WEST DES MOINES – A teacher at Dowling High School has pled guilty to having sexual contact with a student. KCCI-TV reports Kristen Gantt was teaching English when she was arrested last spring. Police say she admitted to attempting to seduce a student in her classroom multiple times. She faces up to two years in prison.

PLEASANT HILL – An increasing number of reports of violence in schools has led to another arrest. WHO-13 reports a Southeast Polk Junior High student was charged with making terrorist threats. Pleasant Hill police say that they received information about the potential threat late last week and found the individual they believe to be responsible. Ever since the tragic shooting in Perry, more than a dozen Iowa school districts have received various threats of violence, and several students have been arrested.

POLK COUNTY – The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case State of Iowa v. Faron Alan Starr during a special evening session in Des Moines. The event will be held on Monday, February 19, at 7:00 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the fourth floor of the Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue. The evening session is open to the public and provides an opportunity for residents who may not be able to attend the court’s regular morning and afternoon sessions to watch the court conduct oral arguments in person. The Polk County Bar Association will sponsor a public reception with the supreme court justices in the Judicial Branch Building following the oral arguments.

DES MOINES – The Greater Des Moines Committee will recognize Ray Cole, Robert J. Denson and Roger C. Underwood as the 2023 inductees to the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. The inductees will be honored during the Greater Des Moines Committee’s Annual Induction Event on Wednesday, May 1 at The Meadows Events and Conference Center. The Iowa Business Hall of Fame honors the achievements of Iowans who have made outstanding contributions to the development and enhancement of Iowa’s business climate.