DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa House Democrats have filed ethics complaints against two officials with a national conservative group that claimed credit for writing parts of a recently-passed election law, accusing them of failing to register as lobbyists. The complaints, filed Tuesday with the Iowa House Ethics Committee, accuse the Heritage Action staffers of violating Iowa’s lobbying rules by failing to register as lobbyists and failing to declare on a bill prior to advocating for its passage. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Twelve jurors and three alternatives were seated Tuesday for the murder trial of Cristhian Bahena Rivera. Bahena Rivera is accused of killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts in Brooklyn in 2018. The selected jurors include eight women and seven men, of which most are white. When asked about Bahena Rivera’s immigration status, no prospective jurors said that they would hold the fact that he was in the country illegally against him. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Lengthy debate has delayed the 2021 legislative session in Iowa, but lawmakers have finally passed a sweeping tax deal. The proposal shifts funding for mental health services from property taxes to the state’s general fund. This is a $90 million change that would take place over two years. TIFFIN, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man was practicing landing and take off maneuvers before he died in a plane crash near Iowa City earlier this month, federal authorities have determined. Dr. Dale Bieber, 73, a University of Iowa doctor and clinical professor, died when his plane crashed at the Green Castle Airport near Tiffin on May 2. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa High School Athletic Association said Tuesday that attendance limits have been removed at Drake Stadium, allowing for full attendance at the State Track and Field Championships. The co-ed track meet will take place May 20-22.

IOWA (IRN) – Hy-Vee announced on Tuesday it will no longer require fully vaccinated customers and employees to wear face coverings in its stores, except where required by local ordinances. The move is in accordance with the CDC’s updated mask guidance. IOWA (IRN) – Parents and schools are getting mixed messages on masks. On Friday, the Iowa Department of Public Health said schools should make masks optional for students. Then Sunday, the CDC said keep mandating masks through the school year. Ultimately it’s up to each school district. U.S.A (IRN) – Farm tractor sales continue high growth. April sales grew over already large 2020 gains. US farm tractors saw double digit growth in the US and Canada as inventories continue to fall. Combine sales also grew 23%. AMES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Cyclones softball team is going to the NCAA softball tournament for the first time in 33 years. The program last participated in the tournament in 1988. The Cyclones are 31-21 and earned their first top 25 ranking in February. Iowa State’s Sami Williams is the Big 12 all-time leader in career hits, doubles and total bases. Williams also took Iowa State’s career and single-season home run record with 21 in 2021. MARION, IA (IRN) – Anyone over 55 can now rent electric trikes housed at the new Marion YMCA. The City debuted the program Monday. Seniors use them to commute around town.

WINTERSET, IA (IRN) – Madison County emergency crews were called to a rollover bus crash early Monday morning. It involved a Winterset School District bus. There were 10 students on board. All of them were taken to Madison County Hospital to be checked out and none reported serious injuries. BROOKLYN, IA (IRN) – The trial for the man accused of killing Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old Iowa college student, is scheduled to start today in Scott County, nearly three years after her murder. Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 26, allegedly stabbed Tibbetts while she was on an evening run in her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa. Her body was found more than a month later in a cornfield. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Indiana man has been arrested in connection with a shooting death in Iowa City last month. 29-year-old Renard Winfield Jr. of Gary, Indiana, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting of 31-year-old Tommy Curry. Curry thought he was going to be meeting with a woman he had been texting with for months. Instead, police said Curry was shot and killed by an Indiana man who had been posing as a woman. SIBLEY, IA (IRN) – Hazmat teams were rushed to the Osceola County town of Sibley Sunday for a massive train derailment. More than a dozen cars hauling fertilizer and explosive ammonium nitrate left the tracks. The town was evacuated. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – None of the University of Iowa’s football coaches — including head coach Kirk Ferentz — participated in the voluntary salary reductions that UI Athletics announced last summer in light of massive pandemic losses. Most UI Athletics staffers took the pay cut — including Fran McCaffery, head coach of the men’s basketball team; Lisa Bluder, head coach of the women’s basketball squad; and Tom and Terry Brands, head and associate head wrestling coaches.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Two women were injured and one man is dead in an early morning shooting Saturday in Waterloo. The man was found collapsed in a gravel alley. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The women’s injuries do not appear to be life threatening. IOWA (IRN) – Data from the Iowa Department of Public Health showed the state hit another grim milestone Saturday, with the overall death toll in the state surpassing 6,000 since the start of the pandemic last year. JEFFERSON, IA (IRN) – There was a second explosion at a grain elevator Saturday night in Jefferson.On Friday morning, there was an explosion at Landus Cooperative. Landus said smoldering grain in a self-contained bin located next to the grain elevator led to the dust explosion. A second, smaller explosion occurred at about 7:15 p.m. Saturday. Authorities said there were no injuries in either explosion. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A prominent New Orleans-based national steakhouse chain is coming to Iowa. Ruth’s Chris Steak House will begin construction on a 9.5-acre multi-use development at the corner of Jordan Creek Parkway and Ashworth Road in West Des Moines this fall.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two people had to be rescued from a car that crashed off a bridge in Polk County Friday evening. The driver of the car lost control and crashed into a guard rail on a bridge. The car took a nosedive to the ground below, and the passenger was impaled through the torso by one of the wooden guard rails. The injured passenger was conscious and alert throughout most of the incident and is in critical condition. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a man who said the state should refund a $465 fine he paid for a speeding ticket following another high court ruling that certain officers could not issue such tickets. Friday’s ruling likely means Iowa is off the hook for refunding millions of dollars in fines from tickets wrongly issued by Motor Vehicle Enforcement officers. MARION, IA (IRN) – Students and parents in the Marion Independent School District are asking officials to end the year sooner than scheduled. Currently, the school year is set to end June 11, the second week of the month, versus the usual first week of June. A petition to get the school year to end at its usual time has more than 500 signatures. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The new recommendations from the Iowa Department of Public Health on Friday said schools should let parents and students make their own decision about wearing face masks.