DES MOINES – Iowa’s newest state senator was sworn into office on Monday. The Des Moines Register reports Catelin Drey has now officially broken a Republican Supermajority in the Iowa Senate. Drey won a special election in August to represent Iowa Senate District 1 in Sioux City following the death of Senator Rocky De Witt. DES MOINES – The Iowa DOGE Task Force created by Governor Kim Reynolds worked to clarify key recommendations that caused an uproar among the state’s public employees and education workforce. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the group of business leaders assembled to reflect the federal group with the same name had their final meeting Monday. In their prior gathering, a preliminary recommendation called for reduction of IPERs benefits and for an incentive-based pay structure for teachers. Leaders on the task force clarified the moves weren’t meant to completely eliminate the popular retirement program. None of the recommendations are law, but Governor Reynolds announced in a statement Monday they will shape her budget and legislative agenda in the 2026 session — her final before retiring. AMES – Employees at the state’s Regent universities have drawn the ire of the state’s conservative leadership for posts made about the assassination death of online influencer Charlie Kirk. WHO-13 reports the Iowa Board of Regents will review multiple confidential matters at their meeting Wednesday, most of which appear to deal with employee records and competency evaluations.

IOWA – The Iowa State Patrol reported four fatal crashes on Iowa roadways on Saturday. KCCI-TV reports the collisions occurred in Guthrie, Plymouth, Poweshiek, and Lee Counties, and all of those who died were at or younger than 19 years old. Prior to Saturday, 192 people were killed on the state’s highways and roads — 33 fewer than in 2024. MARSHALL COUNTY – Up to 52 people have been impacted by Legionnaire’s Disease in Marshall County. WHO-13 reports an update on Sunday morning reflected the increase of the outbreak first reported by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. The disease is spread through the inhalation of aerosolized water droplets. A cause has still not been determined for the cases in Marshalltown. IOWA CITY — University of Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz became the winningest coach in Big Ten history as the Hawkeyes defeated UMass, 47-7, Saturday night on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa outgained the Minutemen 435-119 in total yards.

OSKALOOSA – The Oskaloosa School Board will hold a special meeting next week after a teacher is accused of posting on social media about the death of Conservative Influencer Charlie Kirk. KCCI-TV reports Art Teacher Matt Kargol posted “one Nazi down” on Facebook shortly after the killing. District Administration has confirmed Kargol has been placed on leave for an investigation. The special meeting will be held in Oskaloosa on Wednesday, Sept. 17. AMES – A plea agreement has bene reached with a former Iowa State University student accused of sexual exploitation. WHO-13 reports an investigation started this past winter after law enforcement agencies tipped off about possible contact between 43-year-old Patrick Connerley and minors on social media. Connerley allegedly arranged for a meeting with someone he believed to be underage in march. Police say subsequent searches turned up inappropriate photos of children and videos depicting sexual acts with animals. Connerley will plead guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation and to bestiality.IOWA – Temperatures will feel like close to 100 degrees today across much of the state as a last gasp of summer returns to the area. According to the National Weather Service, a mid-September heat wave follows weeks of fall-like air in the state. Dry conditions will largely remain in place over the next several days well. Those with outdoor plans — including those attending the home football games for Iowa and Iowa State today, are reminded to take extra precautions for heat, including staying adequately hydrated.

BOONE COUNTY – A trial date has been set for former Madison County Treasurer Amanda DeVos. WHO-13 reports she is facing four criminal charges, including felony misconduct in office. The trial has been set for December 16th in Boone County. It was originally scheduled in Madison County in June. DeVos was arrested in late January for using her office to alter government records to make it appear as if her vehicle registration was paid. Additional charges are pending about an investigation into property taxes. DES MOINES – An Oskaloosa man was sentenced this week to 18 years in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of a child. According to public court documents, 42-year-old Matthew Scott Beal produced child pornography. Beal also used the internet to distribute four videos to an undercover law enforcement account operated by the Homeland Security’s Newark Child Exploitation Task Force. Later, law enforcement seized Beal’s phone during a search of his home in Oskaloosa. Beal’s phone contained over 100 images and videos of child pornography.IOWA – Iowa’s regent universities announced their fall enrollment data this week. KCCI-TV reports 31,700 students are attending Iowa State, an increase of nearly 700 students from 2024, UNI’s enrollment is just over 9,200 with its largest new class of undergraduates in eight years, and the University of Iowa has 31,563 in attendance this academic year.

DES MOINES – Flags were ordered at half mast through the weekend by Governor Kim Reynolds to coincide with an order by President Donald Trump. The move is to recognize the death of Conservative Influencer Charlie Kirk. The leader of Turning Point USA was shot and killed during an event in Utah. The flags were already ordered to be at half-staff today to recognize the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. ANKENY – An Ankeny Christian Academy teacher was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly touching a student inappropriately. KCCI-TV reports 50-year-old Michael Scott Burrows faces three counts of lascivious acts with a child. The Ankeny Police Department is investigating the alleged incidents that took place in 2021 and 2022 while Burrows was teaching band at the private school. EDDYVILLE – The Iowa State Patrol is investigating a crash in which a 10-year-old appears to have ran out in front of a moving car. Several agencies responded to the incident that occurred on Wednesday. The report described the injuries of the girl as “minor.” FORT DODGE – The Iowa Girls State Softball Tournament has called the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge its home for the last 55 years. This week, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and its Board of Directors signed a contract extension that will keep the State Softball Tournament at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Park for another 20 years. The extension will run through the 2045 state softball tournament and comes on the heels of a six-million-dollar renovation project that Fort Dodge has invested in Rogers Park, which has been home to the state tournament since 1970. The renovation projects include three new fields, lights on all five competition fields, a new press box, and expanded parking.