UNION COUNTY – Two Omaha teenagers were killed and another was injured in a crash in Union County late Friday. The Iowa State Patrol reports Ford Explorer driven by 17 year old Izabella Martinez was heading eastbound on Highway 34 as a grain hopper trailer operated by Kelly Lee Jones of Creston was stopped at an intersection. That large vehicle then entered the intersection while making a left turn. Both Martinez and Alex Conner Mauseth were killed by the collision. CALHOUN COUNTY – A man missing since late October in Calhoun County was found dead after a month-long search. WHO-13 reports 54 year old Mark Riesberg was found inside of a car near Jolley, dead as a result of a single gunshot wound. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office does not suspect foul play for the man who was missing since October 28th. IOWA – Both the Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones have received invitations to play one more football game this season. The Hawkeyes will take on Tennessee on New Year’s Day January 1st in the Citrus Bowl, while the Cyclones return to Memphis to take on the hometown team in the Liberty Bowl on Friday, December 29th.

IDA COUNTY – A Ida Grove woman has been charged for the death of a toddler that happened in May. The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports 23 year old Billie Mosier has been charged with child endangerment resulting in death, a Class B felony. Her three year old son Jordan was found unresponsive in May, and was pronounced dead at a hospital in Omaha. WASHINGTON D.C. – All four members of Iowa’s congressional delegation voted to remove a fellow member of the U.S. House Friday. According to the Des Moines Register, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra all elected to remove George Santos from office. The group was part of 311 members who chose to remove the embattled New York representative who faces 23 federal charges related to fraud and lying to Congress. The move to expel came after a House Ethics Committee report that showed evidence of Santos and his alleged wrongdoing. NORWALK – The trial of a Norwalk Woman accused of killing her newborn children will not talk place in Warren County. WHO-13 reports Megan Staude faces first degree murder for the incident that occurred in February. A judge ruled to move the proceedings due to pretrial publicity. Staude and her father Rodney are both charged for the crime but the two cases are no longer being connected. His trial is awaiting a competency evaluation. BOONE – A Boone man convicted for hate crimes had his sentence upheld by the Iowa Supreme Court this week. Robert Geddes left five anti-LGBTQ notes on homes with gay pride flags in the community. In an appeal, Geddes said the conviction amounted to violation of his free speech; but the court ruled against him.

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst needed assistance from a fellow senator after choking on her lunch Thursday. NBC News reports Senator Rand Paul performed the Heimlich Manuever on Iowa’s junior senator during a Republican event. Ernst did not require further medical attention. IOWA – A major publisher and state association are uniting in a lawsuit against the state around a law banning books in school libraries. WHO-13 reports Penguin Random House and the Iowa State Education Association are challenging Senate File 496, claiming the new law violates the 1st and 14th Amendments. Several popular authors have joined the suit as well, and are aiming to block enforcement of the bill before it goes into effect January 1st. CLIVE – A Clive man has pled guilty to federal charges of wire fraud. According to court documents, Zachary James Flaherty used his position as an insurance agent and annuity salesperson to defraud elderly individuals out of their retirement savings. Flaherty admitted to engaging in a scheme to defraud some of his clients. Flaherty told one of the victims he would invest proceeds from the sale of her house on her behalf and for her benefit. That individual wrote two checks, totaling $170,000, to a company Flaherty owned, which he used to purchase a boat and other automobiles.

SAC CITY – The search continued Wednesday for an Iowa man who went missing under mysterious circumstances in Sac County. David Schultz was declared missing last week after his hog truck was found stopped in the middle of a highway in northern Iowa, according to WHO-13. A search has spanned several miles near Rockwell City and Sac City. IOWA CITY – An Iowa City man was arrested Wednesday following an incident at an elementary school. KCRG-TV reports 31-year-old Brandon Jones was charged with carrying weapons on school grounds and harassment after he threatened multiple staff members at Grant Wood Elementary School. The building was placed on temporary hold shortly after Jones left his weapon and fled the facility. DES MOINES – Drake University needs to cut millions of dollars to stay in good financial position, according to a Des Moines Register report. A recent faculty senate meeting detailed the issues, which shows a $4.3 million deficit in the current fiscal year, which could grow by as much by $6 million next year. IOWA CITY – One of the nation’s best special teams college football players has announced significant fundraising toward a non-profit cause. Tory Taylor, the veteran punter of the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Big Ten’s specialist of the year, has raised more than $50,000 for Count the Kicks since 2021, according to KCCI-TV. Taylor has pledged to donate NIL funds from a partnership with Raygun apparel to support the stillbirth prevention program.

DES MOINES – Some Iowa families are suing the state over a law that limits what educators can teach and expands the ability to restrict materials in school libraries. KCRG TV reports seven families filed a suit in federal court alongside the ACLU and other organizations over Senate File 496. The groups and participant allege discrimination and a violation of constitutional rights; Governor Kim Reynolds was critical the move, claiming young children have access to explicit content as it stands, although she did so without direct evidence in a statement Tuesday. URBANDALE – An educator in Urbandale claims she’s being wrongly punished. WHO-13 reports Teacher Amanda Delzell received a letter of reprimand and other disciplinary action after she claims she brought forward evidence of possible abuse of a student. Delzell claims she reviewed school security video of another teacher’s interaction with a special needs child. SIOUX CITY – A Woodbury County supervisor mired in controversy over alleged voter fraud has agreed to leave his vice president position, but still remain active otherwise. KTIV reports Jeremy Taylor is no longer vice chairman of the county government organization, but calls continue for his full resignation. Taylor’s wife Kim was found guilty of 52 counts of voter fraud earlier this month. Taylor said he’d step down as vice chair if the majority of the board asked him to leave, but remains committed to finishing his term until 2026. The majority of the board has called for his full departure and Woodbury County Auditor Pat Gill has called for a state investigation into his alleged wrongdoing. Jeremy is accused of promising votes in exchange for campaign donations.