LINCOLN, NE (IRN) – The Iowa man accused of killing a 23-year-old Lincoln Nebraska woman and dismembering her body has been deemed mentally competent to stand trial. KCCI-TV reports Aubrey Trail told investigators he killed Sydney Loofe, then dumped her remains in a Clay County field. This allegedly happened after Loofe and Bailey Boswell, a co-defendant in the case, arranged a date through Tinder. The same day, surveillance video at a Lincoln Home Depot showed Trail and Boswell buying supplies that prosecutors think were used to kill Loofe and dispose of her body.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Ankeny native Matt Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney in Des Moines and starting tight end for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 1991 Rose Bowl, is now the acting U.S. attorney general after President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday. Whitaker is a Trump loyalist and trusted adviser to the president. He will lead the Department of Justice, which includes overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the president and the 2016 campaign.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Bettendorf firefighters responded Wednesday evening to a fire that injured two people at a home. Officials say flames broke out as family members were celebrating a religious holiday with candles. One person caught fire, and a second person was burned while trying to assist the first. One of the victims was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and the other was flown to Iowa City for treatment.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – With more than 1.3 million ballots cast in Iowa, the 2018 general election set a record for the most votes ever cast in a midterm. Turnout among registered voters was an outstanding 60.94%.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Drake University announced Wednesday it will start serving beer at its home basketball games, making the Bulldogs the first Division 1 team in the state to offer alcohol sales to fans. Initial offerings at the Knapp Center will include a selection of national and local craft brands.