IOWA – A report by the Des Moines Register indicates that abortions in Iowa have dropped by close to forty percent since the state’s new six week ban went into effect earlier this year. Estimates show Iowa averaged 400 clinician provided abortions through the first six months of 2024, and that has dropped to 250. Iowa’s fetal heartbeat law bans the procedure once cardiac activity is detected in a pregnancy, with few exceptions. A Des Moines Register poll in September showed 59% of Iowans disapproved of the new restrictions.

JOHNSON COUNTY – A Nashville, Tennessee man died in a single vehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Johnson County early Wednesday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports that 25-year-old Jeremy Rogers was driving a Volvo Truck near mile marker 245 and left the roadway before striking a bridge guardrail. Rogers was not wearing a seatbelt at the time.

PELLA – The teenager accused of attacking multiple students at Pella Middle School with a knife before class Wednesday morning faces felony charges for the incident. The Pella Police Department charged a 14-year-old male with three counts of attempted murder and two counts of felony assault with intent for the alleged incident. The department says the student lunged a kitchen knife at three other students before school started in the cafeteria. A majority of students returned to class with mental health services provided on Thursday.