Monday, August 17: Repercussions from Black Hawk Bridge demolition, Flock tightens privacy controls, Democratic officials prepare for election chaos, state lawmakers seek to limit immigration crackdown
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“There are about 8,200 people living within a 30-mile radius of the bridge who use it regularly in both their personal and professional capacities. It was clear from the onset that there would be a severe impact on the daily lives of each of us.”
– Mike Verdon, mayor of Lansing, Iowa, on the loss of the old Black Hawk Bridge, which won’t be replaced until spring of 2027
The new bridge being built across the Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa, captures the classic look of the old Black Hawk Bridge while making marked improvements. (Photo by Alex Burdzy)
The Black Hawk Bridge once spanned the Mississippi River to connect Iowa and Wisconsin, acting as a lifeline for Lansing for almost a century. It became regionally iconic, featured in a pivotal scene of the 1999 David Lynch film “The Straight Story.” Now, waiting for it to be replaced with a modernized lookalike, commuters and businesses are struggling to cope. Alex Burdzy has the story.
Flock Safety is tightening privacy and oversight controls for its nationwide network of automated license plate readers as more communities pull back from the technology and lawmakers across the political spectrum push for new restrictions. Amanda Watford of Stateline has the latest.
State Democratic officials are preparing for chaos at the polls this November, as President Donald Trump casts doubt on election security and pushes for more federal involvement in local voting, Kevin Hardy of Stateline reports. In recent months, Democratic attorneys general have been meeting to prepare for worst-case scenarios — including the possibility of federal immigration officers patrolling polling locations or the FBI visiting county election offices.
Democratic lawmakers proposed nearly 250 bills in state capitols this year seeking to limit federal immigration efforts as they sought to push back against what they view as federal government overreach, Kevin Hardy reports. The bills sought to ban the masking of immigration officers, protect against immigration enforcement in sensitive places such as schools and hospitals and enact new zoning regulations on private detention facilities, among other issues
PLUS:
ICYMI
Georgia residents line up to vote in 2024. State Democratic officials nationwide are bracing for potential federal interference during November’s midterm elections. (Photo by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
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