AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger announced Xavier Foster is no longer with the program. The announcement about the redshirt freshman from Oskaloosa was released Friday. The specific cause for his removal has not been released. However, in June, search warrants for Foster were filed to obtain his DNA. Court documents show he was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old female in November 2020. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating after a shooting Friday night injured two people in Cedar Rapids. They are expected to survive. Investigators said it was a targeted shooting and no arrests have been made. OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – A school bus driver in Osceola has been placed on administrative leave amid claims of abusive behavior toward two elementary school students. Students on the bus told their parents that the bus driver apparently got upset over a party toy that was making noises. At some point the driver allegedly grabbed the cheeks of a 6-year-old boy. When the boy’s 8-year-old sister came to his defense, the driver allegedly squeezed her cheeks as well. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Former President Donald Trump will be holding a rally this evening at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

QUAD CITIES, IA IL (IRN) – The six-year contract agreement between John Deere and United Auto Workers in the Quad Cities came to an end Oct. 1. That same day Union members agreed to a new six-year labor tentative agreement to be voted on Sunday. EMMET COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two Emmet County teenagers are charged with the murder of a 20-year-old man. Authorities were called to a road in rural Emmet County on Saturday after the body of David McDowell was found lying in the roadway. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The second of two white men who brutally beat a Black man during a racist attack has also been sentenced to probation. The pleas came in a 2020 attack on 23-year-old DarQuan Jones, who said the two men attacked him and shouted racial slurs at him after he knocked on his girlfriend’s door in Des Moines. Jones said the men also dragged him to a nearby creek and held his head underwater. The attack only ended after two women who heard his screams intervened. The attack left him with broken bones in his face and wrist and required 10 stitches. His medical bills topped $10,000. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – The University of Northern Iowa has reached an agreement with a professor facing disciplinary action for his mask policy, saying he can continue teaching his course online but that their policies are not changing. Biology Professor Steve O’Kane was pulled from teaching in person classes after he told students he would lower their grades if they failed to comply with the mask requirement within his classroom. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa is paying $400,000 to make a lawsuit over Title IX violations go away after cutting several women’s sports programs. Iowa’s athletic department is already facing a multi-million dollar deficit.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s largest school district is struggling to put food on the table. It’s not just a food shortage for Des Moines Public Schools. Lunchrooms are missing trays, utensils and ingredients. Officials say the shortages are due to supply chain issues and truck driver shortages. POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – More than 100 students at Saydel High School left class yesterday afternoon to protest an alleged sexual assault at the school last week. The victim and the person who assaulted her are still in school. FAIRBANK, IA (IRN) – A man in northeast Iowa has been accused of trying to kill another man after a verbal argument escalated. Brian Beesecker, 49, of Fairbank, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, a class B felony. Beesecker allegedly pulled out a knife and allegedly told the other man that he was going to stab him in the neck and then made motions toward the victim in an aggressive manner with the weapon. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – IAC Dotdash, a digital media company, plans to purchase Meredith Corporation. Meredith, headquartered in Des Moines, owns multiple media outlets such as People, Better Homes & Gardens, Southern Living, InStyle, Allrecipes and more. The purchase price was 2.7 billion dollars. The merger would come as a hit to Des Moines, where Meredith is a major employer. Dotdash Meredith is to be based in New York. The new company would “keep a presence” in Des Moines. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City Community School District bus drivers are asking the school board for hazard pay for driving students to and from school during the pandemic.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Several Saydel football players are defending their head coach after he was placed on administrative leave last week. Austin Stubbs was placed on leave Sept. 30 for allegedly punishing players, by pushing them to the brink of exhaustion — all because one of the coaches thought a player stole $100 from him. Polk County deputies ended up at practice after receiving calls from concerned parents. Stubbs resigned. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A judge sentenced a man to life in prison for strangling a 74-year-old Davenport man to death in 2020. 20-year-old Charlie Gary was sentenced to the life term for the murder of Robert Long. Gary was convicted of first-degree murder, burglary, robbery and abuse of a corpse. The killing happened after Gary, who had done odd jobs for Long, asked the older man if he wanted his driveway shoveled. Long declined and Gary forced his way into the house and strangled him. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines police officer shot a woman who was armed with a knife Tuesday evening. Authorities received a call from a person saying the woman had a knife and was attempting to stab him as he was walking downtown. The person stayed on the phone with 911 operators, and when police arrived the woman turned her attention toward an officer. She advanced toward the officer, ignoring his orders, and he shot her. She’s been hospitalized. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – After 50 years, the Cedar Rapids Police Department solved the murder of a 17-year-old girl. Maureen Brubaker-Farley was reported missing in 1971. Her body was found in the trunk of an abandoned car. In 2005, DNA was sent to a lab, and last month authorities traced the DNA through the family of George Smith. Smith knew Brubaker-Farley from working at a diner. Smith died in 2013, so no charges will be filed. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City officials have released the finalized design of the Iowa City Ped Mall playground with construction set in the Spring. The play equipment has already been ordered with the thought of increased accessibility in mind. A new tower structure will have stair access to all levels.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa lawmakers have rejected a set of proposed political boundaries, setting themselves up for weeks of waiting as a nonpartisan agency makes a second attempt at drawing new district lines. The Iowa Senate voted 32-18 Tuesday to reject the proposed maps, which would have established new congressional and legislative districts for the next decade that reflect shifts in Iowa’s population. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A fire at Valley West Inn in West Des Moines forced people and children to jump to safety Monday night. When crews arrived, they said people inside were running up to them, telling them that their family members and friends were trapped in the building. They said people were dropping children to firefighters from windows. Two people were hospitalized, and several others were treated at the scene for minor injuries. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A body found in the Cedar River Monday was identified as that of a missing Waterloo woman. The Waterloo Police Department received a report that someone had found personal items that belonged to Juana Rubio near the river’s bank. Rubio’s body was found in the river by a bridge. Police don’t suspect foul play. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Saydel head football coach Austin Stubbs has been put on administrative leave for punishing players. Players say Stubbs punished them by pushing them to the brink of exhaustion because one of the coaches thought a player stole $100 from him. Polk County Deputies ended the practice. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds plans to make a visit to the U.S. border with Mexico tomorrow. A statement from the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that he and 10 other Republican state governors, including Reynolds, would be holding a press conference in Mission, Texas, on Wednesday. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Residents of two cities in Iowa and Pennsylvania are betting on one of the biggest college football games of the season. City leaders in Altoona, Iowa and Altoona, Pennsylvania made a friendly wager on the Iowa vs. Penn State game in Iowa City next Saturday. If Penn State wins, The Big Steer, a steakhouse in Altoona, Iowa will give steaks to the city council and mayor of the town in Pennsylvania. If Iowa wins, Altoona, Pennsylvania will send Boyer Mallo Cups to Iowa. The candy company Boyer is headquartered in Altoona, Pennsylvania.