IOWA – Iowa has joined 30 other states in banning handheld cellphone use while driving. The Des Moines Register reports Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate Fill 22 on Wednesday. The bill goes into effect on July 1st, 2025 and adds fines for use, with some exceptions for law enforcement and utility workers. Reynolds read out the names of those who have died due to crashes related to distracted driving during the ceremony, with many surviving family members in attendance. DES MOINES, – A Boone man was sentenced to five years in federal prison for attempted transfer of obscene material to a person he believed to be a minor. According to public court documents, Travis Lee Morgan used a Facebook account to communicate with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old female, but was instead a law enforcement officer. Between June and August 2023, Morgan sent numerous explicit videos and images. IOWA CITY – University of Iowa first-year head coach Jan Jensen is the 2025 NCAA Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced on Monday. The award honors a head coach who has led their team to a successful season during their first year on the sideline. It is named in honor of the late Maggie Dixon, who in her inaugural season as the Army head coach, led the Black Knights to the 2006 Patriot League title and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship tournament shortly before her unexpected death following the season.

DES MOINES – An Iowa magistrate faces potential sanctions from the Iowa Supreme Court for alleged use of a racial slur. The Des Moines Register reports David J. Hanson is accused of using the language that refers to undocumented Mexican nationals living in the United States, and he claims he was unaware of the connotations. He had a contentious exchange with the Iowa Supreme Court late last week. The Iowa Judicial Qualifications Commission has recommended a suspension for the part-time magistrate in Fayette County. CEDAR RAPIDS – A second term state representative has resigned effective immediately to serve on the Linn County Board of Supervisors. KCRG-TV reports Sami Scheetz will fill a vacancy at the county level. He was one of 17 applications for the position. Scheetz is a Democrat who served in the Iowa House since 2022. A special election will be called for that new vacancy. WINTERSET – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is looking into possible misconduct in Madison County. WHO-13 reports the county sheriff forwarded a complaint on about a consulting firm hired by County Auditor Teri Kaczinski. The auditor hired Craig Bergman of the Robert Morris Group and paid out just over $7300 for 29 hours allegedly worked at the courthouse. The move was not approved by the Madison County Board of Supervisors, which caused public outcry due to ongoing budget cuts. Sheriff Jason Barnes says there are concerns about what access Bergman had to voting machines and records of citizens.

ATLANTIC – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made her first official stops in Iowa on Monday. She was joined by Governor Kim Reynolds, Senator Joni Ernst, Representative Zach Nunn, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig at a biofuels production facility in Atlantic, a crop and hog farm in Waukee, and a soybean producer in Colfax. Rollins was the keynote speaker at the Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner in the evening. DES MOINES – The Iowa Attorney General’s Office announced that two Des Moines police officers who shot and killed a man earlier this year were justified. WHO-13 reports Officers Neal Shaffer and Titus Deford responded to an incident involving a suspicious person. The report indicated that 43-year-old David Leroy Kintz had lunged at officers with a screwdriver when they stopped him for questioning. DES MOINES – Iowa’s high school graduation rate climbed nearly a full percentage point, reaching 88.3% for the graduating class of 2024, according to figures released by the Iowa Department of Education. A total of 34,158 Iowa students earned their high school diplomas in the class of 2024. Iowa’s four-year graduation rate experienced by students with disabilities is 70.3%, representing an increase of 2.4 percentage points. The graduation rate for students from low-income backgrounds as determined by eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals is 80.2% which is a 1.5 percentage point increase from the previous year.DES MOINES – The newly-hired Men’s Basketball coach at the University of Iowa was recognized for his efforts at Drake University this past season. Ben McCollum was selected as the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year, according to KCCI-Tv, given to the best Division I first-year head coach in the country. McCollum guided the Bulldogs in his first and only season the NCAA Round of 32.

IOWA – The new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture is making her first visit to Iowa today. The Des Moines Register reports Brooke Rollins is visiting an ethanol facility, hog farm, and soy bean producer before speaking in Ankeny this evening. Governor Kim Reynold and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will host the event tonight. MINNESOTA – The Federal Aviation Administration is leading an investigation into a plane crash in Minnesota for an aircraft that departed from Des Moines on Saturday. All who were aboard the single-engine turboprop were killed as the crash hit a suburban Minneapolis home, according to KCCI-TV. The plane was registered to a U.S. Bank executive. The National Transportation Safety Board is handling the investigation. IOWA – This week to close out the month of March and begin April, it’ll be another with active spring weather, including a few windy days Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition on Tuesday, light rain with some rain/snow mix enters northern Iowa with strong to severe storms forecast Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds signed 11 bills into law on Friday. KCCI-TV reports that includes increasing the penalties for grooming minors to include tier one sex offender registration, expansion of open container laws to include THC, and allowing essential EMS funding to be used for Emergency Medical Care providers. Sport betting winnings are now considered taxable income. IOWA – Drought conditions improved in the latest weekly report. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows just over one-third of the state remains in moderate conditions, down from 56% last week. However, 79% of Iowa remains abnormally dry after below-average snowfall this past winter. Marginal chances for severe weather exist locally this weekend over the southern half of the state.