DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the University of Iowa to temporarily reinstate a conservative Christian group as a registered student organization, saying the university is denying the group its freedom of speech rights.

Business Leaders in Christ sued after the university in Iowa City revoked its campus registration in November, citing the group’s denial of a leadership position to a gay student who wouldn’t affirm a statement of faith rejecting homosexuality. The university says it respects religious rights but doesn’t tolerate discrimination.

In a temporary injunction order issued Tuesday, Judge Stephanie Rose says the university policy isn’t enforced uniformly. She cited the Imam Mahdi group which requires members to be Muslim and to respect its religious rules and practices.

Rose says the Christian group would suffer First Amendment freedom loss without a 90-day injunction.

The Government Oversight Committee in the Iowa House will ask a group of paid state commissioners why they missed the alleged misuse of tax dollars by the now-fired director of the Iowa Communications Network. House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, a Republican from Clear Lake, says it’s a disappointing situation.

“Any commission like the commission that is in place has a fiduciary responsibility and I’m disappointed that somebody wasn’t looking through those budgets…line by line,” Upmeyer says. “…On occasion, you have to do that.”

The Iowa Communications Network is a state-owned system that provides high-speed voice, video and data service for state government, schools and some hospitals. An audit released last week indicated nearly 380-thousand dollars was misspent at the network, equipment was delivered to the now-fired director’s home in Marion and he hired people he knew who had no experience for jobs at the network. The five-member commission — each paid between 14-thousand and 20-thousand dollars a year — will be called to testify before the House Oversight Committee.

“I have no doubt that other commissioners on other boards throughout the state are going to be looking closer at budgets as they move forward,” Upmeyer says. “It certainly is a wake up call for all of them because there is a responsibility when you agree to sit on one of those boards.” And Upmeyer says selling the Iowa Communications Network is also on the table.

The fiber optic lines were buried in the 1990s. Upmeyer says it may be time for the state to get as much as possible from selling the fiber, although she cautions private sector networks are likely newer and faster.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers are sending a voluntary water quality bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds that doesn’t require comprehensive monitoring of water pollution. The Republican-controlled House voted 59-41 Tuesday for the legislation, which passed in the GOP-majority Senate last session and remained alive in the two-year legislative calendar. The bill would create a fund that redistributes tax money currently going to Iowa’s state budget. It also takes money from an existing infrastructure fund.

Iowa has faced water pollution issues for years, and research shows it’s tied in part to farm runoff. A state-supported water quality initiative, known as the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, estimates effectively addressing the issue would cost billions of dollars. The bill is expected to generate $282 million over 12 years. Reynolds and other Republicans who back the bill say it’s a first step.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois man arrested on charges that he opened fire on a motorist on Interstate 80 in eastern Iowa and exchanging gunfire with state troopers has told investigators he targeted truck drivers because he was angry over a fatal truck crash. The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports that a sheriff’s deputy in Cedar County, Iowa, explained in a search warrant application that Charles Johnston had become “obsessed’ with the crash and told investigators after his Jan. 11 arrest that he wanted to harm at least one trucker in retaliation.

The 60-year-Johnston is charged with attempted murder and assault on a peace officer with a dangerous weapon. He is being in Cedar County Jail on $1 million bail. The paper reports that Johnston is a professor at Harper College in Palatine.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say one child was taken to a Dubuque hospital after a school bus crashed off an icy road in eastern Iowa. The accident occurred around 6:40 a.m. Monday, about 2½ miles (4 kilometers) east of St. Donatus. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says the bus slipped off an ice-covered road into a ditch as it was making a left turn, coming to rest on one of its sides.

The extent of the child’s injuries is unclear. His or her name hasn’t been released. A news release from the Sheriff’s Office says there were six other children on board, and their injuries appeared to be minor. The driver and bus attendant refused treatment. The Dubuque Community School District bus was driven by David Jaeger, who was not issued a citation.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers could choose a 500-million-year-old species known as a crinoid as the state’s officially recognized fossil. Geologists have called Burlington the “crinoid capital of the world” since its home to more than 300 species, which are similar to starfish or sea urchins. The Hawk Eye reports that a resolution to establish the crinoid as the state fossil was introduced in the Senate by seven Democrats last week. The resolution says the crinoid has contributed to Iowa’s history and economic benefit, including “a significant portion of lime deposits” that has been used for roads, agriculture, building and raw materials.

If approved in the Senate and House of Representatives, the crinoid would join Iowa’s Official Register along with other state symbols, like the goldfinch, rose and oak tree.