Category: State News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two people are hospitalized in serious condition after getting shot on Des Moines’ north side Saturday night. Police say a man and a woman were both hit by gunfire while inside a vehicle. A neighbor watched as the violence unfolded and said there was an argument before the shooting started.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A house fire in Cedar Rapids Saturday resulted in the occupants being displaced. No one was hurt.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Downtown Farmers’ Market, the Iowa City Farmers’ market as well as farmers markets in Waterloo, Marion, Cedar Rapids and other cities returned Saturday with huge crowds and big smiles under masks. The pandemic forced the traditional markets to close last year.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Former University of Iowa All-American Chuck Darling has passed away at the age of 91 in Colorado. Darling was a two-sport star for the Hawkeyes, earning three letters in basketball (1950-52) and two in track (1950-51). Born in Denison, Iowa, Darling is one of three players in program annals to be a consensus first-team All-American, earning the distinction as a senior in 1952.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a series of new laws on Friday, one of which may draw a lawsuit from the federal government. The law would allow Iowa landlords to refuse tenants who use federal housing assistance. Some cities and counties in the state have ordinances that ban discriminating against Section 8 renters. This law makes those ordinances legal.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A new law makes it a crime for a sex offender to babysit in Iowa. Governor Reynolds signed House File 710 into law Friday, declaring any sex offender who knowingly has “control” or “unsupervised access” to a child is guilty of child endangerment. The only exceptions are for cases where the sex offender is the parent or married to and living with a parent of the child.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – State Auditor Rob Sand is calling Governor Reynold’s decision to give back $95 million federal COVID-19 relief funds a ‘partisan stunt’ that cost the state jobs. The money was earmarked for schools.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Board of Regents has announced the new University of Iowa president. Barbara Wilson will be the 22nd University of Iowa president. She previously served as executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Illinois. She accepted a five-year contract with an annual salary of $600,000.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man charged with leaving a threatening voicemail telling Gov. Kim Reynolds she should be “hung for treason” defended his comments Thursday as free speech, saying he was expressing opposition to COVID-19 restrictions. Harvey Hunter Jr., 48, is charged with first-degree harassment for the profane Jan. 5 message he left on a governor’s office phone line set up to gather input over whether Reynolds should continue the partial statewide mask mandate.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman was injured in a shooting Thursday night in Des Moines. She is the fourth person in the city to be shot in 24 hours.

AMES, IA (IRN) – The Ames Police Department is investigating the weekend death of a toddler as “suspicious.” No charges have been filed.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to require more Iowa gas stations to offer ethanol may have hit a snag Thursday at the Statehouse. Reynolds’ Renewable Fuel Bill passed out of a Senate subcommittee on Thursday morning. An amendment to that bill would add liability protection for retailers and exempt the E15 standard for those who have incompatible pumps. Many complain they can’t afford to upgrade their tanks claiming it will cost retailers $1 billion.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds is having the state of Iowa return $95 million in COVID relief funding to the federal government. During an interview on Fox News on Thursday night, Gov. Reynolds said that the money was “additional” and supposed to be used to get kids back into the classroom and do surveillance testing. She says we don’t need it because our kids were back in school quickly. Des Moines Public Schools didn’t return until October.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Casey’s General Stores agreed Wednesday to sell six of its gas stations to end antitrust allegations. The planned sale comes in response to a Federal Trade Commission complaint that the Ankeny company’s proposed acquisition of the Omaha, Nebraska-based Bucky’s Convenience Stores chain would increase its monopoly power in some parts of Iowa and Nebraska. Casey’s agreed to sell six stations: five in Nebraska and one in Council Bluffs. Half of the locations are Casey’s stores, and the other half are Bucky’s stations.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds said she believes it’s a good idea to build a wrought iron fence around Terrace Hill for protection. The Iowa Department of Public Safety will pay $400,000 for the fence. The Iowa State Patrol said this has been in the works since 2017, but recent death threats against the governor sped up the process.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – With interest in coronavirus vaccines lagging in much of Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds says public health officials plan to make shots available at gathering spots like farmers markets and sports events. Reynolds says the state is holding talks with groups including the Iowa Cubs baseball team and Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market about holding mass vaccination clinics at those sites.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – American Airlines is returning to twice daily scheduled service from the Waterloo Region Airport to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The service will begin on Thursday, June 3.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa senior men’s basketball player Jordan Bohannon announced that he will play for the Hawkeyes in the 2021-22 season. The NCAA granted eligibility relief to winter sport athletes during the 2020-21 academic year due to the pandemic, so Bohannon has another season of eligibility.

IOWA FALLS, IA (IRN) – Emergency crews have recovered the body of a man who reportedly jumped into the Iowa River in Iowa Falls Tuesday. A 911 caller reported a man was in distress after jumping into the river. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

SCOTT COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Joshua Pendleton will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing pastor Al Henderson in 2019. A Scott County jury returned guilty verdicts on charges of First Degree Murder and Robbery Tuesday. The fatal assault happened outside St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge where Henderson was pastor. Pendleton was carrying Henderson’s cell phone when he was arrested.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department is investigating a crash involving one of its squad cars Tuesday. A passenger vehicle entered Hickman Road from a private driveway, colliding with the squad car. The passenger vehicle hit a utility pole, and debris from the crash hit a pedestrian. Four were transported to the hospital with apparent non-life-threatening injuries.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill banning COVID vaccine identification cards being required at certain places continues to move forward at the Iowa statehouse. House File 889 would deny local governments, public universities, K-12 schools and businesses from receiving state funding or contracts for requiring COVID vaccine passports, which is an ID card showing individuals received the COVID-19 vaccination.

PEOSTA, IA (IRN) – The Northeast Iowa Community College in Peosta is going to tackle a shortage of aviation mechanics with a new avionics electronic technician program. The program is a partnership between NICC, the University of Dubuque, and the Dubuque Regional Airport.