DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset today in honor of the National Peace Officers Memorial Day.  Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex. Flags will also be at half-staff on all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state.  Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.  ANKENY – A preschool in Ankeny has cancelled all teacher contracts for the upcoming academic year. KCCI-TV reports Bright Beginnings let go of all staff following what leadership with the organization is calling an internal investigation. The school intends to open for classes still, but did not clarify what that process would look like moving forward. DES MOINES – An Iowa lawmaker claims the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation placed a geofence at the State Capitol Building during a high-profile investigation into college sports and gambling. WHO-13 reports that Representative Megan Jones believes the state’s police force “spied” on people at the capitol building after DCI did not inform anyone of a test of the software. The investigation prompted several criminal charges of University of Iowa and Iowa State athletes in 2023 and 2024. Critics claim DCI had used warrantless searches as part of the process. A spokesperson with DCI says no personal data was collected from the state capitol.

DES MOINES – The 2025 Iowa Legislative Session appears to be nearing its end. Iowa Capitol Dispatch reports budget bills made their way through both the Iowa House and Senate, including funding for health and human services, administration and regulation, transportation, education, and economic development. It comes after lawmakers sent bills to the Governor’s desk adding work requirements to Medicaid, adding some restrictions to eminent domain, and a rural health care initiative. The session was scheduled to end on May 2nd. IOWA – Warm and dry conditions last week made for excellent planting conditions, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Producers made quick progress planting corn and soybeans. Conditions were also favorable for spraying. Topsoil moisture condition rated 5 percent very short, 22 percent short, 70 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Corn planted reached 76 percent — eight days ahead of last year and three days ahead of the five-year average. Sixty-four percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted. PELLA – Two people were injured near Pella on Tuesday in a three-vehicle crash involving a school bus. The Iowa State Patrol reports that an SUV was rear-ended by another car, pushing it into a Pella School District bus carrying the Dutch high school girls soccer team. Two occupants inside the SUV were injured and one was life flighted to Des Moines. No members of the high school team were harmed.

DES MOINES – State Auditor Rob Sand made a long-anticipated announcement on Monday to run for governor. Sand is the lone statewide Democratic elected official after the 2022 election and has been raising funds for several months ahead of the public campaign launch. Sand will run next November against a Republican to-be-determined in the June 2026 primary. ADAMS COUNTY – A Texas man died in a solo motorcycle crash in Adams County over the past weekend. The Iowa State Patrol reports 25-year-old Tevin Takeo Wilson was traveling on a rural road and lost control, crashing into the Mt. Zion Branch Bridge. Tevin was thrown from the motorcycle and landed on the rocks below. He was pronounced dead at the scene.UNION COUNTY – A Creston woman died in a rollover crash in Union County on Sunday. Twenty-two year old Amber Lacina was driving on Highway 25, according to the Iowa State Patrol, and lost control of her Ford Focus. The vehicle crossed over multiple lanes of traffic and rolled over several times after hitting a nearby ditch. Lacina was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at Union County Hospital.

FORT DODGE – One person was pulled from a vehicle in a river near Fort Dodge late Saturday. KCCI-TV reports the Fort Dodge Fire Department responded to the Des Moines River and found a van at least 150 yards away from a boat ramp with an individual inside. The water was up to that person’s shoulders, who was pulled out and taken to a nearby hospital. DES MOINES – Two people were injured during a Sunday morning shooting in Des Moines. WHO-13 reports the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Kwik Star on Northeast 14th Street and found an adult male suffering from a stomach wound. Des Moines Police later identified another man had arrived at another hospital in a private vehicle, and confirmed he was connected to the shooting. IOWA – While warmer and drier than normal conditions are expected to largely dominate the state this week, a much more active and cooler weather trend could take place as soon as this Sunday. The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center shows strong chances of cooler-than-average and wetter-than-normal weather starting May 18th. This comes as much of Iowa has been removed from drought conditions, according to the latest national report.

IOWA CITY – An Iowa City man was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography and distribution. According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, 26-year-old Evan Robert Steinberg received and distributed files on five devices containing hundreds of images and videos, including prepubescent males, as young as under 1 year old, engaging in sex acts with adults. DES MOINES – The Iowa Supreme Court will allow voting materials to be published in English only. KCCI-TV reports a decision issued Friday found the League of United Latin American Citizens lacked standing in trying to overturn a 2002 law that prevents the secretary of state from using any other language on ballots. The court said organizations much find direct harm to legal rights before filing suit in future challenges. DAVENPORT – A Coal Valley, Illinois woman was sentenced to six years in federal prison for using interstate facilities in a murder-for-hire. According to public court documents, in late 2023, Autumn Jeanine Carianna Markley attempted to facilitate a killing by wiring money through a financial services application. Markley contacted a confidential source who was located in the Southern District of Iowa and made numerous statements that she would pay for someone to murder one of her relatives. Markley went so far as to give the confidential source a target name, address, and down payment for the murder-for-hire. This case was investigated by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.