BLACK HAWK COUNTY – Three people died in a head-on collision along Interstate 380 in Black Hawk County on Monday afternoon. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Ford F-150 driven by 63-year-old Thomas Sidler of Alabama crossed into the opposite lanes of traffic. It collided with a Toyota driven by 68-year-old Judy Fisher of Cedar Rapids. Both died in a head on collision, as did a passenger in second vehicle, identified as 45-year-old Jessica Fisher.

DES MOINES – Lawmakers are considering a bill to change how some prescription drugs are dispensed. KCCI-TV reports House File 2056 would make it easier for Iowans to receive ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Both were in the center of debate in the year that followed the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration reports neither are effective in treating the illness, but have other uses. The proposed bill would allow the state medical director to essentially give a prescipition to all Iowans.

IOWA – Iowa’s private schools have seen a continued increase in students, largely driven by Education Savings Accounts first approved in 2023. The Des Moines Register reports that Catholic schools grew by three percent, with private enrollment jumping by six percent from the October enrollment count deadline for the current academic year. Public school enrollment has dipped by 1%, or nearly 5,000 students.