DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – State officials have issued burn bans in four Iowa counties due to dry conditions. The Iowa Department of Public Safety’s State Fire Marshal issued the bans this week for Decatur in southern Iowa and Lee, Wapello and Muscatine counties in southeastern Iowa.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after being shot in the chest in Des Moines Friday afternoon, according to WOI-TV. Another victim was shot in the foot. Police believe the victims and the potential suspect knew each other, and the suspect is still at large. This was the ninth homicide of 2017 in Des Moines.

IOWA (IRN) – Hospitals across Iowa are scrambling to fill nursing positions, with hundreds of openings in the Des Moines area alone, according to WHO-TV. Unity Point in Des Moines has 170 nursing positions open and St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids has 71. To make matters worse, 21% of Iowa’s aging nurses are eligible to retire, and registered nurses in Iowa make the least amount of money of nurses across the entire United States.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Republican Sen. Joni Ernst met with confrontational crowds in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids where she was repeatedly shouted down and booed. KCCI-TV reports Ernst drew laughter and booing when speaking about the Republican replacement for Obamacare, and faced shouts for suggesting climate change is natural. She drew applause when she said President Donald Trump should release his tax returns.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Scott Community College student will be honored next month for winning a national award, according to WQAD-TV. At the age of 37 Megan Linzy found herself without a high school diploma, and holding several part-time jobs. Afraid her son Charles wouldn’t get his diploma, she challenged him that if he graduated, she’d go back to school to earn her GED. Both got their degrees at the same time. Megan is dyslexic, and has been named the National Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year. She wants to be a teacher.