DES MOINES (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds announced the State of Iowa will end Fiscal Year 2023 with a balance of $1.83 billion in the General Fund, $902 million in reserve funds and $2.74 billion in the Taxpayer Relief Fund. Reynolds promised additional tax cuts in the next session as a result of the surplus — Iowa Democrats criticized the news, saying the state is not spending enough to meet critical needs such as education and infrastructure. Last week, Gov. Reynolds announced that Iowa’s corporate tax rate will drop to 7.1 percent from 8.4 percent for Tax Year 2024 due to corporate tax receipts exceeding $700 million. ‘ ODGEN (IRN) – The Animal Rescue League says it needs help to care for dogs rescued an alleged puppy mill. KCCI TV reports a Boone County deputy found nearly 100 dogs during a welfare check at a house in Ogden. The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is caring for 81 of the 93 canines found. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and no charges were filed as of Wednesday. VOLGA (IRN) – A Missouri man is facing charges after a fatal incident in Volga. KCRG-TV reports two people fell off the tailgate of a truck allegedly driven by Tucker Baker of St. Josephn, according to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office. He faces charges of homicide by vehicle-reckless driving and serious injury by vehicle.m Investigators said videos of the incident obtained from witnesses show three trucks rapidly accelerating in succession, with the last occupied by seven people near the Volga Campground. IOWA (IRN) – A agricultural businessman who has a significant role in a proposed carbon pipeline does not have to testify for permit hearings, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Bruce Rastetter is the co-founder of Summit Carbon Solutions, and those opposed to the pipeline wanted him to expand about potential conflicts of interest. The Iowa Utilities Board ruled that Rastetter will not need to testify. The project proposed to span five states has run into concerns in two of those — both North and South Dakota have put various blocks and holds on the idea.

POLK COUNTY (IRN) – Police have identified a man involved in a standoff in Polk County Tuesday. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested Scott Eugene Smith of Des Moines for an outstanding warrant and several other charges, including attempted murder. The department alleges Smith abandoned a vehicle during an attempted traffic stop, shot at a deputy, and fled into a nearby hotel. A perimeter was set up by several state and federal agencies, which led to a four hour standoff than ended without incident. DES MOINES (IRN) – One of two family members charged in the death of a newborn in Norwalk is planning to used diminished responsibility as a defense. Rodney Staude’s strategy was revealed in the Warren County Court House, according to WHO-13. His daughter Megan Staude is also charged with first degree murder for an incident that led to the discovery of a newborn’s body in March. BURLINGTON (IRN) – A Des Moines County jury ruled in favor of a Burlington man in his lawsuit related to a COVID-based unemployment claim. The Des Moines Register reports Jonathan Critser will receive $100,000 after a six-day trial. His former employer CNH Industrial fired Critser in 2020 after he filed for partial unemployment that summer after he had symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and missed two days. While CNH claimed Critser failed to follow protocols, the jury disagreed.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines Police are investigating human remains found on the city’s east side. KCCI-TV reports officers responded to a wooded area late Saturday, and found what appeared to be a skull. The location is four miles away from a site where two sisters found a skull in June near Yellow Banks Park in Polk County. IOWA CITY (IRN) – An Indiana man faces charges following an alleged scheme to steal rent checks from several Iowa apartments. KCRG-TV reports the Iowa City Police Department arrested 27 year old Kalvin Brown, and he is one of two other suspects. Police say several thefts in Iowa City were reported at an apartment complex totaling nearly $9,000 in July, and that similar thefts took place in Urbandale, Ames, and Cedar Rapids during the same time period. Many of those checks were chased at Western Unions in Des Moines as the payee line was washed and replaced with the names of the suspects involved. AMES (IRN) – A creative new Name, Image, and Likeness deal features the unique last names of Iowa State Cyclones football players. WHO-13 reports the Iowa Pork Producers Association has reached a deal with Myles Purchase, Tyler Moore, Tommy Hamann, and Caleb Bacon. The new marketing campaign encourages Iowans to “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon.” CEDAR RAPIDS (IRN) – The Class 4A and Class 3A site for the 2024 IHSAA State Baseball Tournament will be Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids. The 5,300-seat home of the Cedar Rapids Kernels was selected through a summer bidding process by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The one-year agreement follows three seasons at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City for the larger school classes. When IHSAA and University of Iowa added an agreement from 2022-24, potential renovations at Duane Banks Field made the extension year-to-year. Upgrades are scheduled to begin on the UI campus following the NCAA season in 2024. Carroll will again host Class 2A and Class 1A next summer. The tournament is scheduled for July 22-26, 2024.

OTTUMWA (IRN) – An Ottumwa man who was not present when given a guilty verdict for first degree murder has been found. The Iowa Department of Public Safety and Ottumwa Police Department searched for 63 year old Gregory Showalter and arrested him Saturday. He was supposed to be at Wapello County District Court on Friday but did not appear to receive the verdict in relation to the death of his wife in 2021. SAYLORVILLE (IRN) – An unidentified man ran into traffic on Interstate 80 Saturday and was struck by three vehicles, leading to his death. The Iowa State Patrol is investigating why a pedestrian was on the six-land highway near Saylorville. The man was struck in the eastbound side and was thrown into the westbound lanes, and ultimately hit by three total vehicles. MILLS COUNTY (IRN) – A missing woman in Mills County has been found dead. WHO-13 reports 72 year old Judy Kreuger was located Saturday, one week after she was reported missing. Kreuger suffered from dementia, which likely contributed to her death, according to officials.

OTTUMWA (IRN) – Police are searching for a man who failed to appear at his verdict in a murder trial. The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation and Iowa State Patrol are seeking the public’s assistance in locating Gregory Allen Showalter Sr. Showalter has an arrest warrant for Failure to Appear – Murder in the First Degree. The case was being held in Wapello County District Court. Showalter was not present when the jury found him guilty Friday. DES MOINES (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds announced that Iowa’s corporate tax rate will drop to 7.1 percent from 8.4 percent for tax year 2024. The Governor’s 2022 tax bill, HF2317, includes the formula to reduce the corporate tax rate when net corporate income tax receipts exceed $700 million. For fiscal year 2023, net corporate income tax receipts exceeded $838 million, triggering a drop of 15.5 percent. AMES (IRN) – Ames police are seeking details about a shooting. On Thursday, the Ames Police Department responded to a report of a shooting on Tripp Street. Responding officers located one male victim who is being treated at an area hospital. The status of the victim is currently unknown. An investigation is ongoing, and while it appears to be an isolated incident, this is the second shooting in less than a month in the same general location. DECORAH (IRN) – Two areas of the state are now in exceptional drought, the highest category from the U.S. Drought Monitor Report. All of Allamakee, Winneshiek, and Howard Counties, and portions of Mitchell, Benton, and Tama Counties are suffering from some of the worst drought conditions in Iowa in several years. Twenty-five percent of the state is now in extreme drought or worse as well.