Category: State News

IOWA – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and local public health agencies are continuing to respond to an outbreak of measles in southern Iowa. As of August 21, sixteen confirmed cases of measles have been identified in 2026, with evidence of person-to-person spread. Iowa HHS and local public health agencies are working closely with affected families and community leaders to identify illnesses, share information, and ensure access to vaccination.

IOWA – With ground beef prices on the rise, President Donald Trump announced a reduction on tariffs for imported ground beef. KCCI-TV reports U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins discussed the potential impact at the Iowa State Fair on Friday. The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association expressed disappointment in a statement, citing concerns about profitability and the quality of the supply.

FORT DODGE – This month, the U.S. Department of Education recognized the nation’s very first federally approved Workforce Pell program—Iowa Central Community College’s Emergency Medical Technician program. President Jesse Ulrich hosted U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling, alongside Governor Kim Reynolds, Director McKenzie Snow and Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend at the college’s Fort Dodge campus for the announcement. With this approval, eligible students will be able to access federal Pell Grant funding for a non-tradition four year program.

APPANOOSE COUNTY – A teenager from Moulton charged for allegedly shooting several family members will be arraigned in court next month. WHO-13 reports 17-year-old Drakona Lee Clark was charged with three counts each of attempted murder and willful injury as an adult. He’s accused of retrieving a semi-automatic handgun and opening fire on his estranged stepmother, brother, and his girlfriend.

IOWA – A former public defender in Iowa who was previously arrested for shoplifting is now accused of defrauding Medicaid and cancer patients. KCRG-TV reports Attorney Cassi Wigington will be sentenced next month on a charge of health care fraud. She’s agreed to pay nearly $450,000 in restitution in Nebraska. This came after her law license was reinstated following a theft charge in Iowa, with support of State Representative Megan Jones, Chief Judge of Iowa’s Third Judicial District Patrick Tott, and Buena Vista County Attorney Paul Allen. Wiginton is accused of selling medical equipment to women who had undergone mastectomies and forged their signatures and sent bills of undelivered devices to insurers.

DES MOINES – The Caitlin Clark Foundation partnered with Scholastic for a program that donates book vending machines to children’s hospitals. Three sites have been set up, including Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines and the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City, according to WHO-13, allowing patients to pick out a free book as part of “Turning Pages, Turning Hearts.” Another vending site is in Indianapolis.

STUART – Felony charges have been filed in a shooting and death that police are investigating as a homicide in Stuart. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation reports 46-year-old Austin Nichols Reed has been charged with Murder in the 1st degree and Attempted Murder of a Police Officer. He’s accused of killing 42-year-old Toni Elena-Ann Salazar. On Tuesday afternoon, law enforcement officers were dispatched to a report of shots fired. Iowa State Trooper Chase Carruthers was among the first to arrive, encountered Reed, and was shot by him with a shotgun. Carruthers is in stable condition, but remains hospitalized.

ATLANTIC – The former director of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce received probation after a guilty plea related to theft charges. WHO-13 reports 34-year-old Bailey Smith is convicted of 1st degree theft and unauthorized use of a credit card. Two other charges were dropped in the case, and received five years of probation. Smith is accused of making more than 700 personal transactions using the chamber’s funds totaling just under $27,000.

IOWA – Eight Iowa high schools cancelled their upcoming football seasons due to low participation numbers. KCCI-TV reports Davis County, Central Decatur, New London, Exira-EHK, Lone Tree, Mormon Trail, Rockford and Siouxland Christian will not have athletes suit up on the gridiron this fall. Davis County made their announcement last week.

STUART – One person is dead and an Iowa State Trooper was injured following a shooting in Adair County. KCCI-TV reports several law enforcement agencies responded to shots fired in Stuart Tuesday afternoon. An armed male shot a state trooper responding, and that suspect was then subsequently arrested. One woman died and the cause is believed to be related to the person who shot the state trooper, who was injured and transported from the scene.

DES MOINES – Iowa has become the first state to participate in the federal expansion of addiction-recovery programs aimed at preventing children from entering foster care. WHO-13 reports that U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced in Des Moines that states can now be reimbursed for Wellness Recover Action Plan and family-based recovery. Last year, 3,000 Iowa kids were removed from families due to parental addiction, and an estimated 9,000 were abused by parents who use substances.

DES MOINES – A spotty weather forecast didn’t stop consecutive record breaking crowds from attending the Iowa State Fair for two days in a row. WHO-13 reports 123,140 people attended the first Sunday of the 10-day event, followed by 111,159 on Monday — both highs for those respective days. Attendance this year has exceeded 2025 so far despite multiple rounds of rainfall.

DAVIS COUNTY – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and local public health agencies are responding to an outbreak of measles in southern Iowa. As of August 16th, twelve confirmed cases of measles have been identified, with evidence of person-to-person spread. Iowa HHS and local public health agencies are working closely with affected families and community leaders to identify illnesses, share information, and ensure access to vaccination. Measles can spread to anyone who is not immune and is exposed.

MUSCATINE – A Des Moines man accused of shooting a police officer in Muscatine was arrested on Monday. KCCI-TV reports Mark Lee Jackson was taken in to custody after a three-day search in Muscatine. He’s accused of shooting a police officer during a traffic stop. That officer is recovering from his injuries.

WOODBURY COUNTY – The National Transportation Safety Board released details from a preliminary investigation into a fatal plane crash near Sioux City. WHO-13 reports a Zenith Zodiac was making a trip from Wisconsin to Colorado on July 24th had left from Pocahontas Municipal Airport before crashing in a nearby lake. Visibility was reportedly low at the time of the incident, but the NTSB determined it was a single-plane crash. Six-four-year old Dennis Elkins of Colorado died in the accident.