that do not include funding from the Legislature itself. Iowa Public Radio Reports House File 2319 passed this week that would force programs such as UpLift to halt operations. The program funded by cities and non-profit organizations provides monthly payments to those deep in poverty.