MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – New details are being released in a shooting that killed a Marshalltown convenience store employee early Monday morning. Criminal complaints in the case say 20-year-old Rocky Dean Trujillo shot 48-year-old Michael West in the chest shortly after 3:00 a.m. Monday, causing his death. West was an employee at the Casey’s General Store, where the shooting took place. After shooting West, Trujillo “attempted to gain access to the cash register in the store after murdering the clerk.” He is also alleged to have placed his gun against a customer’s head and demanded his phone. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Rolling power outages that have hit other states as brutal temperatures have gripped the country may be coming to Iowa. The companies calling for rolling outages are part of what’s called the “Southwest Power Pool,” a group of utilities across 14 states including Iowa. Much of western Iowa is serviced by the Southwest Power Pool. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Lawmakers at the Iowa Statehouse this week continue to work on school funding. The Republican led House passed a school funding measure that included $7 million in cuts to preschool. The Save the Children Action Network says the cuts will mean 2,600 Iowa children will not have access to early education. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa is keeping its women’s swimming and diving program after it had been among four sports the school planned to eliminate due to budget concerns brought on by the pandemic. Members of the women’s swimming and diving team filed a legal complaint against the school that argued eliminating their program violated a landmark gender equity law. Men’s swimming and diving, men’s gymnastics, and men’s tennis will still be eliminated. ORANGE CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa-based Pizza Ranch, known for its buffet of pizza, chicken and other offerings, expanded last year, even as the coronavirus pandemic hit the restaurant industry harder than most. Pizza Ranch, based in Orange City, has over 200 locations in 14 states. The chain added five new locations last year and has six or seven more openings planned for this year.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating an early morning shooting in Marshalltown. A man was shot and killed about 3 a.m. Monday at a Casey’s General Store. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky called out Iowa for lifting mitigation efforts. Walensky said, “now is the time to not let down our guard. Now is the time to double down…with 100,000 cases a day, still with over 2.5 times the cases we had over the summer.” Gov. Kim Reynolds recently lifted mask and crowd size orders. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Republican lawmakers are considering bills that would end tenure for professors at Iowa’s three public universities. Supporters say it will make professors accountable. University officials say they already are accountable, and without tenure, it would be nearly impossible to retain and recruit the most talented professors. The Iowa Pork Producers Association, the Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association have registered in opposition to the bills. ARMSTRONG, IA (IRN) – The police chief of a small Iowa town, who was charged with several crimes along with three other local officials last week, has been arrested in Minnesota. The Martin County, Minnesota, Sheriff’s office said Armstrong, Iowa, Police Chief Craig Merrill was arrested Saturday just over the border from the town where he was employed. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Longtime U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a New Hartford Republican, hasn’t announced whether he would seek another term in office in 2022 when he turns 89, but his grandson, Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, says he expects his grandfather to run again.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – The United States Senate voted Saturday afternoon in the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. Iowa Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley both voted that Trump was not guilty in the incitement of insurrection. The article of impeachment was filed after a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. While seven Republicans voted to convict Trump, it did not meet the threshold of votes to convict. Trump was acquitted for the charge of incitement of insurrection by a vote of 57-43. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad confirmed that a virtual town hall meeting Saturday morning was interrupted with someone using racial slurs and derogatory terms. The meeting was between Representatives Abdul-Samad, Marti Anderson, Jo Olson and Janet Peterson. The representatives reported the incident to law enforcement. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa is under a wind chill warning through tomorrow. The National Weather Service says the coldest temperatures and wind chills will arrive Sunday and Monday mornings, and lows wind chills down to -30 are expected. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – Crews responded to a fire alarm at Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville only to find a broken sprinkler pipe on Saturday afternoon. When they arrived, they found the broken pipe leaking water in the west vestibule of J.C. Penny. Authorities said the cold weather caused the pipe to bust, but that very little water got inside the store and crews were able to silence the alarm once they arrived.

INDEPENDENCE, IA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds has rescinded COVID-19 allocations for Washington, Chickasaw, Buchanan, Poweshiek, and Hancock Counties, creating uncertainty about planned vaccinations next week. The counties had not met the state’s new 80% usage requirement in order to receive more doses. Buchanan County Public Health Director Tai Burkhart says “they change their rules on us so often, it’s very hard to meet their demands.” ARMSTRONG, IA (IRN) – Three current, and one former city official in the Emmet County town of Armstrong face charges following a multi-year investigation into alleged wrongdoing. Among those accused are Armstrong’s mayor, police chief, its current city clerk and a former city clerk. Investigators allege misappropriation of city funds, the presentation of fraudulent public records, deploying a TASER against a civilian, and the falsification of records to conceal embezzlement. JACKSONVILLE, FL (IRN) – One day after he was hired, the Jacksonville Jaguars and embattled strength coach Chris Doyle parted ways Friday after a diversity group blasted the team and called the hiring “simply unacceptable.” Coach Urban Meyer said Doyle resigned. The group ripped Meyer, and said racist allegations at Iowa should have disqualified Doyle as a coaching candidate. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – Webster County is looking to get in on a wave of green energy by setting up a massive array of solar panels large enough to power 30,000 homes. The panels will be ground-installed on more than 950 acres near the town of Badger. The panels will allow the county to be a net energy exporter.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported five new cases of the U.K. variant of COVID-19 in the state of Iowa. According to the CDC, the variant “may be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other variants.” DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An amendment saying a woman’s right to an abortion is not protected passed another hurdle in the Iowa Statehouse on Wednesday. House Joint Resolution 5 passed through committee and is now eligible for debate on the full Senate floor. If it passes both chambers this year, the issue would need approval from Iowa voters in 2023 or 2024 in order to become law. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Citing concerns over an imbalance of political beliefs among faculty at Iowa’s public universities, a state lawmaker has introduced a bill requiring the state Board of Regents to survey employees at Iowa’s three public universities about their political affiliations. Republican sponsors fear there are too many Democrats among faculty, and want more balance. JACKSONVILLE, FL (IRN) – Chris Doyle has found a new job, eight months after he left the University of Iowa following accusations of promoting racial disparities in the football program. On Thursday, the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL announced that Doyle had been hired as “director of sport performance.” DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines is launching a new initiative along with the Metro Waste Authority to educate Iowans about single-use plastics, the harm they can cause and how to cut them out of your life by “stomping the straw.” 17% of trash in landfills is single use plastic.