FAIRFIELD (IRN) – The first of two Fairfield teens admitting to killing their Spanish teacher was sentenced Thursday. Willard Miller received a life sentence with a possibility of parole in 35 years for the death of Nohema Graber. Miller and Jeremy Goodale both have pleaded guilty to the murder. DES MOINES (IRN) – Just over 29,000 K-12 students have applied for education savings accounts in the opening year of the program, with more than 17,000 approved. The first bill signed by Governor Kim Reynolds, the measure allows families to use publicly-funded scholarships to attend private schools. Approximately 40% of applicants in the this first wave are leaving a public school system, with an average household income of $128,000; the other 60% qualify at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. FORT DODGE (IRN) – Police have located the Ankeny teen accused of killing a 15 year old on the 4th of July in Fort Dodge. Jamarrion James “JJ” Davis, of Ankeny, was charged with first-degree murder, according to KCCI-TV in Des Moines. Davis was located at a home in Fort Dodge and tried to flee from officers. He’s accused of killed Jameel C. Redding-Pettigrew, who died from multiple gunshot wounds Tuesday. MUSCATINE (IRN) – A 4th of July parade entry in Muscatine have caused criticism when social media posts showed a woman on horseback pulling another dressed as a Native American with her hands tied. The Quad Cities Times reports The Great Plains Action Society, a collective of Indigenous organizers, were critical of the display, as were hundreds of commentors on the posts online. Megan Burton and Jenna Nicole both claim they are of Native American descent and were portraying history in support of the Cherokee National Treasure.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds announced a special session for lawmakers to consider abortion restrictions in the state. The General Assembly will be convened on Tuesday, July 11th and issued a Proclamation of Special Session. The move comes after the Iowa Supreme Court had a split decision on a six-week ban passed in the 2018 session, which kept Iowa’s current 20-week law in place. FORT DODGE (IRN) – A suspect has been identified in a deadly shooting that happened Tuesday evening in Fort Dodge. Police say they’ve issued a warrant for the arrest of Jamarrion James Davis of Ankeny with a first degree murder charge. He’s accused of killing a 15-year-old, who died from multiple gunshot wounds at the scene. ADAMS COUNTY (IRN) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting in a shooting reported in Adams County on the 4th of July. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office received a call of an adult woman injured after a minor was handling a firearm. The weapon discharged and traveled through a bedroom wall, where shrapnel struck 63-year-old Connie Standley in the face. She was transported to Mercy Hospital and Des Moines and was in critical condition following the incident. CLINTON (IRN) – A man suspected to be behind two shooting in Clinton was killed by Illinois State Police. KWWL-TV reports 39-year-old Randy A. Jackson shot and wounded two people in Clinton. Illinois troopers located Jackson’s vehicle near Danville, Illinois, and engaged in a chase that ended in a standoff. A trooper shot him after police say he refused to comply.

IOWA CITY (IRN) – Iowa City police are investigating a shooting that happened in the early morning hours of July 4th. KCRG-TV reports that police responded to reports of a possible shooting and found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to survive. The incident remains under investigation. FLOYD COUNTY (IRN) – Two Minnesota residents were killed in a northeast Iowa crash Sunday evening. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Jeep Cherokee driven by 37-year-old Jenna Stangland of Minneapolis crossed the centerline on Highway 18 and collided with a Toyota Prius driven by 74-year-old Steven York of Waconia. Steven and 16 year old Keira Duffy, of Golden Valley, MN, were both killed as a result of the crash. Mary York and Stangland both survived with injuries. MITCHELLVILLE (IRN) – A bad Sunday kept getting worse for a Mitchellville couple. KCCI-TV reports a fire destroyed their home, and while riding their motorcycles home after being alerted, they crashed. Wendy Hansen suffered broken bones and injuries and taken to the hospital via ambulance — where she got worse news. Doctors discovered cancer while evaluating her injuries. Hansen and her fiance Russell Farnsworth lost their home and six pets.

MORAVIA (IRN) – A mechanical malfunction is the likely cause of an exploding boat at Lake Rathbun Sunday. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported five people were burned when a boat engine exploded during start up at the Buck Creek Arm of the lake at 3 p.m. One of the individuals injured was flown by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospital with severe burns. SIOUX CITY (IRN) – A Woodbury County woman intends to go trial in a case involved more than 50 counts of voter fraud. KTIV-TV reports Kim Taylor, the wife of Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor, was alleged to take part in a scheme to generate voters in the June 2020 primary election. Her husband ran for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, and failed, only to successfully land on the ballot for supervisor. Kim allegedly repeated the scheme in the 2020 general election. The trial is currently scheduled to start on July 31st. DEWITT (IRN) – The Central DeWitt school board and administration violated Iowa code when they held a closed meeting in February 2022. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Judge Mark Lawson ruled in favor of The Observer, a DeWitt based newspaper that sued the district over the actual purpose of the meeting; the district held that it was for a review of Superintendent Dan Peterson, but the newspaper alleged there was discussion of controversial topics that would have been in the public’s interest. The schools will pay the court costs of the paper and release the meeting’s recording, and have also been placed under an order to comply with transparency laws, or face stiffer penalties. Residents of Iowa will travel in record numbers for Independence Day. AAA forecasts more than 3.7 million travelers from the Midwest will take at least one trip of 50 miles or more since last Friday through Today. That’s 140,000 more holiday travelers than the previous record high, set in 2019 and 2022. Nationally, travel figures are also expected to set new records. An estimated 50.7 million Americans are forecast to travel for the holiday weekend.

SPILLVILLE (IRN) – Two people have died and several were injured in a two vehicle crash in Winneshiek County late Saturday. The Iowa State Patrol reports that 42-year-old Christopher Mirich of Waukon and 54-year-old Laura Lubka of Postville were killed when a Toyota Highlander driven by Mirich ran a stop sign and collided with a Chevrolet Malibu driving by Neil Heins of Monona. None of the five individuals inside those two vehicles were wearing seat belts. There have been 165 individuals killed on Iowa’s roadways in 2023, according to the Iowa DOT, which is a ten percent increase from this time last year. CASS COUNTY (IRN) – A child care provider in Cass County could spend up to five decades in prison for her role in the death of an infant. Thirty-nine year old Alison Dorsey was sentenced last week after she was found guilty of second degree murder in May. Dorsey was charged for the death of an 11-week-old infant in her care in October 2019. Doctors found the child had severe brain damage consistent with shaken baby syndrome. Dorsey was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with a mandatory 35-year minimum before parole, and must pay the child’s family $150,000. Defense attorneys argued the baby was injured prior to going into Dorsey’s care. OTTUMWA (IRN) – While drought continues to impact the vast majority of Iowa, several rounds of thunderstorms brought much needed relief, especially south. According to the National Weather Service, rain gauges along and south of Highway 34 in Iowa received two to five inches of needed precipitation Thursday through Sunday morning, and while a lot came during a derecho last week, the rest fell in much less dangerous conditions on Friday and Saturday. The U.S. Drought Monitor Report shows the Ottumwa, Fairfield, and Centerville communities among the areas in extreme drought. COLFAX (IRN) – If you need to borrow a pencil for a test, a man in Colfax may be able to help. WHO-13 reports Aaron Bartholmew anticipates to be a world-record holder soon, as he believes he owns more than 70,000 pencils, a collection that’s grown for three decades. An official count from Guinness Book of World Records will be held on July 8th.