IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – In a short-notice back-to-school news conference Monday, University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson said the upcoming academic year’s COVID-19 guidance “isn’t a political issue, it’s a health issue,” while maintaining that masks and vaccines will be strongly encouraged. The regents could legally require masks at the three universities, and UI is the only school in the Big 10 without a mask requirement. State law prohibits the regents from requiring people on campus to show proof of vaccines. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A boy who went missing in a central Iowa state park lake has died. Steven Street, 9, of Melbourne, died in a Des Moines hospital after he was rescued from a lake in Rock Creek State Park in Jasper County on Saturday. CRESCO, IA (IRN) – A man accused of attacking a woman in her vehicle is pleading not guilty. Tyler Kenneth Johnson, 40 of Cresco, was arrested in July and charged with assault, second-degree harassment, and control of a firearm by a felon. A little before midnight on July 15 in Cresco, Johnson allegedly used his vehicle to ram a woman’s vehicle and then struck her driver’s side window multiple times with his cell phone. There was a no-contact order between the two at the time DYERSVILLE, IA (IRN) – The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will headline the 2022 Field of Dreams baseball game. The White Sox and Yankees played the first-ever MLB in Iowa last week. It was the most-watched regular-season game in 16 years. The Cubs will take on the Reds on Aug. 11, 2022. AMES, IA (IRN) – Season ticket sales for this year’s Iowa State football season broke records. Sales surpassed 48,000 for the first time ever and could surpass 49,000 before the season-opener in September. The Cyclones are ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll. Single-game ticket sales begin Wednesday.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man was seriously hurt while tubing on the Cedar River Sunday at Mohawk Park in Cedar Rapids. First responders were told the man, approximately 40 years old, was thrown off the tube while it was being pulled by a jet ski. The victim struck a stationary boat suffering a serious head injury. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman is dead after a vehicle caught on fire in Des Moines early Sunday morning. When authorities arrived they found a single vehicle engulfed in flames. The fire department extinguished the fire and found a 25-year-old woman inside. Witnesses say the woman was travelling at a high rate of speed when it left the roadway, hit a traffic pole, and burst into flames. She may have been fleeing from a minor hit-and-run. JASPER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Authorities rescued a 9-year-old boy after he went missing in the water at Rock Creek State Park in Jasper County on Saturday. When authorities arrived, bystanders had located the child in the water. The child was taken to a Des Moines hospital by helicopter for treatment. His condition is unknown. IOWA, IRN (IRN) – Iowans with compromised immune systems are beginning to get their third dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. Many in that group were originally vaccinated in the winter or early spring and are now looking for extra protection as case numbers rise. DEBRECEN, HUNGARY (IRN) – Iowa sophomore and Dowling Catholic Grad Caitlin Clark and the United States women’s basketball team beat Australia 70-52 to win the FIBA U19 World Cup on Sunday. Clark had nine points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the final against Australia in Debrecen, Hungary. She was named MVP.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police are investigating a Friday afternoon shooting on the city’s Southeast side. Officers investigating the incident found a 2011 GMC Terrain with damage from the gunshots along with shell casings. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa voting rights advocate Deidre DeJear announced Saturday she will seek the state’s governorship in 2022. DeJear, 35, gained attention in 2018 when she became the first Black candidate in Iowa to win a statewide primary ahead of her unsuccessful campaign for Iowa secretary of state. She was defeated by incumbent Republican Paul Pate. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State Fair organizers are not focused on breaking their 1 million visitor attendance record set in 2019. Yet, Thursday’s opening day greeted 78,000 visitors while Friday had 104,000 visitors. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Fair Queen was crowned Saturday at the fair. She’s Dubuque County Queen Hannah Stoner.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowans ages 12-19 are seeing the highest increase in vaccinations at 4.3% percent for the week of Aug. 9. That means more than 41% of people ages 12 to 19 have been partially or fully vaccinated. Doctors say this rise comes as good news as kids are returning to school soon and could trend infection rates even higher. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A tornado touched down south of the town of Epworth on the evening of August 11. On Friday the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities confirmed an EF-0 tornado with estimated peak winds of 74 MPH touched down for about 3 minutes. CONCORD, N.H. (IRN) – Troy Price, who resigned as chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party after a disastrous leadoff caucus in 2020, is taking a new job in the fellow first-in-the-nation state New Hampshire. Price will become executive director of the New Hampshire Democratic Party on Monday as it gears up for the 2022 elections and 2024 primary. DYERSVILLE, IA (IRN) – The Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville was the most-watched regular-season baseball game in 16 years. The game turned out to be a win for the White Sox with a walk-off homer 9-8 in the ninth. It was the most-watched regular-season game since 2005 with about 5.9 million viewers.

CERRO GORDO COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City man is facing a felony charge for allegedly burglarizing a residence on Aug. 9 and 10. Alan Valdez, 20, is accused of breaking into a residence in Meservey by climbing through a window on back-to-back days. He allegedly stole a total of $900. The money was recovered and returned to the residents. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – COVID-19 hospitalizations are up over 300% in Des Moines hospitals over the past month. The vast majority are unvaccinated. IOWA (IRN) – The 2020 Census numbers are out. Iowa’s population grew in pockets around the state’s largest cities over the past decade while 68 counties in rural areas lost population. The biggest gains were in the counties around Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Sioux City. Four counties — Johnson, Polk, Warren and Story — grew by more than 10% and 26 counties increased by less than 10%. The remaining 68 counties lost population. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Transportation is brainstorming ways to improve congestion on Interstate 235 to try to reduce traffic accidents. One potential solution would be to install ramp meters on 14 I-235 entrance ramps. The meters would reduce the number of vehicles entering the Interstate at one time. DYERSVILLE, IA (IRN) – If you build it, they will come. Baseball fans from across the country came to Dyersville on Thursday to watch the Yankees play the White Sox at the Field of Dreams Game. The game ended in Hollywood fashion. Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson crushed a two-run homer off New York Yankees pitcher Zack Britton in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the White Sox a thrilling 9-8 walk-off win. Major League baseball says they’ll be back.