Author: Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES – Businessman Zach Lahn defeated U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra and three other challenger in Tuedsay’s primary election for Governor. NBC News reports that Lahn received roughly 38% of the vote to Feenstra’s 37%, with Lahn overcoming an endorsement by President Donald Trump. He will now face State Auditor Rob Sand in what many national outlets are rating as a toss-up election in November.

DES MOINES – Iowa Democrats and Republicans made their choice in another statewide election in November. State Representative Josh Turek won 62% of the vote in Iowa to run for the U.S. Senate against U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, who won 74% of GOP voters.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds signed her final bill into law on Tuesday. KCCI-TV reports among the final legislation is a law that requires the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners to check a job candidate’s legal work status. On Monday, Reynolds signed a speed limit increase from 55 to 60 on most rural, two-lane highways.

MUSCATINE – Seven people are dead following a string of shootings stemming from multiple domestic incidents in Muscatine. WQAD reports police found people dead from gunshot wounds in three different locations, all of whom are related to 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland. Police say he took his own life when confronted by officers after finding four of his relatives dead at a home on Monday afternoon.

JOHNSTON – A Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy was injured in an incident that resulted in the death of a suspect in Johnston on Monday. U.S. Marshal’s and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office attempted warrant service on an individual, who barricaded himself in a garage. Police claim the man fired on officers when attempting to enter, and returned fire. The deputies injuries are non-life threatening; the alleged suspect lit the garage on fire and died at the scene.

ATLANTIC – A former teacher in the Atlantic school district faces charges related to grooming and sexual exploitation of a student. KCCI-TV reports Jesse McCann turned himself into police on Monday after a months-long investigation. McCann was fired from the district in march and accused of inappropriate behavior with a student in Stuart, pleading not guilty to those charges.

SHELBY COUNTY – A Westphalia resident was killed in a collision in Shelby County on Sunday afternoon. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Chevy Equinox was traveling north on Highway 59 preparing to turn onto County Road F32 before colliding with a motorcycle. Sixty-three year old Francis Rueschenberg died as a result of the crash.

OMAHA – A missing eight-year-old child from Iowa was found safe in Omaha, with the alleged kidnapper now in custody. KCCI-TV reports an endangered persons advisory was issued in Shelby County at teh same time as a kidnapping warrant for 51-year-old Garry McBreen. The Nebraska State Patrol located the man with the boy at an Omaha McDonald’s.

DES MOINES – Lawmakers will end up using roughly $1.2 billion in reserve funds to cover spending in the state this upcoming fiscal year. The Des Moines Register reports Republican majorities approved $9.65 billion in expenditures starting July 1st, a 1.4 percent increase from 2026. The state is generating $8.47 billion in revenue due to recent tax cuts.

DES MOINES – The former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent was sentenced to two years in federal prison for false statement for employment and illegal alien in possession of firearms. According to public court documents, 54-year-old Ian Andre Roberts, a Guyanese citizen, falsely stated that he was a United States citizen on employment paperwork related to his position at the Des Moines Public Schools in June 2023. Roberts was not authorized to work in the United States except for an 18-month period between July 2018 and February 2020. After completing his prison sentence, Roberts will serve a three-year term of supervised release, which will be non-reporting if he is removed from the United States.

BREMER COUNTY – A Des Moines man has been charged in relation to a Bremer County crash that killed an Urbandale man last year. WHO-13 reports Lal Pui Liana Puia Sai Lo was arrested and faces counts of homicide by vehicle and serious injury by vehicle. Criminal complaints indicate that Puia Sai Lo failed to yield at an intersection. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 41-year-old Lungawia Chalthleng died in the August 2025 collision.

IOWA – President Donald Trump has endorsed one of five Republicans trying to become the next governor of the state. KCCI-TV reports Congressman Randy Feenstra received the backing of the White House. He faces State Representative Eddie Andrews, businessman Zach Lahn, former State Representative Brad Sherman, and former Director of Iowa Administrative Services Adam Steen in Tuesday’s primary election.

WEBSTER CITY – A wanted Woolstock man was arrested and faces several charges. WHO-13 reports the Webster City Police Department and several other agencies arrested 42-year-old Jeffrey Scott Johnson after an off-duty officer spotted the man on Wednesday. More than a dozen chargers were field against Johnson on Thursday, including those for kidnapping, sexual abuse, stalking, and domestic abuse.

DES MOINES – A trial date has been set for a woman accused of shooting and killing another woman in Des Moines in April. KCCI-TV reports Sharneeka Evans has pled not guilty to first-degree murder. She’s accused of killing Ashley Hall at a Des Moines apartment earlier this spring. The trial date has been set for July 27th.

DES MOINES – Iowa waters are starting to get busy as summer heat entices many to local beaches, rivers and lakes to cool off and have some fun. With the peak of the boating season only a few weeks away, the Iowa DNR reminds boaters to stay alert and keep safety in mind every time they are on the water. Many Iowans enjoyed time on the water during the long holiday weekend last week. Iowa DNR Conservation Officers and Water Patrol Officers worked through more than 200 calls for service over the busy Memorial Day weekend.