IOWA – As Iowa’s democrats watched the number of elected seats they hold drop yet again, they selected new leadership in the Iowa Senate. The Des Moines Register reports Janice Weiner will spearhead efforts by the minority that holds just 15 seats in the upper chamber of the Iowa Statehouse. She was elected to her seat in 2022 following time on the Iowa City City Council and with the U.S. State Department. IOWA – Governor Kim Reynolds is proposing the Republican supermajority in the Iowa Statehouse to consider restricting cell phone use in Iowa’s public schools. KCRG-TV reports the governor is working with staff to draft potential legislation as many districts continue to see issues with distractions and bullying in classrooms. Several Iowa public and private school districts have already moved to restrict or outright ban devices in class. IOWA CITY – While he started the season as Iowa’s quarterback and lost that role in the last few weeks, he hasn’t ended his career in Iowa City despite several rumors claiming that was the case. Cade McNamara will not play for the Hawkeyes this Saturday, according to WHO-13, but intends to play before the season ends as he deals with post-concussion symptoms. Several reports indicated McNamara had left the team in frustration, but instead, he himself has contradicted those sources, saying he wants to be ready to compete against Nebraska next week.

IOWA – A report by the Des Moines Register indicates that abortions in Iowa have dropped by close to forty percent since the state’s new six week ban went into effect earlier this year. Estimates show Iowa averaged 400 clinician provided abortions through the first six months of 2024, and that has dropped to 250. Iowa’s fetal heartbeat law bans the procedure once cardiac activity is detected in a pregnancy, with few exceptions. A Des Moines Register poll in September showed 59% of Iowans disapproved of the new restrictions. JOHNSON COUNTY – A Nashville, Tennessee man died in a single vehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Johnson County early Wednesday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports that 25-year-old Jeremy Rogers was driving a Volvo Truck near mile marker 245 and left the roadway before striking a bridge guardrail. Rogers was not wearing a seatbelt at the time. PELLA – The teenager accused of attacking multiple students at Pella Middle School with a knife before class Wednesday morning faces felony charges for the incident. The Pella Police Department charged a 14-year-old male with three counts of attempted murder and two counts of felony assault with intent for the alleged incident. The department says the student lunged a kitchen knife at three other students before school started in the cafeteria. A majority of students returned to class with mental health services provided on Thursday.

PELLA – One student was arrested after assaulting multiple other students with a knife at Pella Middle School on Wednesday morning. The Pella Police Department responded at 7:41 a.m. to the incident and with the help of staff, apprehended the alleged attacker shortly after he assaulted at least two other students, who suffered minor injuries. The building was on lockdown before classes began. The student arrested had faced a prior assault charge in February for attacking a school counselor. DAVENPORT – Two eastern Iowa men were sentenced for federal crimes related to child pornography on Wednesday. Thirty-seven-year-old Bob Arthur Phillips of Davenport received 192 months and 48-year-old Brent Michael Fisher of Clinton was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for distribution and receipt of child pornography. According to court documents, Phillips uploaded the child sexual abuse material to the digital storage account. Following multiple residential search warrants at Phillips’ residence, law enforcement seized numerous electronic devices belonging to Phillips, found to contain evidence of distributing and receiving child sexual assault material. Fisher possessed fifteen devices that contained child sexual abuse material, including cell phones and memory cards. WASHINGTON D.C. – A former acting Attorney General and Iowa native has been chosen as the next ambassador to NATO. The Des Moines Register reports Matthew Whitaker has been nominated by President-Elect Donald Trump ahead of his second term on January 20th. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was organized to defend Europe against Russian advances. Whitaker is from Ankeny and holds several degrees from the University of Iowa, and was a former Hawkeyes football player.

IOWA – A medical center in Des Moines is working to combat a shortage of obstetrics care in rural areas with a new service. The Des Moines Register reports MercyOne has created a Maternal Transport Team, aiming to deploy to help women struggling with labor and delivery. Nearly 1/3rd of Iowa’s hospitals have closed their labor and delivery units since 2000. The Register says the unit has been deployed three times in the short window the service has been available. SPENCER – One person died from apparent self-inflicted wounds following a police pursuit in Spencer. KCAU reports the Clay County Sheriff’s Office attempted a traffic stop on Tuesday afternoon for an allegedly stolen pickup truck. The driver took off and led police on a pursuit through the Spencer community, and is accused of showing a firearm and shooting outside of a window. The driver, 30-year-old Andrew Phillips of Spirit Lake, allegedly caused significant damage in a construction zone before stopping at First Christian Church, where the sheriff’s office says he took his own life. DES MOINES, Iowa — The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) is teaming up with law enforcement agencies across Iowa to promote road safety during the Thanksgiving holiday season. Drivers can expect to see increased police presence on Iowa roads through December 1st. Last year, during Thanksgiving week, 34 people died or suffered severe injuries on Iowa roads— 40% were not wearing seatbelts. A total of 306 people have been killed on Iowa’s roadways so far in 2024 — just above the five-year Iowa DOT average.

DES MOINES – Another new name will be highlighted at the Iowa Events Center. Polk County and Oak View Group, announced a new 10-year naming rights partnership with EMC Insurance, a Des Moines-based commercial insurance organization, to rename the exhibit hall and meeting space venue, EMC Expo Center, effective on January 1st. The Polk County Board of Supervisors will vote on the proposed new name at their scheduled meeting on November 19. The current space is named Hy-Vee Hall, and that agreement is set to end this year. IOWA – Iowa’s farmers had an average of 3.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending November 17, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Primary fieldwork activities included fall tillage, fertilizer applications, and some row crop harvest. Topsoil moisture condition rated 8 percent very short, 28 percent short, 61 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Corn harvested for grain reached 97 percent statewide.