(Des Moines, IA) Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are increasingly impacting Iowans. Preliminary data from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) for 2021 show significant increases in some STDs.

Most notably, syphilis has reached its highest numbers in the state in a generation. There were 554 diagnoses of infectious syphilis reported to IDPH in 2021. This is a 55% increase from the preceding year. Shifts are also occurring among our populations in Iowa who are most affected. Although the majority of diagnoses continues to be among men, the number of diagnoses among women nearly tripled in a single year. The increased number of women affected has led to historic increases in congenital syphilis (which occurs when the infection is passed from a pregnant person to the fetus or newborn). In 2021, there were 11 cases of congenital syphilis in Iowa – more than the last 20 years combined. Additionally, rates of syphilis among our Black and Indigenous populations, and populations of color overall, are increasingly disproportionate. 

Get Yourself Tested is a campaign encouraging young people to get tested and treated for STDs and HIV to protect their health and that of their partners. STDs affect people of all ages, yet these diseases take a particularly heavy toll on young people.

Disease Intervention Specialists at IDPH and Polk, Linn, Scott, and Black Hawk county health departments work with people affected by HIV and other STDs, like syphilis, every day. Through  these services, Iowans receive medical care and referrals to other supportive services. Iowans looking for STD testing can access two testing locator options here or here.

IDPH continues to work with its partner organizations, the medical community, and the public to raise awareness, make risk reduction easier (including increased testing and early diagnosis and treatment), and reduce stigma.

DES MOINES – Thousands of students across Iowa made their voices heard about the upcoming election when they cast ballots in Secretary of State’s Paul Pate’s Iowa Youth Straw Poll, Tuesday. Students in K-12 schools were invited to vote for their preferred candidates in Iowa’s congressional and gubernatorial races. Candidates submitted video messages tailored toward students. As of the last report, with nearly 9,000 votes cast, Republican Chuck Grassley leads all candidates in the U.S. Senate race with 39 % of the vote. Republican Jim Carlin is second with 23%. Democratic Abby Finkenauer has 20%.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds leads the gubernatorial field, with 65% of the vote. Some Youth Straw Poll participants will be eligible to participate in the June primary and November general election this year.  Secretary Pate says “It’s important to engage our young people in civics at an early age and this is a fun, hands-on way to do that. Voting is not only a civic duty, but also the best way to make your voice heard. My thanks to all the students who participated, and to the teachers that helped organize events at their schools.”

Iowa’s four U.S. Congressional races were also polled, with Republicans leading in three of the four districts. Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leads Christina Bohannan in the First District, 65-35%.  Ashley Hinson is ahead of Liz Mathis in the Second District, 66-34% Democrat Cindy Axne has the most votes so far in the Third District, with 30%, followed by three Republicans, Nicole Hasso at 28%, Gary Leffler at 22% and Zach Nunn at 20%. Republican Randy Feenstra is leading in the Fourth District with 66%.

The Iowa Youth Straw Poll is open to students of every grade level and youth civic organizations.

Vote totals are available by clicking here.

(Washington, D-C) – President Biden has announced five new federal judicial nominees, all of whom are extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution, including a District Court Judge in Iowa. His office says “These choices also continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds.” The announcement marks the President 16th round of nominees for federal judicial positions and his fourth slate of nominations in 2022, bringing the number of announced federal judicial nominees to 90.

District Court

Judge Stephen Henley Locher: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa

Judge Stephen Henley Locher has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Iowa since 2021. He was previously a partner at Belin McCormick, P.C., in Des Moines, Iowa from 2013 to 2021. From 2008 to 2013, Judge Locher was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. From 2004 to 2008, Judge Locher was an associate at Goldberg Kohn in Chicago. Judge Locher served as a law clerk for Judge John R. Gibson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit from 2003 to 2004.

Judge Locher received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003, and his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, magna cum laude, in 2000.