DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa reclaims its title as a battleground state today, with both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates visiting the state to make their case for the White House. WHO-TV reports Hillary Clinton is having two rallies in Cedar Rapids today followed by one in Des Moines at Roosevelt High School. Donald Trump is holding an outdoor rally at McGrath Amphitheatre in Cedar Rapids tonight.
BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after an accident on Interstate 80 at approximately 3 a.m. today. WQAD-TV reports the semi-driver lost control of his vehicle and swerved into a ditch.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – More than 700 patients at Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines were impacted by a hospital pharmacy tech who tampered with their pain medication. WHO-TV reports the unidentified employee has been placed on administrative leave and is accused of taking pain medication intended for patients and replacing it with saline.
WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The home of a gay candidate running for a spot on the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors has been vandalized. KGAN-TV reports Christopher Schwartz says anti-gay messages were spray painted onto his home. Police are calling it a hate crime. Schwartz says the vandalism occurred amid a heated social media argument involving a group called the Cedar Valley Patriots for Christ. The leader of the group says they aren’t responsible.
CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – A minor theft could lead to more serious charges in Floyd County, according to KIMT-TV. 33-year-old Isaiah Weber of Charles City allegedly stole a police badge affixed to a memorial plaque on a wall at City Hall. Police executed a search warrant at his home and seized firearms and drugs. He’s in jail.
STAR CITY, RUSSIA (IRN) – An Iowa native will embark on her third trip to the International Space Station, according to KCRG-TV. Peggy Whitson of Beaconsfield will be the first woman to command the space station twice. In her previous command in 2007, she became the first woman to ever command the ISS. Whitson and her crew will launch on November 15th from Kazakhstan aboard their Soyuz spacecraft.