DES MOINES, IA - Iowans will be allowed to own and carry handguns as soon as they turn 18 under a law Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed that lowers the minimum age.
House File 924 changes the age requirement to possess pistols and revolvers from 21 years old to 18 years old. The law, which goes into effect July 1, was one of a dozen bills the governor signed into law April 18.
The Iowa Senate voted 33-14 on April 7 to pass and send the bill to Reynolds' desk. Every Republican except Sens. Charlie McClintock, R-Alburnett, and Ken Rozenboom, R-Pella, voted for the bill. All Democrats but Sens. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, and Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, opposed the bill.
Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, who championed the bill as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said in March that Iowans ages 18 to 20 who have families or want to protect themselves with firearms should have the option to own or carry handguns.
"I joined the Marines when I was 18, I graduated from boot camp when I was 18. I was carrying firearms in the military, ready to defend my country when I was 18, along with hundreds of thousands of other young men and women," Holt said. "So the idea that an 18-year-old, a 19-year-old, a 20-year-old, doesn't have a right to own a firearm in protection of their families — which is really what the Second Amendment is about, right?" Click here to read more.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Donald Trump administration has halted a massive New York offshore wind project as it conducts a financial and regulatory review of plans to erect towering turbines along the nation’s coastlines.
The Interior Department issued an order earlier this week calling for the immediate halt of construction on the Empire Wind Project “until further review,” citing new information suggesting that the Joe Biden administration “rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.”
“Approval for the project was rushed through by the prior administration without sufficient analysis or consultation among the relevant agencies as relates to the potential effects from the project,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrote in a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Management, which oversees federal offshore lease permits. “This halt is to remain in effect until further review is completed to address these serious deficiencies.”
The project’s developer, Norway-based Equinor, said Thursday that it was complying with the Trump administration’s order to halt the project but is considering a potential legal challenge. Click here to read more.
CHARLOTTE, NC - Eagle-eyed motorsports fans will have noted the inclusion of the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype in a commercial ahead of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Miami. The ground-breaking vehicle features as part of a crossover advertisement to showcase the engineering innovations taking place in the two racing series.
The prototype vehicle turned heads at the Chicago Street Course last year, with the battery electric car representing the first of its kind in NASCAR history. The result of a collaboration between Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota and NASCAR engineers, the vehicle could well prove to be a seminal creation in a first step towards potential electrification.
This time around, the vehicle was shown taking to the track against a ABB Formula E Gen3 EVO car in a commercial posted on YouTube by ABB, entitled "Electrifying Miami - ABB Formula E vs ABB EV NASCAR". The video features actors Sung Kang and Emelia Hartford, while drivers Jake Dennis and Dan Ticktum also took part in the filming. Click here to read more.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF - A flight attendant was found deceased in his hotel room at the end of a multi-day layover, with authorities speculating he was dead for days before being found.
According to reports from The Standard and The Telegraph, the unnamed flight attendant, who worked for British Airways, checked into the San Francisco hotel two days ahead of his next flight.
The man's fellow crew members became concerned when he didn't show up for work two days later and would not answer his phone, prompting the discovery of his body, per reports. The crew and airline decided to cancel the Thursday flight because the staff was reportedly "too upset to fly."
"Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of our colleague at this difficult time," British Airways said to People in a statement. "Our teams worked hard to get [the passengers] on their way as quickly as possible." Click here to read more.'
GATLINBURG, Tenn. - A woman claims she was bitten and dragged from her home by a black bear this week.
According to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency representative Matthew Cameron, wildlife officers received a report that a woman had been bitten by a black bear and dragged from her porch just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Officials said when officers arrived at the home on Jefferson Road in Sevier County, they saw a yearling bear inside a trap that had been set following a previous incident at the same residence last Friday.
Cameron said that the earlier incident involved a bear breaking into a vehicle and causing extensive damage, ultimately rendering the vehicle a total loss. Click here to read more.
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