Waukee's latest proposed e-bike ordinance would require e-scooters to avoid using most streets — a change a local advocacy group warns could create new safety issues, even as the city addressed other concerns about an earlier draft.

Why it matters: Local cities and law enforcement say they want to curb public safety risks after several severe e-scooter and e-moto crashes, but local advocates warn that the language in ordinances can cause unintended problems.

Flashback: Waukee's original proposal in April would have banned all cyclists and scooters from riding on the road if a trail, bike lane or sidewalk was available, as well as from any road with a speed limit above 25 mph.

Driving the news: Following feedback from cycling advocates, the city revised the draft and presented a new version in June.

What's new: The June draft exempts bicycles and e-bikes from April's sidewalk rule.

• But e-scooters, skateboards and skates would still be barred from streets over 25 mph if there's a sidewalk available — a rule that could continue to cause pedestrian problems, says Alex Rice, executive director of the Street Collective.

What they're saying: Rice argues the rule would put fast scooters into conflict with pedestrians, kids and dog-walkers on narrow sidewalks.

• She says riders should be able to choose the street when conditions, such as riding in a neighborhood with little traffic, make that safer.
• A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that e-scooter riders sustained more frequent injuries on sidewalks, due to lack of even surfaces and helmet use, but they suffered more severe injuries from cars on roads.

The other side: During a June 15 council meeting, Mayor Courtney Clarke said that safety is the number one concern and that it's time to get an ordinance into place to help law enforcement take action.

• She said it doesn't mean they won't return to the ordinance in the future should issues arise.
• "The goal is safety — that is first and paramount," she said. "So, if this is not improving safety, we address it and we move forward. But I think, in my opinion, it's time to get something on the books."

The big picture: As other metro cities work on their own drafts, already approved ordinances will likely be used as frameworks.

What's next: The Waukee City Council will consider the ordinance's second reading Monday at 5:30pm.

Iowa's melanoma rate remains among the nation's highest in newly available federal cancer data.

Why it matters: Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and Iowa's burden is unusually high for a state far from coastal beach culture.

Zoom in: Iowa's age-adjusted melanoma rate was 33.7 cases per 100,000 people for 2019-2023, according to CDC data.

The big picture: That compares with roughly 24 new cases nationally.

• Utah (43.8), Minnesota (40.5), and Vermont (35.1) had rates higher than Iowa.

Stunning stat: Iowa reported 6,456 melanoma cases during the 2019-2023 period.

Read more: Melanoma is more common in white people

👮‍♀️ More than 120 new Iowa laws took effect yesterday, including increasing some rural road speed limits from 55 to 60mph. (WHO-radio)

🏦 Wells Fargo is laying off 43 more employees at its Jordan Creek campus, marking its 99th metro-area layoff notice filed with the state since April 2022. (Des Moines Register)

💧 Central Iowa Water Works lifted its lawn watering ban yesterday. (KCCI)

Linh here. I'm growing a giant pumpkin named Hope, with the goal of showing it at the Iowa State Fair this year.

Driving the news: At long last, we have some female flowers.

Context: Female pumpkin flowers are fickle, but they're where the actual pumpkin grows from after they're pollinated.

• They open only once and for a few short hours in the morning. They're hand-pollinated to make sure the job gets done.
• Meanwhile, male flowers are a dime a dozen on a pumpkin plant. Their petals are peeled off and their pollen is rubbed onto the female flower.

The bottom vine: I'm hoping they open soon or else I'm going to be staring at my backyard this weekend instead of a mojito at a lake house.

Countdown: 42 days until judgment day.