DES MOINES – President Donald Trump kicked off his series of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of America at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Thursday. The Des Moines Register reports that Trump highlighted the reconciliation bill passed by Congress as part of his speech. Trump will sign the bill today that extends 2017 tax cuts but also makes spending cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. WEBSTER CITY – Two people found dead in a Webster City home earlier this week have been identified. WHO-13 reports 30-year-old Ashley Harbert and 28-year-old Ryan Myers were discovered after what Webster City Police are calling an isolated incident. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner has not released autopsy results to investigators. KOSSUTH COUNTY – A Kossuth County man died in what the county sheriff’s office is calling a fireworks accident. KTIV reports 33-year-old Patrick Prentice was found by first responders unconscious with several injuries following a 911 call on Tuesday. The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office says he held a launcher tube while lighting fireworks.

DES MOINES – President Donald Trump will be in Iowa today for a speech to kick off a year long celebration for the 250th anniversary of the United States. He will speak at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, his first visit to the state since 2024. Several state politicians, including Governor Kim Reynolds, will be in attendance. DES MOINES – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird will run again for her current role, according to the Des Moines Register. She will not join the field of Republicans running for governor in the upcoming June primary. Bird won a close race with longtime Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller in 2022. CHICAGO – Iowa City native Tim Dwight was inducted into the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame in Chicago this week. Dwight led City High to its first state football championship in 1993 by scoring four touchdowns in the state final. He set a state record with 43 touchdowns as a senior. Tim also remains the state’s only able-bodied 12-time champion in Iowa boys track and field history. Dwight was named Gatorade Player of the Year once in football and three times in track and field. Tim began to attract national attention at the University of Iowa, where he was a wide receiver and kick returner for Coach Hayden Fry, earning consensus first-team All-American in 1997 and followed that with 10 years in the NFL.

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff and remain at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Thursday, July 3rd, in honor and remembrance of Iowa Senator Rocky De Witt. The Lawton resident was a career 22-year employee of MidAmerican Energy before he joined the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy. De Witt was elected to the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors in 2016 where he served as board chair. In 2022, De Witt was elected to the Iowa Senate as the representative for District 1. Reynolds issued a proclamation setting Tuesday, August 26th, as the date for a special election for the seat.WASHINGTON D.C. – Both of Iowa’s Senators supported a reconciliation bill that narrowly passed on Wednesday, as it heads back to the U.S. House following several changes. The legislation supported by Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley and spearheaded by the Trump administration extends tax cuts passed by both Senators and Republicans in 2017, but also includes billions of dollars in budget cuts to Medicaid and SNAP programs. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projects the plan approved by the U.S. Senate would cause 12 million Americans to lose health insurance. The U.S. House will choose to vote on the changes by the Senate or get it back to a conference between the chambers. IOWA – Precipitation, heavy in some parts of Iowa, reduced days suitable for fieldwork to just 2.7 during the week ending June 29th, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. While beneficial, the wet conditions limited field activities throughout much of the state. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 69 percent adequate and 21 percent surplus. Reports of corn starting to silk were received, reaching 3 percent. Corn condition rated 0 percent very poor, 2 percent poor, 13 percent fair, 63 percent good and 22 percent excellent. Soybeans blooming reached 22 percent, 3 days ahead of last year and 2 days ahead of normal.

MUSCATINE – A Letts woman was killed in a shooting at a Muscatine Hy-Vee store on Monday. KWQC reports 37-year-old Kalista Hallbery was found dead after reports of shots fired at the supermarket. The suspected shooter is Ian Hernandez of Davenport. He’s accused of fleeing the scene in a minivan, and police found him critically injured with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound near the intersection of Highway 61 and 38. CLARKE COUNTY – A Thayer man was killed and a juvenile was critically injured in a Clarke County UTV crash on Sunday. The Iowa State Patrol reports 45-year-old Andrew James Neisemier was northbound on a rural road and lost control of a Polaris UTV, overturning the vehicle. The man was partially ejected and pronounced dead on scene. A juvenile passenger was transported by helicopter to a hospital with multiple injuries. IOWA – A new hands-free driving law goes into effect today. Iowa Public Radio reports the Iowa State Patrol and Iowa DOT are encouraging use of Bluetooth, auxiliary cables, and phone mounts to comply with the new moving violation rules related to having a device in hand. Through the end of this year, warnings will be issued to violating drivers, with $100 fines starting on January 1st, 2026. DES MOINES – The Iowa Supreme Court narrowly upheld two laws restricting firearm access in the state among its final decisions for the 2024-25 term The Des Moines Register reports 4-3 rulings came to deny challenges to a law criminalizing carrying weapons while subject to a domestic violence protective order and the other while possessing illegal drugs. The dissenting justices believed the bills violated the rights of the defendants.

FAYETTE COUNTY – A bicyclist was killed when he was hit from behind on a rural road in Fayette County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country struck a bicyclist from behind. Several nearby agencies responded to assist, but the 76-year-old rider was pronounced dead on scene. The driver of the Chrysler has been identified as 72-year-old Steve Steinberg of Ossian. IOWA – The number of state-operated beaches not recommended for swimming is up to 10, all testing for excessive amounts of E. Coli. The Des Moines Register reports Backbone, Beeds Lake, Black Hawk, Blue Lake, Bobwhite, Lake Darling, Nine Eagles, North Twin Lake West, Pine Lake South, and Union Grove beaches are all on the updated list from the Iowa DNR as part of weekly testing. INDIANAPOLIS – Former Iowa Hawkeye and current Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark has been named one of the two WNBA All-Star game captains. This is her second appearance in as many seasons for Clark, according to KCCI-TV. Clark has averaged 18.2 points and 8.9 assists per game in her 2nd professional season.