State News

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December 2nd, 2023

IDA COUNTY – A Ida Grove woman has been charged for the death of a toddler that happened in May. The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports 23 year old Billie Mosier has been charged with child endangerment resulting in death, a Class B felony. Her three year old son Jordan was found unresponsive in May, and was pronounced dead at a hospital in Omaha. WASHINGTON D.C. – All four members of Iowa’s congressional delegation voted to remove a fellow member of the U.S. House Friday. According to the Des Moines Register, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra all elected to remove George Santos from office. The group was part of 311 members who chose to remove the embattled New York representative who faces 23 federal charges related to fraud and lying to Congress. The move to expel came after a House Ethics Committee report that showed evidence of Santos and his alleged wrongdoing. NORWALK – The trial of a Norwalk Woman accused of killing her newborn children will not talk place in Warren County. WHO-13 reports Megan Staude faces first degree murder for the incident that occurred in February. A judge ruled to move the proceedings due to pretrial publicity. Staude and her father Rodney are both charged for the crime but the two cases are no longer being connected. His trial is awaiting a competency evaluation. BOONE – A Boone man convicted for hate crimes had his sentence upheld by the Iowa Supreme Court this week. Robert Geddes left five anti-LGBTQ notes on homes with gay pride flags in the community. In an appeal, Geddes said the conviction amounted to violation of his free speech; but the court ruled against him.


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December 1st, 2023

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst needed assistance from a fellow senator after choking on her lunch Thursday. NBC News reports Senator Rand Paul performed the Heimlich Manuever on Iowa’s junior senator during a Republican event. Ernst did not require further medical attention. IOWA – A major publisher and state association are uniting in a lawsuit against the state around a law banning books in school libraries. WHO-13 reports Penguin Random House and the Iowa State Education Association are challenging Senate File 496, claiming the new law violates the 1st and 14th Amendments. Several popular authors have joined the suit as well, and are aiming to block enforcement of the bill before it goes into effect January 1st. CLIVE – A Clive man has pled guilty to federal charges of wire fraud. According to court documents, Zachary James Flaherty used his position as an insurance agent and annuity salesperson to defraud elderly individuals out of their retirement savings. Flaherty admitted to engaging in a scheme to defraud some of his clients. Flaherty told one of the victims he would invest proceeds from the sale of her house on her behalf and for her benefit. That individual wrote two checks, totaling $170,000, to a company Flaherty owned, which he used to purchase a boat and other automobiles.


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November 30th, 2023

SAC CITY – The search continued Wednesday for an Iowa man who went missing under mysterious circumstances in Sac County. David Schultz was declared missing last week after his hog truck was found stopped in the middle of a highway in northern Iowa, according to WHO-13. A search has spanned several miles near Rockwell City and Sac City. IOWA CITY – An Iowa City man was arrested Wednesday following an incident at an elementary school. KCRG-TV reports 31-year-old Brandon Jones was charged with carrying weapons on school grounds and harassment after he threatened multiple staff members at Grant Wood Elementary School. The building was placed on temporary hold shortly after Jones left his weapon and fled the facility. DES MOINES – Drake University needs to cut millions of dollars to stay in good financial position, according to a Des Moines Register report. A recent faculty senate meeting detailed the issues, which shows a $4.3 million deficit in the current fiscal year, which could grow by as much by $6 million next year. IOWA CITY – One of the nation’s best special teams college football players has announced significant fundraising toward a non-profit cause. Tory Taylor, the veteran punter of the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Big Ten’s specialist of the year, has raised more than $50,000 for Count the Kicks since 2021, according to KCCI-TV. Taylor has pledged to donate NIL funds from a partnership with Raygun apparel to support the stillbirth prevention program.


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November 29th, 2023

DES MOINES – Some Iowa families are suing the state over a law that limits what educators can teach and expands the ability to restrict materials in school libraries. KCRG TV reports seven families filed a suit in federal court alongside the ACLU and other organizations over Senate File 496. The groups and participant allege discrimination and a violation of constitutional rights; Governor Kim Reynolds was critical the move, claiming young children have access to explicit content as it stands, although she did so without direct evidence in a statement Tuesday. URBANDALE – An educator in Urbandale claims she’s being wrongly punished. WHO-13 reports Teacher Amanda Delzell received a letter of reprimand and other disciplinary action after she claims she brought forward evidence of possible abuse of a student. Delzell claims she reviewed school security video of another teacher’s interaction with a special needs child. SIOUX CITY – A Woodbury County supervisor mired in controversy over alleged voter fraud has agreed to leave his vice president position, but still remain active otherwise. KTIV reports Jeremy Taylor is no longer vice chairman of the county government organization, but calls continue for his full resignation. Taylor’s wife Kim was found guilty of 52 counts of voter fraud earlier this month. Taylor said he’d step down as vice chair if the majority of the board asked him to leave, but remains committed to finishing his term until 2026. The majority of the board has called for his full departure and Woodbury County Auditor Pat Gill has called for a state investigation into his alleged wrongdoing. Jeremy is accused of promising votes in exchange for campaign donations.


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November 28th, 2023

GRINNELL – A Grinnell man has been arrested in connection to a deadly crash in August. WHO-13 reports Benjamin Kelne has been charged with reckless driving, possession of alcohol, and involuntary manslaughter in connection to the death of 17 year old Chloe Hutchcraft. The two were in a vehicle driven by Kelne, and he lost control in rural Jasper County. ROCKWELL CITY – A search continues for a man who left his home with a full load of pigs in a semi truck and never returned. KCCI-TV reports 53 year old David Schultz was missing as of last Tuesday. His wife Sarah told the TV station his truck with a load of pigs was parked in the middle of the road, and his wallet and cellphone were both found. Nearly 200 volunteers have assisted in a search of the area. CEDAR RAPIDS – A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison for sexual abuse of a minor. The Gazette reports Jeffery Beaman was charged with three counts of sexual abuse and pled guilty to one count. He admitted during his plea to abusing a child under the age of six years old multiple times over a two year span. He faces up to 25 years in prison. CEDAR FALLS – Both the Iowa State and UNI Volleyball teams have returned to the NCAA tournament. The Des Moines Register reports the Cyclones are a seven-seed and open against Hawaii this Thursday in Oregon in the school’s 17th ever appearance. The Panthers will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to take on the Miami Hurricanes. This is the school’s 25th NCAA bid.