UNI Faculty Senate Takes Up Excused Military Absences Issue and More Cedar Falls Daily News Links

The University of Northern Iowa's Faculty Senate discussed the issue of making mandatory military duty an excused absence Monday, but delayed voting on the matter so that Veterans Affairs appointments could be added to the draft, Emily Christensen reported for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. The senate will likely vote on the matter at its next meeting.

State senators were urged to expand Medicaid coverage to an additional 150,000 Iowans at a packed subcommittee meeting Monday, Rob Boshart reported in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has said he will oppose a federal mandate that the state expand coverage to people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $15,400 for an individual, beginning in 2014.

Iowa should aim to be in the top 10 states for testing in 4th grade reading and 8th grade math by the end of the decade, Gov. Terry Branstad announced Monday. He said he believes the education reform package currently being considered in the state legislature could help achieve those goals, the Des Moines Register reported.

Female Muslim immigrants living in Iowa often stay in abusive relationships due to fear and cultural pressures, reports IowaWatch.org in the first part of a multistory series, "Faces of Silence."

The State Fire Marshall wants every Iowa child to live in a home with a smoke detector, the Associated Press reported, via KCRG. Two new grants, one from the federal government and one from State Farm, will work towards that goal by paying for more than 11,600 smoke alarms in 2013.