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Iowa early News Headlines: Wed., Dec. 20th 2017

News

December 20th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a crowd in Iowa that Democrats must push a progressive agenda to win elections in 2018. De Blasio told a group of progressives Tuesday night in downtown Des Moines that the party “cannot be timid” in addressing such issues as income inequality. De Blasio’s visit to Iowa raised speculation about the mayor’s presidential aspirations in 2020. But de Blasio told a group of reporters he’s not running for president.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa Supreme Court justice has lifted an order that temporarily blocked the state’s largest newspaper from reporting the contents of records legally obtained from a public court file. Critics had denounced the Dec. 11 order by Justice David Wiggins as an impermissible prior restraint in violation of the First Amendment. Wiggins removed the stay Tuesday after the court declined to consider attorney Jaysen McCleary’s request for an injunction blocking publication.

WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) — The state has agreed to contribute more than $250,000 to rebuild a Madison County covered bridge featured on the cover of the novel “The Bridges of Madison County.” The Des Moines Register reports the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announced Tuesday it would provide $275,770 to the Madison County Chamber of Commerce to help pay to rebuild the bridge, which was destroyed in an April arson fire. The total cost to rebuild the bridge is estimated at nearly $600,000.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A driver has been charged in connection with a Des Moines collision that killed two people and injured two others. Des Moines police say Ryan Rench faces charges of unsafe passing with enhancements for an offense causing two deaths and an offense causing serious injury. Court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him.