DES MOINES – Gov. Reynolds ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff and remain at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, October 25, honoring Iowa Senator Claire Celsi on the day a ceremony will be held to celebrate her life. Celsi was elected to three terms in the Iowa Senate, representing Central Iowans in the greater Des Moines metro area. She died following an illness and a stay in hospice care.

OTTUMWA – An Ottumwa woman faces more than 40 criminal charges for alleged animal cruelty. WHO-13 reports 77-year-old Suzette Kay Stocker was arrested on Wednesday after authorities removed 43 cats from a home on October 2nd. Court records indicate the house emitted a foul odor that could be detected from the roadway, with the home covered in bugs and animal feces and urine. Stocker is accused of four other incidents of animal cruelty, dating back to 2008.

KEOKUK – A former deputy with the Keokuk County Sheriff’s Office has been sentenced for his role in a hay rack ride that injured several children. KCCI-TV reports David Heady received up to 10 years in prison and he and Daniel Brubaker hosed a Halloween party and hay rack ride in 2023. Both men were drinking before offering rides to children, who were injured in a crash that followed. Investigators say Heady, who was working as a deputy at the time, worked to cover up the incident. Brubaker faces 15 years in prison, as he was driving the vehicle.