DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police have made an arrest in the city’s latest homicide. Datron Simmons Sr., 32, is accused of killing his wife, 50-year-old Connie Simmons. Her body was found Friday afternoon in a wooded area. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department has opened an investigation on Des Moines’ north side Friday afternoon. The department is investigating a “suspicious death.” Authorities said the female was the subject of the missing person investigation. HANCOCK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Deputies in Hancock County are looking for a man who they say escaped from custody and took off in a squad car while handcuffed. 18-year-old Ethan Walte was arrested on a felony warrant for violation of probation for burglary. Police said he was placed in handcuffs and was seated in the patrol car. While the deputy was securing Walte’s vehicle, Walte was able to get his handcuffed hands in front of his body and climb through the security portion in the patrol vehicle. The deputy wound up being thrown to the ground while trying to get Walte out of the driver’s seat as he sped away. The deputy suffered minor injuries. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Crossroads Park Elementary School will move to online-only learning next week as one-third of their staff is now in quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A North Liberty woman was sentenced to 27 months in prison on Friday for wire fraud. Sheri Lynn Jelinek, 48, of North Liberty, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for wire fraud. Jelinek was an employee at the Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD) from 2003 until January of 2017. After leaving her employment, ICAD employees discovered Jelinek had made more than $460,000 in improper or personal charges on ICAD credit cards over a period of several years.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health on Friday reported 798 new coronavirus cases and three additional deaths. As of 10 a.m. Friday, IDPH reported there have been 1,208 deaths since the pandemic began. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – President Donald Trump announced Thursday night the Sac and Fox Tribe in Iowa are eligible for federal relief due to derecho damage. The declaration comes exactly one month after the derecho swept through Iowa. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Student athletes at Des Moines Public Schools are sitting on the sidelines this year as the district holds all online classes and suspends in-person activities and sports. Some families are concerned this could affect their student’s chances of getting recruited to play college sports. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The entire Linn-Mar varsity football team will be in quarantine for two weeks. The district announced players will quarantine through September 23rd. They’ll miss games today and next week. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, until sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in honor of Patriot Day and in memory of those who lost their lives in the September 11th terrorist attacks.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa unemployment claims were down for the second straight week. Iowa Workforce Development reported on Thursday a total of 5,689 initial unemployment claims were filed between August 30 and September 5. That’s a decrease of 225 claims from the previous week. There were 71,644 total continuing unemployment claims last week, a decrease of 4,233 from the previous reporting period. MAQUOKETA, IA (IRN) – The city of Maquoketa has agreed to a settlement of $4-million in a wrongful death lawsuit. Drew Edwards died in June 2019 after an encounter with police responding to a domestic dispute. The Edwards family accused police of excessive force after the confrontation seen on a police body camera. Police say they were forced to taser him six times and he later died at a hospital. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – The Fort Dodge Community School District experienced a cyberattack Wednesday. The attack compromised the district’s phones and internet. The district started classes on Aug. 25 and has been instructing in-person courses. School is cancelled today. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says someone is trying to scam residents out of money by using the name of an actual officer in phone calls. The Sheriff’s Office says it will never request money over the phone related to warrants. This scam has appeared in other areas of the state as well. IOWA (IRN) – A total of 15 Pizza Hut restaurants across the state of Iowa are closing because a major Pizza Hut franchisee is filing for bankruptcy. Up to 300 restaurants across the country will close permanently. The company says COVID-19, high ingredient prices, and heavy debt are to blame.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Falls approved a mask mandate Tuesday, joining with other Iowa cities that have taken similar moves as the state continues to see high numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases. Cedar Falls joins Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Mount Vernon, Muscatine and Waterloo in enacting mask requirements. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – New guidance from the Iowa Department of Education could make it harder for school districts to switch to online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Iowa Department of Education no longer wants schools to include students quarantined for possible COVID-19 exposure in absenteeism rates. State guidance says schools can request a waiver for online learning when districts report 10% absenteeism combined with a 15% COVID-19 positivity in the county. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Republican lawmakers are among the leaders of six state legislatures who sent a letter to the Big Ten commissioner asking the conference to reconsider its decision to postpone the fall football season. Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley and Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver signed a letter to Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. State leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are also part of the letter. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Citing budget concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Iowa athletic department announced that it has not filled or will be eliminating 40 positions. All employees will take 15 unpaid furlough days before the end of the year, with the exception of senior staff. Salaries will also be cut. AMES, IA (IRN) – The future of C.Y. Stephens Auditorium at Iowa State University is unclear following a statement from ISU Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard. He suggested closing C.Y. Stephens as a possible move to meet a huge budget gap in ISU Athletics. The arts entertainment venue is part of Iowa State’s athletic department. Fans of the arts are outraged.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Polk County judge today denied Des Moines Public Schools’ request for a temporary injunction to allow the district to hold all of its classes remotely while a lawsuit against Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education proceeds. The district held its first day of class today with students learning remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is challenging Reynolds’ order that at least half of instruction at Iowa school districts must be in-person. POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 21-year-old man died after crashing a car into a tree in Polk County Sunday. 21-year-old Joshua Aron Murphy of Sioux City was pronounced dead at the scene. The car had been reported stolen in August in Cedar Rapids. CARLISLE, IA (IRN) – The Carlisle Police Department said employees and customers were evacuated from a Dollar General Monday after a reported bomb threat. Investigators didn’t find any explosives. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – There has been a spike in dangerous driving on Iowa roads this year. Between January and August, the Iowa State Patrol recorded a 101% increase in tickets for speeds exceeding 100 mph. There has also been a 75% increase in tickets for speeds 25 mph over the posted speed limit. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – Hundreds of people attended an “All-American” family friendly Labor Day boat parade on the Coralville Lake Monday. Around a hundred watercraft turned out to the lake to help celebrate Labor Day with hundreds more watching the parade. While the Facebook event didn’t mention it being a pro-Trump boating parade, several boats flew President Trump 2020 flags and dozens of attendees on the bridge were wearing “Make America Great Again” or “Trump 2020” hats and shirts. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Hundreds of Des Moines students held a ‘Student March for Fairness” to Terrace Hill Monday in protest of a decision to suspend all sports and activities at the start of the school year. The district announced Thursday that it would suspend after-school activities in accordance with guidance from the Iowa Department of Education. Students at the march said they worked hard with the goal of playing or performing their senior year, which they believe is being taken away from them.