Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has passed a $365.2 million transportation bill, one of several budget bills requiring floor votes before the end of the legislative session. The Republican-controlled House voted in support of the budget, which would cover the fiscal years ending in 2016 and 2017. It now heads to the Democratic-led Senate. The bill’s funding will go to the Iowa Department of Transportation, which oversees expenses for the state’s motor vehicle division and its highway division, among other things.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The nation’s top publisher of magazines and websites for women has announced the layoffs of about 100 employees, one-third of which are in Des Moines. Meredith Corp. officials say the job cuts are a result of the Des Moines-based company’s recent acquisition of several new businesses, including Shape and Martha Stewart Living magazines. Another third of the layoffs are in New York and the rest elsewhere in the country.
GARNER, Iowa (AP) — Jurors didn’t reach a verdict Tuesday after a day of deliberating the case of a former Iowa lawmaker accused of sexually abusing his wife, who suffered from dementia. They will resume deliberations at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Prosecutors say 78-year-old Henry Rayhons had sex with his wife at a nursing home May 23 after being told she was not mentally capable of consenting. He testified in his own defense, saying he and his wife did not have sex that day. His wife, Donna Lou Rayhons, died in August.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has approved Gov. Terry Branstad’s bill aimed at expanding broadband in the state, though some lawmakers say the legislation still needs work. The bill now heads to the Senate. The legislation would create a 10-year property tax relief program to help service providers with the cost of adding infrastructure for broadband, also known as high-speed Internet. A grant program would be funded with federal and private dollars.