DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is launching a new pro-business advocacy group that will push for “free markets and limited government” across the country, he announced Monday. Branstad, the longest-serving governor in U.S. history and a former U.S. ambassador to China, will chair the new group called The American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids Police are investigating after responding to a report of shots fired around 12:45am on Saturday. Officers found a person with a non-life threatening gunshot wound, who was taken to a local hospital. Officers also found property damage to a vehicle and residence related to the incident. No arrests or charges have been made. HUXLEY, IA (IRN) – Iowa high school softball season is right around the corner, but Ballard High School could be without their longtime head coach on opening day. The Ballard Community School District confirmed Friday head coach Charlie Husak is under investigation by the school district. AMES, IA (IRN) – Former Iowa State basketball player Xavier Foster announced he is transferring to SMU. The former four-star recruit and Oskaloosa native was removed from the team following a sexual assault investigation. The investigation was later dropped. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines police officer and a nurse helped a mother welcome her baby into the world — on an elevator. The officer, Lt. Cindy Donahue, said she saw the mom and her husband driving fast toward MercyOne in Des Moines Wednesday afternoon. The mom told Donahue “the baby’s gonna come out. I can feel it, it’s coming out.” Donahue and Nurse Kendra Bailiff helped deliver the baby in the elevator. Mom and the baby are doing fine.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police made an arrest in the hit-and-run that killed an East High freshman Thursday afternoon. 14-year-old East High Freshman Ema Cardenas had been hit by a vehicle, and she later died. Thirty-eight-year-old Terra Jean Flipping was arrested on Friday. She is charged with Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Serious Injury or Death. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was arrested at a daycare earlier this month for drug-related offenses, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. David Lee was arrested on April 22. He was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. The daycare has been closed. ELKHART, IA (IRN) – A suspended Catholic priest is returning to lead a central Iowa congregation. Father Jim Kirby will soon take over at an Elkhart church. In 2020, Kirby was accused of inappropriate conduct at Simpson College, where he was a part-time track coach. The diocese says Kirby has completed a rehabilitation program after he allegedly made inappropriate comments about a 19-year-old student. MARION, IA (IRN) – It will take years for one Linn County park to recover from the derecho, but Friday they made some headway. The 140 mile per hour winds during the 2020 storm wiped out the majority of trees at Wanatee Park in Marion. A group of around 35 people worked to plant more than 700 trees at the park. Those trees were planted on 15 acres that was once a forest.

FAIRFIELD, IA (IRN) – One of the teens charged in the murder of a Fairfield High School Spanish teacher wants his case to be moved to juvenile court. The argument from attorneys for 17-year-old Jeremy Goodale was that he would be denied immediate rehabilitation resources if he was not moved to juvenile court, which the state refuted. Goodale and 16-year-old Willard Miller are both charged with First Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Commit a Forcible Felony for allegedly killing their Spanish teacher Nohema Graber with a baseball bat. Graber’s body was found in a Fairfield park on November 3. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a deadly hit-and-run after a teenage girl was hit by a vehicle near East High School Thursday. The girl was hit by an SUV shortly after school was dismissed for the day. She was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, and later died as a result of her injuries. GRUNDY CENTER, IA (IRN) – A man charged with shooting and killing an Iowa State Patrol trooper in Grundy Center plans to plead self-defense. Michael Lang, 42, is scheduled to stand trial May 9 in the April 9, 2021, shooting death of patrol Sgt. Jim Smith. Lang’s attorney filed a notice Tuesday that he will plead self-defense under Iowa’s “stand your ground” law. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque schools have identified the man killed in an on-campus accident Wednesday at Roosevelt Middle School. Groundskeeper Craig Jackson was operating a roller compactor on the school’s football field. While attempting to maneuver under the field goal post, the compactor’s safety roll-bar hit the goal post, causing it to fall forward on him, resulting in his death. CEDAR FALLS, and IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The New Orleans Saints picked University of Northern Iowa lineman Trevor Penning with the 19th overall pick in the NFL Draft. And, the Baltimore Ravens picked Iowa Hawkeyes center Tyler Linderbaum with the 25th overall pick.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police have made an arrest after a man was injured in a stabbing in the Drake Neighborhood early Thursday morning. Officers were called to a home after 3:30 a.m. on a report of a domestic issue. They found an adult male who had been stabbed in the neck during an argument. The victim was transported to a Des Moines hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect, 35-year-old Ashten Medina was taken into custody. She is being held in the Polk County Jail. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – An adult male staff member was killed in an accident on the football field at Roosevelt Middle School in Dubuque on Wednesday. There were no students on or near the field when the accident occurred. All school activities were canceled and students were dismissed from school with no one allowed near the field. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. IOWA (IRN) – Cases of COVID-19 are up over 50% in the last week in Iowa. There were 19 Iowans who died due to COVID-19 in the last week, bringing the total to 9,529 in the pandemic. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s largest employer, Hy-Vee, is making 500 employees shift from corporate to retail. In March, it made a similar move, asking more than 100 employees to do the same. What’s unclear is what happens to those corporate-level employees if they opt not to take the retail jobs. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – The city of Newton is still repairing damage after the March 5 tornado outbreak. The high school baseball field was badly damaged in the storm and there’s still more cleanup to do before the season starts. The city and the Newton High Baseball team are working hard on the repairs, hoping to have the field ready for the June 6 opening game.

GRIMES, IA (IRN) – Middle schoolers from Johnston were in a brawl at Sky Zone Trampoline Park in Grimes on Friday night. Video shows middle school girls fighting and a large group standing around watching and cheering as the fight raged on. One girl was injured. The Polk County Sheriff’s office has been to the Sky Zone in Grimes 24 times over the past six months. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque city officials have announced only one of three public pools will be open this summer due to staffing shortages. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa will become the first U.S. state to require that gas stations have pumps selling fuel with at least 15% ethanol. The bill includes exemptions for gas stations selling less than 300,000 gallons of fuel a year, and stations with old storage tanks can get waivers. U.S.A. (IRN) – President Joe Biden has granted three pardons and commuted the sentences of 75 people, including three Iowans. The White House is launching job training and reentry programs for people in prison or for those who have recently been released. Each of the Iowans released had been sentenced to nine or more years for nonviolent, drug-related charges.