Category: State News

BOONE – A sitting Iowa judge is accused of driving while intoxicated earlier this week. The Des Moines Register reports witnesses found Adria Kester unconscious behind the wheel of a truck driving the wrong way on Highway 30 near Boone. Kester is the Chief Judge of the state’s second judicial district. Deputies claim a bystander had to come and jump into the vehicle to stop it in the median before police arrived. Kester was arrested for operating while intoxicated.

WASHINGTON – An Iowa pharmacy is paying to settle a lawsuit where it’s being accused of selling a counterfeit weight loss drug. KCCI-TV reports SmartScripts based in Washington owes $132,000 to Central Pharmacy Management in Lansing, Michigan. SmartScripts shipped 15 cases of medication in December of 2023 that contained counterfeit Ozempic. The pharmacy in Iowa claims it was unaware of the issue until after the medicine was shipped. The Iowa Board of Pharmacy had fined SmartScripts $25,000.

MARSHALLTOWN – A Marshalltown man is accused of arson following a string of fires this past weekend. WHO-13 reports 54-year-old Alan Herman Bonin is charged was two counts of arson and possession of methamphetamine. The Marshalltown Fire Department responded to multiple fires Saturday and Sunday, all of which appeared to be set intentionally.

IOWA – Today is Iowa Winter Weather Awareness day, a time to reflect on the various hazards that arrive during the coldest months of the year. According to the National Weather Service, several warnings and advisories are issued based on the conditions formed by snow and ice. The Iowa Department of Transportation encourages anyone traveling this winter to be prepared by checking their 511 Iowa website to see updated road conditions.

DES MOINES – Despite turmoil at the top of its leadership, the Des Moines Public School District passed a $265 million bond issue to pay for an aggressive facilities campaign. The Des Moines Register reports 73 percent of voters supported the measure called Reimagining Education, aimed at improving school facilities, creating enhanced STEM and CTE opportunities, and new athletic facilities. Large initiatives in West Des Moines, Ankeny and Dallas Center-Grimes also all passed.

SPENCER – A Spencer man died in a head on collision in Clay County on Tuesday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports 35-year-old Ryan Cundiff and crossed the center line of a county road near Spencer, colliding with another vehicle. Cundiff was not wearing a seatbelt and died from his injuries. A five-year-old child and the 20-year-old driver of the other vehicle were injured.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services divided a donation match to six food banks in Iowa . Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the funds will be divided based on the number of SNAP recipients serving each area. This includes $145,000 for the River Bend Food Bank in Davenport. The USDA will issue partial SNAP benefits in November based on contingency funds available.

IOWA – Food pantries across the state are seeing significant demand due to the ongoing federal shutdown and potential impacts on SNAP benefits. KCCI-TV reports there will be partial funding for the program providing nutrition to thousands of Iowans, but details remain on how close they will be to normal. Governor Kim Reynolds office said the state will continue matching cash donations to regional food banks up to $1 million. A Waukee food pantry mentioned lines were out the door on Monday.

DES MOINES – Despite a guilty plea a year prior, the former Superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools did not mention it in his application. The Des Moines Register reports Ian Roberts did not disclose in 2023 a prior conviction, despite a question on the application asking if he had committed a crime beyond traffic offenses. Roberts pled guilty to a charge of unlawful presence of a loaded firearm in January 2022 in Pennsylvania. The Iowa Department of Education did not clarify to the Register if doing so was disqualifying for a license.

IOWA – Iowans will hit the polls today for city and school board elections. Since 2019, voters select leaders for municipal government at the most local level. Several schools will also attempt to pass bond issues, including $51 million at Southeast Polk High School. Polls are open until 8 p.m. today.

MARSHALLTOWN – A Marshalltown woman has been killed in an apparent hit-and-run incident. The Iowa State Patrol reports 30-year-old Melanie Katherine Nelson was attempting to cross an intersection, when she was struck by a Dodge Ram Pickup. As of Sunday, the driver of the vehicle is at-large. Nelson died from her injuries.

ARNOLDS PARK – Funds have been secured to turn a northwest Iowa park into protected land. WHO-13 reports Arnolds Park in Dickinson County will now become conservation property after a $1.9 million fundraiser was completed. The 73-acres will be managed by Dickinson County Conservation for water quality, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation uses.

LANSING – The Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation are announcing that a car ferry service will start today to provide an alternative option following the closure of the existing Iowa Mississippi River bridge between Lansing, Iowa, and Crawford County, Wisconsin. The free, 12-vehicle ferry will provide an alternative way for vehicles to cross the river and operate for 16 hours, seven days a week.

DES MOINES— Governor Reynolds announced the state will provide interim support for Iowa’s food banks and pantries if the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits end as expected on Saturday, November 1 due to the federal government shutdown. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is holding two virtual meetings a week with Iowa’s six regional food banks and other food system partners to understand their needs as they prepare for increased demand. The group has identified increased staffing, distribution, and food inventory as primary needs. In response, Governor Reynolds has directed HHS and Volunteer Iowa to recruit and deploy volunteers to support food assistance operations in communities across the state where help is needed.

CRESTON – A Creston man faces a kidnapping charge after police claim a juvenile jumped from his moving vehicle. WHO-13 reports the Union County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported robbery, and found a minor in the road. The victim had jumped from a moving car after a failed online marketplace sale, and claimed the driver had assaulted her. Police arrested 21-year-old Jayden Peavler. The juvenile suffered non-life threatening injuries.

DES MOINES – A Des Moines man was sentenced this week for incest of a minor. KCCI-TV reports the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested 33-year-old Tyler Hardwick in November 2023 after an investigation found he had sexually assaulted a minor. He entered an Alford plea to 10 counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of incest, and faces up to 55 years in prison.