DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A state court has ruled former Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett was legally tossed off the primary ballot to challenge Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. KCCI-TV reports the court has denied his petition to include signatures that have been stricken through, leaving him short of the needed signatures to be eligible for the ballot. It means Reynolds now has no GOP primary challenger.

AMES, IA (IRN) – A customer found a shopping cart with a razor blade attached to the handle at the Walmart in Ames, according to WOI-TV. Police don’t know if the razors are being placed on the carts to harm people or as a tactic for robbers to shoplift.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa farmers are worried about warnings of a 25 percent increase in tariffs from China on soybeans and beef, both of which are on a list of $50 billion in U.S. goods that could be hit. One in every three rows of Iowa soybeans is exported to China.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a shooting Wednesday at a Des Moines bar.
KCCI-TV reports police were called to the Triple Double bar on reports of a shooting. Three shots were fired from the parking lot, and one person suffered a minor injury. Three men were taken into custody. The shooting was the third in five months at the bar.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Pinky the Pit Bull could be heading back home for the first time in two years after a split decision by the Iowa Court of Appeals on Wednesday. WHO-TV reports
Des Moines Police impounded Pinky in March 2016 after the dog attacked a neighbor’s cat. The city ruled that Pinky should be put down after labeling the dog as dangerous under a city ordinance. The court says the ordinance is too vague. The cat was seriously injured but recovered.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Literary leaders from across the globe are coming together in a local community that is famous for producing world-class writers. KWWL-TV reports the event is happening in Iowa City this week. As the host of the annual meeting, Iowa City celebrates its tenth year of being designated as an UNESCO City of Literature.

BEDFORD, IA (IRN) – Minor injuries were reported in a school bus rollover crash in southern Iowa Wednesday morning. KMA Radio reports the crash happened in Taylor County near Bedford. Approximately 15 students were on board.

CHINA (IRN) – The Chinese government is striking back after President Trump imposed a $50 billion tariff on Chinese products last week. In response, on Monday the Chinese imposed a tariff on U.S. pork, and CNN reports China announced plans yesterday to impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion worth of US exports. The 106 affected products include the agricultural commodities soybeans, wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum, tobacco and beef.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man has been charged with 15 counts of animal neglect after police removed nearly 50 cats – many of them dead – from his home last month. The Des Moines Register reports that 55-year-old Leland Anthony Moffitt was charged after animal control officers spent several days removing 32 alive and 17 dead cats from his home.

CENTER POINT, IA (IRN) – An eastern Iowa transgender boy will be going to an American Legion summer program called Boys State. KCRG-TV reports Emmet Cummings was born a female and is transitioning into a male. He was selected by the Center Point Chapter of the American Legion to attend Boys State. But later, the state legion board denied his application, saying transgender boys aren’t allowed. The state board has now changed its position, saying Cummings can attend.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new Iowa law will allow people to buy a cheaper form of health insurance that skirts Affordable Care Act rules. KWQC-TV reports the law will allow Iowa’s Farm Bureau to partner with insurance companies to offer plans that technically aren’t defined as insurance. The plans, which won’t be regulated by the state, aren’t required to cover maternity care and mental health, don’t have to offer protections to people with pre-existing conditions and can implement annual limits on coverage.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man forced a teenager to have sex with men for money up to four times a day, according to KCRG-TV. Arrion West faces various charges including human trafficking of a person under 18, pimping, domestic abuse assault, false imprisonment and pandering for prostitution. The victim says her first sex act for money was in Cedar Rapids and that she earned $125 and had to give all of the money to West. The victim says since that first day, she had sex every day, with some days including three to four times.

WORTH COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A traffic stop in Worth County resulted in a woman being found with a fake $100 bill, four cell phones and a loaded syringe underneath the passenger seat. KIMT-TV reports she also was found to be in possession of methamphetamine, marijuana, Acetaminophen and Hydrocodone. She’s in jail.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man is in the hospital after stealing a car in Des Moines, robbing a bank, and leading police on a chase that ended in a crash. KCCI-TV reports the man stole a BMW, drove to northwestern Iowa town of Moville, robbed a bank, and fled police. During the crash, the car flew several hundred feet into the air, flipped end over end several times, and blew out all of the tires and airbags. He faces numerous charges.

IOWA (IRN) – The National Safety Council claims only 13 states implemented comprehensive plans to stop overdoses from opioids and Iowa was not one of them. In fact, Iowa was one of eight “failing” states.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque tattoo artist will remove hateful tattoos for free. The Quad Cities Times reports Robert Bader, owner of the Crow’s Nest tattoo and body piercing shop, is offering free removals for people with tattoos related to gangs, hate speech, racism or human trafficking. Bader says he’s doing it for free to give people a fresh start after they realize how wrong they have been, and because, “when removing hateful tattoos, it’s another step in removing hate from the world.”

CLARKSVILLE, IA (IRN) – Eastern Iowa native Maddie Poppe is moving on to the next round of American Idol, following her performance Sunday night when she sang a song she wrote called “Don’t Ever Let Your Children Grow Up.” The Clarksville native is one of 24 artists who were selected by judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on Monday night.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shots fired call on the city’s south side this morning. KCCI-TV reports Des Moines police have confirmed one death in the shooting, and said it is considered a homicide. The DCI is assisting.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A woman is recovering from a stabbing in Dubuque Sunday, according to KWWL-TV. Dubuque Police were called to a disturbance, and saw people pulling a man off a woman, who was lying on the ground. She had been stabbed, but will recover. A traffic camera caught the incident on tape.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A decomposed body was found Sunday along the riverbank below a bridge near downtown Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports a pedestrian who was walking near the bridge made the report. The body appears to be an adult male with long hair, and the remains have been at the location for a considerable length of time.

BEIJING, CHINA (IRN) – China is rolling out new tariffs on U.S. meat, fruit and other products as retaliation against taxes approved by President Trump on imported steel and aluminum. The tariffs begin today, and the tariff rate is increasing on eight imported U.S. products, including pork, by 25 percent. China is also imposing a new 15 percent tariff on 120 imported U.S. commodities, including fruits.

DECORAH, IA (IRN) – The first Decorah eaglet of 2018 has arrived. At 7:25 a.m. Sunday, the Raptor Resource Project‘s eaglet D29 hatched. Mom Decorah’s most recent egg was laid in February. Millions of people tune in to watch the live feed from the eagles’ nest, which has gained worldwide attention. Those watching the webcam Sunday morning found it egg-citing.