PLYMOUTH COUNTY (IRN) – Several people were injured when a vehicle struck a house in Plymouth County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Dodge Ram driven by 32 year old Jesus Almaraz left Highway 3 after Almaraz suffered a medical emergency. The truck went airborne before striking a house. All four people inside the vehicle were injured, as was someone in the home. DES MOINES (IRN) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has identified a teen killed in a crash on August 12th. Gabriel James Martin, 16, was riding in the bed of a pickup that lost control in Polk County. Four of the other juveniles in the vehicle at time time were uninjured in the rollover. The family released the details of Martin’s passing. An investigation is ongoing. IOWA (IRN) – Topsoil and subsoil moisture is now short in two-thirds of the state, according to the latest report from the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Most crops remain well ahead of their 2022 schedule, as 96 percent of corm has reached the dough stage and 62 percent is denting. Hay and soybeans also remain ahead of last year’s schedule. IOWA (IRN) – A survey of Iowa State Fair goers shows more than half of Iowa’s drivers have admitted to using a mobile device while driving. The results of a poll of more than 1400 Iowans from all 99 counties showed 51% of those individuals have driven while distracted. Despite that usage, 85% of Iowa’s surveyed support hands-free legislation. While several bills related to the topic have been introduced for the past four sessions, nothing has been successfully signed by the governor.

LUCAS COUNTY (IRN) – An Ottumwa man has been charged for an assault that eventually led to the death of a Florida man. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation released details late Sunday that Trenton Orwig has been charged with second degree murder. The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an assault in early August that resulted in 33-year-old Nicholas Johnson’s death four days later. Orwig was arrested on Friday. MITCHELL COUNTY (IRN) – A Mitchell County man has pleaded guilty to a murder in northern Iowa. KCCI-TV reports Nathan Gilmore was charged with the killing of 29-year-old Angela Bradbury in April of 2021. The guilty plea was for a second degree murder. He will be sentenced in October. IOWA (IRN) – Two new stamps from the U.S. Postal Service feature Iowa bridges. WHO-13 reports the Bob Kerry Bridge from Council Bluffs to Omaha and the I-74 Bridge in Bettendorf are part of a series called Bridges. The stamp collection went on sale on Thursday.

AMES – Iowa State University will return to classes Monday after a fire knocked out electricity used to cool the campus. KCCI-TV reports a Thursday fire at the Iowa State Power Plant had the campus switch to virtual classes Friday. The system was restored in under 24 hours. DES MOINES – A Des Moines man faces three decades in prison for a street race that killed a toddler. WHO-13 reports Robert Miller the III was found guilty in June of vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and operating while intoxicated. Miller lost control of his car while racing and collided with a van head-on, killing four-year-old Marcos Faguada. Miller was sentenced on Thursday to 30 years in prison. BUTLER COUNTY (IRN) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a request from Governor Kim Reynolds for disaster assistance related to flooding this past spring. Seven Iowa counties were approved for the resources, including Allamakee, Clayton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jackson, Lee and Scott. The program helps state and local governments, along with certain private nonprofit organizations, repair and replace disaster-damaged facilities and infrastructure. ALTOONA (IRN) – The Altoona City Council approved plans to conduct a special census in June 2025 at its August 21 meeting. The United States conducts a census every 10 years, with the most recent census occurring in 2020. Between the 2010 and 2020 census, Altoona recorded a population growth of 34.5% from 14,541 in 2010 to 19,565 in 2020. The Federal Government allows cities to opt to complete one special federal census per decade to possibly record an increase in their population growth. They join at least three other Des Moines area Metro communities in having its council approve a special census, including Grimes, Pleasant Hill and Waukee.

AMES (IRN) – Iowa State University has moved classes online today after a fire at a power plant has halted the campus cooling system. The Des Moines Register reports the Ames Fire Department extinguished a blaze at the main source of electricity for the university in Ames Thursday morning. As of 8:15 this morning, repairs have been made, but classes will remain virtual. TAMA (IRN) – A man killed in an eastern Iowa explosion has been identified. KCCI-TV reports 70 year old Roger Dehrkoop died in an explosion at a house in Tama County on August 14th. Investigators are still working to determine a cause. DES MOINES (IRN) – The mayor of Des Moines is formally asking a councilmember if they have abandoned their post. WHO-13 reports Frank Cownie is sending a formal request to Indira Sheumaker to return to duty. Sheumaker has not been at a council meeting since March 6th.

DES MOINES – A record for heat was broken in Des Moines and several Iowa communities Wednesday. The National Weather Service recorded a temperature of 100 degrees at the Des Moines Airport. Many communities recorded heat index values above 120 degrees in the afternoon. One more day of extreme heat continues, although football Friday will be uncomfortably warm across most of the state. MONTICELLO – An Iowa teacher is accused of a relationship with a student. WHO-13 reports Jessica Rubin on Monticello was charged with sexual exploitation after administration notified the school resource officer of a possible relationship. According to court records, Rubin was a cheerleading coach in the district. Rubin now lives in Ankeny and was arrested this week. IOWA CITY – Iowa Hawkeyes football player Noah Shannon was suspended for the upcoming season, the program announced Wednesday. KCCI-TV reports the school intends to appeal. Shannon was not charged in the state’s probe into Cyclones and Hawkeyes allegedly wagering on their own games and cooperated with the NCAA in August.