DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – President Donald Trump energized a crowd of supporters at the Des Moines International Airport Wednesday evening, eliciting cheers while calling his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, a “corrupt politician who shouldn’t even be allowed to run for the presidency.” Trump told the crowd that the Obama-Biden administration “flooded your communities with illegal immigration, deadly drugs (and) MS-13 savages that assault, rape and murder innocent Americans.” He warned that if Democrats take control of the White House or Congress, “they’ll empower violent mobs and shield deadly criminals and terrorists.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A record number of Iowans are hospitalized with coronavirus as 61 long-term care facilities report outbreaks and 18 counties report a high positivity rate. The Iowa Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported 1,180 new coronavirus cases and 11 additional deaths. As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, the state had 1,481 total deaths.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Authorities located a body in a wooded area in Linn County on Wednesday and have identified it as a woman missing since Sunday. Cedar Rapids Police said that the body of Sharon Hangartner, 54, was found in Hiawatha.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s highest court upheld a state directive Wednesday that was used to invalidate tens of thousands of absentee ballot requests mailed to voters pre-filled with their personal information. The court rejected a Democratic challenge that argued the directive issued by Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate was unconstitutional. Pate instructed county elections commissioners in July that all absentee ballot request forms they mailed to voters must be blank in order to ensure uniformity statewide.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The NCAA announced Wednesday that Des Moines is among the nearly 450 host sites chosen for future championships. Des Moines will host first- and second-round games in the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship. Games will be held at Wells Fargo Arena.