laws.. senator tony bisignano says animal abuse rates are on the rise in iowa...so he championed a law to come down harder on those who do it. under the bill...anyone accused with animal abuse could be charged with a felony. right now it's an aggravated misdemeanor. the bill also requires the department of human services to do a wellness check if the abuse happens in front of a child. yesterday the bill passed the senate and today it heads to the house. currently....iowa's animal abuse laws are considered to be among the softest in the nation by animal welfare advocates. students from across the state will put their sauteing skills to the test today... a top chef style cooking competition has 17 teams of aspiring chefs facing off for an opportunity to compete at nationals. while many will be focused on career. dozens of local restaurants will be on hand to scout some potential new talent. the event runs at the iowa event