AMES, IA (IRN) – The Ames Police Department is investigating a death after a body was found in a dilapidated shack Friday night. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One person was wounded after an exchange of gunfire in Cedar Rapids in the early morning hours on Saturday. Officers believe that two people who knew each other shot at one another. Witnesses say a sport-utility vehicle fled the scene with a person who was injured inside. The vehicle later arrived at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital with a 39-year-old male passenger that had been shot multiple times. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Science Center of Iowa and the Prairie Meadows Casino are both requiring masks starting today. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – More than 60% of all new COVID-19 cases in Iowa are coming from residents under the age of 40. Iowans between the ages of 12 and 40 also have the lowest vaccination rate, now below 37%.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A child died at a home daycare in Newton on Friday. The 5-month-old was reported unconscious and not breathing. First responders attempted to revive the infant. The child was taken to MercyOne Newton, but rescue efforts were unsuccessful. Police are investigating. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The two teens who had been reported missing from Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and eastern Tennessee have been found. One is from Iowa. The two were last seen on Monday in the park. The two are soon to be returned to their families. The juveniles, 13-year-old Erica Gamerdinger, of Edgewood, Iowa, and 15-year-old Keith Griffith, were found safe on Friday. IOWA (IRN) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than half of Iowa has substantial or high transmission rates of COVID-19. Guidance from the federal agency recommends individuals in communities that fall in this group should wear a mask indoors. BENTONVILLE, AR (IRN) – Walmart will require associates and those who are fully vaccinated to wear masks in stores where new CDC guidelines recommend the measures.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Sixty different Iowa families were left looking for child care after a Cedar Rapids facility announced it was closing due to COVID-19 and staffing issues. Kids Inc.’s Cedar Rapids location, which serves 100 children, told parents about the closure on Wednesday, saying the facility would be closing on Friday. ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Prairie Meadows in Altoona announced today it is resuming its mask mandate. The casino and race track facility said effective Aug. 1 at 8 a.m., all guests and employees must wear a face mask or covering while on the property. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds wants states to regulate abortion rights. Reynolds and 11 other Republican governors signed onto a legal brief file Thursday. The file urges the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn previous abortion rulings, including Roe. v. Wade, and instead allow states to enact legislation. IOWA (IRN) – An air quality alert is in effect until 4 p.m. today because of smoke from wildfires across Canada and the West Coast. Most of the smoke has remained higher in the atmosphere, but now the smoke is coming down to the surface. AMES, IA (IRN) – The presidents of the Southeastern Conference voted unanimously to approve the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas to join the conference on Thursday. Oklahoma and Texas notified the Big 12 Conference earlier this week that they would be leaving by 2025. Officials say the teams leaving will hurt the Big 12 conference in many ways, especially financially. Iowa State University is a member of the Big 12. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Luka Garza, the reigning Naismith Men’s Player of the Year, was drafted by the Detroit Pistons as pick #52 in the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday. Garza became the second Iowa player drafted after Joe Wieskamp was selected in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs. Garza became the first Iowa men’s player to win the Naismith trophy last season after leading the nation in points.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department said an 18-year-old involved in a foot pursuit turned a gun on himself and took his own life Tuesday. Police had responded to a call of a woman being threatened by a group of men. When police arrived, an 18-year-old man began to run, and then shot himself. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – For the second time in four years, a nationwide pork dealer has been sanctioned by federal regulators for illegal buying practices that cheated hog sellers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Lynch Livestock, based in Waucoma, Iowa, has been ordered to stop recording false weights for hogs delivered to its buying stations, to stop altering classifications of hogs delivered, and to stop creating false scale tickets. They will pay a $445,000 fine. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – With coronavirus cases rising, health experts are becoming increasingly worried about next month’s Iowa State Fair, which will bring more than 1 million people to Des Moines from around the state, including many from counties with low vaccination rates and increasing prevalence of the disease. IOWA (IRN) – Students at state universities will be paying more this year. The Iowa Board of Regents announced Wednesday that tuition at Iowa and Iowa State will increase by nearly $300. The UNI Panthers will see a hike of $115.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the entire state of Iowa today. The heat advisory is in effect until 9 p.m. Expect heat index values of 103-107 degrees. The heat advisory continues into Thursday evening for southern Iowa. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds reacted Tuesday to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging. She says the guidance “is not only counterproductive to our vaccination efforts, but also not grounded in reality or common sense.” IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa City city council is considering discontinuing the use of a military vehicle used by the police department. On Tuesday the council considered alternatives to the MRAP, which stands for mine resistant ambush protected vehicle. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One month after construction started on the Cargill rail yard in Cedar Rapids, neighbors are fed up with noise, dust and traffic. City Council approved Cargill’s plan to build a rail yard on a 28-acre parcel, and had to change the city’s Future Land Use Map and zoning code. The land was previously an open space wildlife corridor. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Joey Jordison, a founder of the heavy metal band Slipknot, has died at age 46. Jordison served as a drummer for the band, which he helped create in Des Moines in 1995. They enjoyed much success, including the selling of millions of records worldwide and the formation of the Knotfest music festival.