PLEASANT HILL (IRN) – Police are investigating what appeared to be a human skull found at Yellow Banks Park Friday night in Pleasant Hill. WOI-TV in Des Moines reports the Polk County Sheriff’s is looking into the possible human remains discovered along the banks of the Des Moines River. BETTENDORFT (IRN) – Half of the historic Interstate 74 bridge in the quad cities has been demolished. KWQC-TV reports more than a thousand spectators lined the Riverfront bike path in Bettendorf to watch the controlled demolition performed by the Iowa DOT. The old I-74 was out of service by the end of 2021. No official date has been released regarding the demolition of the remaining parts of the bridge. JOHNSTON (IRN) – The Iowa Gold Star Military Museum hosted several residents who celebrated the ceremony of the newly christened USS Iowa Submarine over the weekend. It’s the first underwater vessel named after the Hawkeye State. The event took place in Connecticut, but 13 watch parties were held across the state, according to KCCI-TV in Des Moines. PLYMOUTH COUNTY (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services reported the first case of West Nile Virus this year. The disease commonly transferred through mosquito bites was found in an older adult aged older than 61 from Plymouth County. The case was confirmed through a test at the State Hygienic Lab. In 2022, nine Iowans were diagnosed with West Nile virus, with zero deaths.

LOHRVILLE (IRN) – An investigation is ongoing into the death of a child in Lohrville. Deputies with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call at 7:00 Friday morning and found six-year-old Alexzander Pope dead in a residence. Local authorities and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating the cause of death. DES MOINES (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court had a split 3-to-3 ruling Friday on a law that would ban abortion after six weeks. The 2018 bill signed by Governor Kim Reynolds was blocked by a state judge shortly after it passed, and the tie on the court today keeps the current 20 week law in place. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver and House Speaker Pat Grassley both vowed to bring legislation to further restrict abortion rights in Iowa to the floor in the 2024 session. DAVENPORT (IRN) – The demolition of a collapsed apartment complex in Davenport has been halted. KWQC-TV reports an emergency ordered issued by a Scott County judge stopped construction to allow for an inspection to be completed by Tuesday evening following a lawsuit filed by former tenants Quanishia and Lexus Berry. DES MOINES (IRN) – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held level at 2.7 percent in May as 6,400 new workers joined the labor force. According to Iowa Workforce Development, Iowa’s labor force participation rate increased to 68.5 percent in May, up from 68.3 percent in April.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Air quality is expected to be an issue for many across the eastern half of the state today. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has issued an air quality alert until 10:00 this evening. Fine particulate levels near or above EPA health standards are expected to increase throughout the day. The DNR recommends that people reduce long or intense activities, and take more breaks during outdoor activities until air quality conditions improve. DES MOINES (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court had a split ruling on a law that would ban abortion after six weeks. The 2018 bill signed by Governor Kim Reynolds was blocked by a state judge shortly after it passed, and the tie on the court today keeps the 20 week abortion ban in place. DES MOINES (IRN) – The Des Moines Register reports that more students have applied for state-funded education savings accounts than projected by the Legislative Services Agency. As of Tuesday, more than 17,000 applications have been submitted; the estimate during the Legislative Session was for 14,000 to be eligible, and families still have until June 30th to apply. IOWA CITY (IRN) – A transcendent Iowa Hawkeyes basketball star has inspired an NCAA rule change this coming season. WHO-13 reports that the penalty for certain delay-of-game violations in women’s basketball will no longer result in a technical foul — similar to the foul received by Caitlin Clark in the National Championship Game against LSU. Instead, a team will receive the foul instead of the individual player.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Two firms have been tasked with investigating the partial collapse of a six-story apartment building in Davenport that left three dead, many injured and dozens displaced. The report could start to answer questions about the May 28 partial collapse, including why residents remained in the 116-year-old brick, steel, and concrete building despite the many warnings over many months about its integrity. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A Marshalltown woman is recovering after she was attacked by a shark in the Bahamas. Heidi Ernst was attacked while scuba diving on June 7. Ernst was getting back on a boat when the shark attacked. She is an experienced scuba driver and just completed her 500th dive in May this year. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The State Board of Regents approved pay raises for two of the three state universities’ presidents and a 3.5 percent increase in tuition Wednesday. GRETNA, NE (IRN) – Hy-Vee announced the opening of its largest store yet on Tuesday. The new 135,000-square-foot store, located in Gretna, Nebraska, features online grocery delivery and pickup service and a convenience store adjacent to the grocery store. It features all-digital shelf labels and digital kiosks where customers can order custom cakes and fresh foods.

AMES, IA (IRN) – As additional victims come forward, more charges have been filed against registered Ames nurse Carl Dale Markley, 44. Markley is now charged with four counts of pimping, four counts of prostitution, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, and one count of human trafficking. He faces up to 43 years in prison and $47,500 in fines if found guilty of all charges. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The owners of a West Des Moines grocery store say a group of customers that turned out to be a theft ring almost got away with stealing their nightly deposit. It happened on Saturday at La Michocana. The group worked to occupy all the employees at the store, allowing one person to steal their cash from beneath their cash register. $70,000 in cash and checks were stolen. Police found the group with a little over $1,100 in cash. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Another class-action lawsuit accuses a landlord, the City of Davenport and a former city inspector for “gross negligence” in the partial collapse of the apartment building in Davenport. Dismantling began Monday at the site of the partial collapse. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – On Tuesday Cedar Falls Police and Fire were called to the First Street Bridge for a report of a kayak that overturned. Officers located two people who were on large log in the river that had to be rescued with a high angle rope from the bridge due to river conditions. They are OK, and their kayak was recovered downstream. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The 2024 Field of Dreams game might not happen at its namesake field in Iowa. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that next year’s matchup between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals is “expected to happen” at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, not in Dyersville, Iowa. Rickwood Field is America’s oldest baseball park. It was built in 1910 for the Birmingham Barons.