AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University Athletic Director Jamie Pollard told Cyclone fans in a letter Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with cancer. Pollard wrote that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He said he struggled with the idea of sharing the diagnosis publicly but wanted to do so to be as transparent as possible. Pollard missed a public appearance last week while undergoing surgery. He was similarly transparent when he underwent open-heart surgery in 2015.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – 62-year-old David John Costello has been charged with arson in the first degree for a home explosion that occurred in Monticello in November. The Monticello Police Department said Costello set off an explosion in his basement while police tried to talk to him. A deputy was injured in the explosion, but is back to work.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Attorney General’s Office said it has wrapped up a six-year project to address untested sexual assault evidence kits throughout the state. The Iowa Sexual Assault Kit Initiative project was created to address the issue of 4,275 untested kits. The project tested more than 1,600 sexual assault kits, which resulted in four criminal charges and two convictions.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A shooting on Des Moines’ southeast side caused an elementary school to go on a lockdown Tuesday. Police were called to the area of Lovejoy Elementary School around 1:30 p.m. on reports of shots fired. Police determined that two groups of people had been shooting at each other and found multiple shell casings on the ground. No victims have been found.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa is starting a new midwifery program. As many rural hospitals have quit delivering babies, the program would help fill a health service gap in the state. Students can start enrolling in the program in the fall of 2022.