Week in Iowa: Abortions dip in Iowa, a dinosaur coming to Davenport and an award win for a Council Bluffs brewery

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Welcome to Week in Iowa.

As this year's RAGBRAI wrapped in in Northeast Iowa, thousands raced through Davenport Saturday during the annual Quad-City Times Bix 7. Around 14,500 people registered for 51st seven-mile race where runners fared rain and thunderstorms.

Find the Quad-City Times' full race coverage here and continue reading below for the rest of this week's news from across Iowa.

Politics across IowaAbortions in Iowa down, Iowans traveling to other states

The frequency of abortions in Iowa plunged, but the number of Iowans seeking abortions in neighboring states spiked under a new state law that banned most abortions and went into effect one year ago today.

A new state law that went into effect on July 29, 2024, restricts most abortions in Iowa once a fetus' heartbeat can be detected. The bill defined a fetal heartbeat as any cardiac activity, which typically can be detected around the sixth week of pregnancy, often before the individual is aware of the pregnancy.

The law contains limited exceptions that allow for an abortion when the pregnancy involves some cases of rape, incest, the life or health of the mother, or a fetal abnormality judged by a doctor to be incompatible with life.

Prior to the state law change, abortion had been legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy with the requirement that the abortion could not be performed until 24 hours after an initial consultation with a doctor.

Union: Work visas revoked for 200 Ottumwa meatpacking workers

More than 200 workers at an Ottumwa meatpacking plant were notified this month by their employer that their work visas have been revoked, and now face potential deportation, according to a union official.

Brian Ulin, secretary treasurer for the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1846 that represents JBS USA workers in Ottumwa, told The Gazette over 200 meatpacking plant workers were informed that they were no longer eligible to work in the United States due to a verification check done by JBS. The Brazilian-based company is one of the nation's largest meatpackers and is the largest employer in Ottumwa.

Deputy Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief Tom Barton has the full story here.

Other political stories you may have missedIowa Rep. Ashley Hinson highlights benefits of 'no tax on tips and overtime' provisions in megabill Rob Sand speaks to Black Hawk County voters, hopes to appeal to all parties 'We're 49th in economic growth': Iowa gubernatorial hopeful Rob Sand faults state leadership Well-known Iowa Republicans headline Clear Lake GOP fundraiserCommunity speaks out at second Woodbury County nuclear energy ordinance hearing Pottawattamie County supervisors, in 3-2 vote, offer engineer job to unnamed manIowa Democrats celebrate Medicaid anniversary, warn of spending cuts' impacts Iowa political leaders reflect on first anniversary of law banning most abortions 'Don't be fooled': Top Iowa Republicans warn Rob Sand is 'far left' candidate as governor's race picks up U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Scholten in Davenport: Democrats must prove they're trustworthy People 'Our community's dinosaur:' Quad-Cities residents unearth fossils in Wyoming excavation

Scott Peake, vice president of marketing and membership at the Putnam Museum, was searching for triceratops bones under the hot Wyoming sun.

As he dug, he heard a tin sound and switched from a blade to a brush to sweep away dirt. Slowly, he unearthed a postcard-size fragment of a triceratops' frill, the large fan on the exterior of the dinosaurs' skull.

"I've never found anything like that," Peake said. "Once you found one thing, you got the bug."

The next day, Peake uncovered an intact rib from the dinosaur.

In June, Quad-Cities community leaders from the Putnam Museum and Science Center, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, VictoryXR and more traveled to Lusk, Wyoming, to excavate the remains of a triceratops about 65 million years old. Quad-Cities residents joined the dig with representatives from Leap Lab, the group that organized of the excavation.

Quad-City Times reporter Nina Baker has more on the excavation here.

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Second act for Sioux City's Red Room Lounge is a family matter

Brad Winters broke a "rule" of real estate: Don't get emotionally involved with a property.

But once Winters took ownership of the Red Room Lounge (1000 W. Seventh St.), there was only one option.

"It was where we had our family Christmases, and it was just a place where we all got together," Winters said. "I honestly was planning to get it through probate, and I had multiple buyers that were interested in doing it and, at the end of the day, I could not let it go. I just couldn't. So I ultimately decided to take on the challenge."

Sioux City Journal reporter Jared McNett has more on the Red Room Lounge's new life here.

Council Bluffs brewery strikes gold at U.S. Open Beer Championship

Celebratory beer is flowing at Full Fledged Brewing Company, and for good reason.

The Council Bluffs brewery is in fine company as they recently joined some of the state's best-known brewing institutions in bringing home some hardware in this year's U.S. Open Beer Championship.

The competition saw more than 450 brewers from across the country enter over 8,000 beers across 150-plus categories. Six Iowa breweries accounted for 17 medals in this year's competition.

Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reporter Joe Shearer has the full story here.

Sports Tyrese Haliburton proposes to girlfriend in Hilton Coliseum

Tyrese Haliburton just made another memory inside Hilton Coliseum. Monday, the former Cyclone basketball star posted pictures of him proposing to his girlfriend, Jade Jones, at midcourt in Hilton Coliseum. It's a special place for both of them.

They met when Haliburton played at ISU from 2018-2020 and Jones was a student and cheerleader. They even named their dog "Ames." On March 1, Haliburton returned to Hilton Coliseum to get honored with a banner for his gold medal in the 2024 Olympics. He spoke about how ISU shaped his life.

"My girlfriend, we met here, she's a cheerleader here so just being college kids we're like what would we name our kids if we had children and Ames came up and I was like 'That sounds better for a dog,'" Haliburton said. "We wanted to do something that connected both of us, so it was an obvious decision."

Iowa State University sports reporter Ben Hutchens has the full story on the proposal here.

'We're ready to make noise,' Why SoCon star chose to end volleyball career in Iowa

It's a journey familiar in today's era of college athletics. Thanks to the transfer portal Chard'e Vanzandt managed to achieve something few who shared her starting point can dream of.

"It's been a journey, honestly," Vanzandt said. "And just being open-minded through all of it, and my goal was always to get here. ... Throughout the whole journey, in every school, I always strive to get better and go to the next level. And, I ended up here, and I'm truly blessed to be here.

During Big Ten volleyball media days in Chicago on Tuesday, Vanzandt described her decision to join the Hawkeyes under head coach Jim Barnes and compete in the nation's foremost volleyball conference as an obvious choice.

University of Iowa sports reporter Ethan Petrik has the full story here. Number of the week: 2.6%

Iowa gaming revenue is down 2.6% over the previous budget year and represents the third consecutive year that overall gaming revenue in Iowa has dropped year-over-year.

That, coupled with other pressures on the gaming industry in Iowa, is concerning for many of the 19 state-licensed casinos across the state, according to one key industry spokeswoman.

Iowa's 19 state-licensed casinos recorded $1.679 billion in total adjusted revenue in the state fiscal year that ended June 30, according to figures published recently by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, the state body that oversees gaming in Iowa.

Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy crunched the numbers on Iowa's annual gaming revenue here.

Photos: 50 images of the Quad-City Times Bix 7 on Brady Street