DES MOINES – An education law banning books from school libraries and teachers from discussing gender identity has been placed under an injunction by a federal judge. Senate File 496 was signed by Governor Kim Reynolds this past spring as part of a series of education related bills targeting topics that have been adopted by Republicans across the country. The law was set to go into effect on January 1st, but is now on hold until a formal decision can be made in federal court. The judge in the case cited the broad scope of the bill and it’s adverse impact on the first amendment rights of teachers and students. WINTERSET – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Winterset police officer accused of reckless behavior in a 2018 incident. KCCI-TV reports Christian Dekker was responding to an emergency on Highway 92 when he hit James Penny five years ago. The court ruled that Dekker had lights and sirens on and appropriately slowed down near the intersection. MEMPHIS – The hometown offense was too much to handle for the Iowa State Cyclones in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Friday. The Cyclones fell to Memphis 36 to 26 in the final game of 2023. Iowa State finishes the fall at 7-6. Next up for football fans is the Iowa Hawkeyes taking on Tennessee in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at noon on New Year’s Day. The Hawkeyes will aim to win 11 games in a season for the third time in school history.

DELAWARE COUNTY – The Delaware County Attorney’s Office reports they found no wrongdoing as it related to an officer involved shooting in November. A press release issued Thursday shows Attorney John Bernau will not charge Deputy Matt Menard for his wounding of 38-year-old Nathan Allen Russell in Hopkinton as part of his eventual arrest. Russell is charged with murder in Jones County for the death of a Fareway employee at a shooting in Monticello that same day. SIDNEY – A high schools student faces multiple felonies after allegedly making a hit list directed at classmates. The Des Moines Register reports 18 year old Kaelyn Alexis Surrell is accused of threatening acts of arson against the individuals on the list. Surrell is a cadet with the Shenandoah Fire Department and sent the threat via Snapchat. IOWA – Community colleges in the state saw another uptick in enrollment over the past year. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports student counts were up by 3.8% in 2023, with just over 85,000 in classes. Part-time students made up two-thirds of that number. Enrollment is still below pre-COVID totals of over 88,000, but this is the second consecutive year of growth. The boost is mostly driven by high school students taking dual enrollment, while traditional two-year degrees continue to decline. MEMPHIS, TN – The Iowa State Cyclones are returning to the Liberty Bowl to take on hometown Memphis. A large contingent of fans made the trip from Iowa to the home of the Elvis Presley as the Cyclones make their fourth appearance in the bowl game. Action begins at 2:30 this afternoon.

POLK COUNTY – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a single vehicle crash that killed two men on December 23rd. A press release indicates a vehicle fire was reported on Highway 65 near Pleasant Hill, and first responders found a fully engulfed car upon arrival. Sean Pattschull of Norwalk and Nicholas Chescher of Fontana, California, were pronounced dead on scene. Police believe a combination of excessive speed, wet roadways, and foggy conditions may have contributed. CEDAR RAPIDS – Two men were arrested in Cedar Rapids following a chase. KCRG-TV reports Michael Redenbaugh and Jon Paul Hampshire were in a van that police attempted to stop Wednesday morning. Redenbaugh was allegedly driving and fled, causing a pursuit to ensue in Cedar Rapids neighborhoods. IOWA – Traffic fatalities remain well above the five year average across the state. The Iowa State Patrol reports 372 people have died on the state’s roadways since January 1st, up 13% from the five-year average. The patrol attributes the increase to speeding violations on the rise, a lack of seat belt use, and more driving while distracted by electronic devices.

WALL LAKE – A reward is being offered for information related to a man who went missing in November. KCCI-TV reports Sac County officials are offering $2,000 for any new details related to the disappearance of David Schultz. The Wall Lake man has been considered missing since November 20th, when his semi was found with his cell phone and wallet abandoned on a highway. Volunteers have searched 100,000 acres for the man. IOWA CITY – Multiple people were taken into police custody after reports of a Christmas morning shooting in Iowa City. KCRG-TV reports University of Iowa police issued a Hawk Alert at 2 a.m. Monday, advising people in that area to stay in shelter during an investigation. Officers found evidence of shots fired and no names have been released as it relates to those in custody, and an additional $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest. MADISON COUNTY – A Creston man has died in a Christmas day collision near Winterset. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Sierra pickup driven by Marjorie Gregory of Nevada, Missouri, was attempting to pass another vehicle heading eastbound on Highway 92. A Honda accord operated by Corey Brown of Creston was struck head on, and hit another car during a subsequent rollover. Brown was pronounced dead on scene.

SIOUX COUNTY – A Rock Valley woman was killed in a head-on collision with a semi in northwest Iowa Saturday night. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Jeep Commander operated by Diane O’Regan crossed the center line on Eagle Avenue in Sioux County, striking a fuel tank. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The semi driver was unharmed. AMES – An Ames man faces charges for a burglary he’s accused of committing at a Kum and Go in November. KCCI-TV reports Domoh Domoh was arrested last week. He allegedly pointed a gun at a store clerk and demanded money on November 17th. Domoh faces a count of felony first-degree robbery. DES MOINES – A few weather-related records were broken over the Christmas Holiday. The new daily record for rainfall on December 25th was broken in Des Moines with .59″ of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Many locations primarily in the western half of the state received between 1 – 1.5″ of rainfall over the two day stretch. Record high temperatures were also broken on Christmas Eve in Waterloo and Mason City. Those with travel plans west of Iowa could run into some adverse weather, as a blizzard impacted much of Nebraska and South Dakota over the holiday weekend.