DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The head of the Iowa National Guard says nearly 1,700 positions have been opened up to women this year following a federal policy change. KCCI-TV reports
Major General Timothy Orr told the Iowa General Assembly on Wednesday the spots became available after Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced in late 2015 that women in the U.S. armed forces may serve in any position, including combat roles.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The merger agreement between Des Moines-based Meredith Corporation and Media General won’t go through. WHO-TV reports Meredith announced Wednesday the two companies had agreed to terminate the binding merger agreement. The original merger deal had been announced in September and would have created the third largest owner of local TV stations in the country.

ALBIA, IA (IRN) – A man reported missing in Albia has been found dead in a car at the bottom of a deep ravine. KCCI-TV reports the 1999 Buick Lesabre was on its top at the bottom of the ravine. 50-year-old Leslie Allan Hartly of rural Albia was found dead in the car. Hartly had been missing since last week.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – More information is coming in about the death of former Hawkeye safety and NFL player Tyler Sash. WHO-TV reports Sash died at the age of 27 from accidental mixed drug toxicity. He was found in his Oskaloosa home on Sept. 8, 2015. We’ve now learned that Sash had an advanced degree of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (en-SEF-uh-lah-puh-thee), a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated trauma. It has been found in dozens of former NFL players.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids emergency crews responded to the Eastern Iowa Airport to a report of a suspicious substance Tuesday night. KWWL-TV reports the unknown substance was found in a bag. Crews secured the area and followed hazmat procedures. Tests are being done, and according to the city, there is no threat to the public.

NIAGARA FALLS, NY (IRN) – Neighbors in Niagara Falls, New York say they have had enough.
According to the Niagara Gazette the University of Iowa fight song has been played from about 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. – every single night – for six months, from an empty commercial building downtown. On a quiet night, it can be heard from a block away. The whole song lasts less than a minute, but it’s played on a continuous loop from the open windows of the building. No lyrics, just the music.