WOODWARD, IA (IRN) – Damage reports are still being compiled for the hail storm that struck the Des Moines Metro area over the weekend. The National Weather Service issued a warning for up to softball sized hail 4-inches long and causing multiple power outages. According to Daryl Herzmann with Iowa State University, this may be the first time the NWS Des Moines office has ever warned a storm for up to four-inch hail.

EVANSDALE, IA (KCRG) – Dozens of riders took place in a ride for missing children took place this weekend in Evansdale, Iowa for the eighth consecutive year, raising money and awareness for 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey who went missing nearly nine years ago then were found dead in a Bremer County Park. According to KCRG News, the ride raises money for the Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers as well as Memorial Isle in Meyers Park, and has raised over $30,000 over the last nine years and led to the tips and arrests of 700 people.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced plans last week to launch programs to increase competition in the meat processing industry and resiliency in the food supply chain. The USDA announced its intent to invest $500 million in American Rescue Plan funds to expand meat and poultry processing capacity so that farmers, ranchers, and consumers have more choices in the marketplace.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health’s vaccine dashboard shows over 1.5 million Iowans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while over 93k people have gotten the first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. The percentage of Iowans now fully vaccinated against the virus now stands at 45.9%.