MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – New details are being released in a shooting that killed a Marshalltown convenience store employee early Monday morning. Criminal complaints in the case say 20-year-old Rocky Dean Trujillo shot 48-year-old Michael West in the chest shortly after 3:00 a.m. Monday, causing his death. West was an employee at the Casey’s General Store, where the shooting took place. After shooting West, Trujillo “attempted to gain access to the cash register in the store after murdering the clerk.” He is also alleged to have placed his gun against a customer’s head and demanded his phone.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Rolling power outages that have hit other states as brutal temperatures have gripped the country may be coming to Iowa. The companies calling for rolling outages are part of what’s called the “Southwest Power Pool,” a group of utilities across 14 states including Iowa. Much of western Iowa is serviced by the Southwest Power Pool.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Lawmakers at the Iowa Statehouse this week continue to work on school funding. The Republican led House passed a school funding measure that included $7 million in cuts to preschool. The Save the Children Action Network says the cuts will mean 2,600 Iowa children will not have access to early education.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa is keeping its women’s swimming and diving program after it had been among four sports the school planned to eliminate due to budget concerns brought on by the pandemic. Members of the women’s swimming and diving team filed a legal complaint against the school that argued eliminating their program violated a landmark gender equity law. Men’s swimming and diving, men’s gymnastics, and men’s tennis will still be eliminated.

ORANGE CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa-based Pizza Ranch, known for its buffet of pizza, chicken and other offerings, expanded last year, even as the coronavirus pandemic hit the restaurant industry harder than most. Pizza Ranch, based in Orange City, has over 200 locations in 14 states. The chain added five new locations last year and has six or seven more openings planned for this year.