IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 2.9 percent in March from a revised February rate of 3.0 percent. The state’s labor force participation rate fell to 67 percent from 67.2 percent in February. Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 3.8 percent in March. The number of unemployed Iowans decreased to 48,700 in March from 50,200 in February. The total number of working Iowans fell to 1,648,200 in March. This figure is 2,500 lower than February and 17,400 lower than one year ago.

DES MOINES – A final piece of major legislation seems to be on its way to passage before the end of the 2024 session. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports additional income and property tax reductions have been proposed in both chambers through companion bills. The legislation accelerates tax cuts first approved in 2022, dropping the rate to 3.8% in 2025, and lowers the threshold for cities and counties to use growth funding to reduce their general fund levies.

DES MOINES – The Des Moines International Airport will receive $2.2 million from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program to fund the construction of new terminal areas. The Airport Terminals Program was established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This Airport Terminals Program grant is separate from other awards announced over the past several years. It will support DSM’s construction of several common use terminal areas to improve accessibility and efficiency.

IOWA CITY – A custodian with Iowa City High School received national recognition for an act of heroism. KCRG-TV reports Wegayewu Faris was fishing in the Iowa River when he saw a young boy start to drown. While Faris was able to get the boy to safety in 2022, he himself drowned. The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission awarded Faris with the Carnegie Medal of Heroism.

POLK COUNTY – One man was found dead following a single vehicle crash in Polk County. WHO-13 reports the Polk County Sheriff’s Office found the driver unresponsive after receiving a report of a crash in a rural part of the county. The GMC Yukon left the road and entered a ditch before stopping in a field.

WATERLOO – A northeast Iowa firefighter died in a motorcycle collision in Waterloo. The Waterloo Courier reports 26-year-old Riley Gilbert was killed when he hit a curb and spun out Tuesday night. Gilbert was a member of the Hudson Volunteer Fire Department.

JOHNSTON – Nearly 10% of the staff at Area Education Agencies in Iowa have resigned. The Des Moines Register reports 341 employees have resigned from all AEAs after the Governor’s proposal to overhaul the agencies and the now official Republican overhaul of the groups responsible for supplementing services at all Iowa public and private schools. House File 2612 didn’t technically reduce the funding for the organizations in the first year, but would take the majority of their media and educational services and may them on a fee-based schedule, as opposed to the current guaranteed model.

POCAHONTAS COUNTY – A wide spread storm system spawned multiple tornadoes and pushed strong winds and large hail across much of the state Tuesday. According to the National Weather Service, tornadoes were confirmed near Minburn in Dallas County and in multiple locations in portions of Calhoun and Pocahontas Counties in northern Iowa. There were several confirmed reports of hail and straight line winds, particularly in eastern Iowa. Extensive damage from thunderstorms was not reported, and much of the state received more than an inch of needed rainfall.

FORT DODGE – A Fort Dodge man received more than three decades in prison for the death of 18-year-old Adrian Glover. KCCI-TV reports Quanterious Leadeal Altman was sentenced after he pled guilty last month to voluntary manslaughter while armed and willful injury. He was originally charged with first degree murder for a fatal shooting last year. Altman was sentenced for several different charges, including a previous probation violation, and the counts added up to a 35 year sentence.

DES MOINES – Legislation that regulates the use of automated traffic speed cameras is heading to the desk of Governor Kim Reynolds for approval. House File 2681 passed with the vast majority of both parties in favor in both chambers, and according to KCRG-TV, would require permits for the use of speed cameras — including those already in place, and limits how the fines could be spent.

ELDORA – Police are investigating the apparent shooting death of a teenager over the weekend. A press release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety indicates Eldora Police and the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call Sunday evening that someone had been shot. Officers placed a 12-year-old in custody after finding a 13-year-old female dead upon arrival. The South Hardin School Superintendent confirmed the teen who died was a student in the district.

IOWA – The majority of Iowans are under threat for severe weather today. The National Weather Service reports that a powerful low pressure system will bring multiple fronts through, which means potentially extreme hail, strong winds, and multiple tornadoes, especially in the southeast half of the state. The strong storm system could also include 1 to 2 inches of needed rainfall for those especially north of Interstate 80 and in the path of any thunderstorm activity.

NEW YORK – In perhaps the least surprising move in recent major sports history, Caitlin Clark was selected No. 1 overall in the WBNA draft Monday evening. The Iowa Hawkeyes basketball superstar is joining the Indiana Fever, a franchise that had made several moves over the past few months to prepare for the phenom’s arrival. Clark is the reigning two-time consensus National Player of the Year and the leading scorer in college basketball history at 3,951 points. Teammate Kate Martin was a second round pick and his going to Las Vegas.