AMES – An Iowa man is accused of secretly filming women while they were changing clothes in a Target store. WHO-13 reports 45-year-old Michael Leslie has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of invasion of privacy. The Ames Police Department began an investigation after a female said she noticed a cell phone underneath a fitting room door. The department claims Leslie had videos of multiple woman and a minor changing throughout the month of February. Leslie was also an assistant girls wrestling coach at Nevada High School.

DES MOINES – Lawmakers continue to revise legislation that would impact property taxes across the state. The Des Moines Register reports the latest effort doubles the homestead exemption for all households, caps growth on cities and counties at 2% except when inflation is higher than 4%, and eliminating the state’s residential and commercial rollback policy. Governor Kim Reynolds and the Republican majorities have made property tax reduction a priority, but advocates for cities and counties have said their proposals will force deep cuts to essential services at the local level.

HARDIN COUNTY – A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza was found in Hardin County on Thursday. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the H5N1 strain was detected by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. This is the seventh instance of the disease being found in Iowa in 2025 and third in a backyard flock. State and federal officials have maintained that consumption of poultry and eggs is still safe as the outbreak spreads.