WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Joni Ernst’s office released a statement that she is “laser-focused” on her work in the legislature in response to a report about possible interest in becoming the Secretary of Defense. The Des Moines Register reported that NOTUS, a non profit newsroom, reported on Monday that Ernst would be open to working in the next Trump administration. A spokesperson for Ernst said Iowa’s junior senator remains focused on advancing in Senate leadership at this time. LAURENS – More than 90 employees at the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky distribution center in Laurens will be let go by January. WHO-13 reports the Iowa Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification webpage showed the company gave notice that 91 employees are part of a “mass layoff.” The current expected last day is January 24th, according to the report. IOWA CITY – An Iowa City woman has been charged for the death of a bicyclist earlier this fall. KCRG-TV reports that the Johnson County Attorney’s Office announced the arrest on Friday, and that 77-year-old Ok Soon Lee allegedly hit 41-year-old Ashlee Hopkins during the Farm Cycle Ride on September 15th. Hopkins died from her injuries.

DES MOINES – Widely regarded as one of the most accurate pollsters in the nation, the firm responsible for the Des Moines Register political poll is assessing a massive miss from the final results on election day. KCCI-TV reports that J. Ann Selzer wrote an op-ed in the Des Moines Register claims she used the same method that accurately predicted Donald Trump’s victories in the state in 2016 and 2020, when reporting a slight lead for Vice President Kamala Harris just before the election. Trump won the state by an even larger margin in 2024, and thus, had the Iowa Poll miss by more than a dozen points. IOWA CITY – While WBNA Rookie of the Year and two-time National College Women’s Basketball player of the Year Caitlin Clark whipped the state of Iowa and the nation into a frenzy over the past few years, it has not translated into the high school game. Sports Illustrated released a report late last week that Sibley-Ocheyedan and West Sioux shuttered their high school girls basketball teams in the coming season. This has spurred rumors that a few more schools may make the move after practice started last Monday. CEDAR FALLS – The longtime head coach of the UNI Panthers football team is retiring. The university issued a release on Sunday noting that Mark Farley will end his 24 seasons at the helm of the program following the conclusion of the ongoing season. Farley is the winningest coach in Missouri Valley Conference History, with 182. He guided the Panthers to seven conference titles and was the 2007 FCS National Coach of the Year.

IOWA – Iowa corn production is forecast at 2.63 billion bushels according to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Crop Production report. Based on conditions as of November 1, yields are expected to average 213.0 bushels per acre, down 1.0 bushel per acre from the October 1 forecast but up 12 from last year. Corn planted acreage is estimated at 12.9 million acres, with an estimated 12.4 million acres to be harvested for grain. Soybean production is forecast at 608 million bushels. The yield is forecast at 61.0 bushels per acre, down 3.0 from the October forecast but up 3 from 2023. Soybean planted acreage is estimated at 10.1 million acres with 9.97 million acres to be harvested.DES MOINES – A group aiming to improve school safety in the state has made its first batch of recommendations ahead of the upcoming legislative session. KCCI-TV reports the Governor’s School Safety Task Force mentioned increasing shatterproof windows, panic buttons, and door locks. It recommends locating communication dead zones — but also suggested new funding would be needed for the effort. CLIVE – The state librarian of Iowa has been charged for alleged dissemination of obscene material to a minor. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports 53-year-old Michael Lynn Scott was arrested on Friday by Clive Police. Court records indicate Scott used the app KiK to communicate with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old. Scott is accused of sending pictures of his own face before sharing obscene material. The individual Scott was messaging with turned out to be a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Scott has been serving as the State of Iowa Librarian, according to financial documents.

ANKENY – One person has died in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 35 in Ankeny. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Chevy Impala driven by 91-year-old Paul Jaques of Burnsville, Minnesota was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes just after 5 p.m. Thursday. Four vehicles ended up colliding due to the wrong-way driver, who died from his injuries. CENTERVILLE – Recordings from a Centerville School Board closed session held in February 2023 have been released. KCCI-TV reports the Iowa Freedom of Information Council filed a lawsuit to allege a violation of open meeting laws. The meeting was held in to discuss the eventual resignation of former guidance counselor and baseball coach Ryan Hodges, who was accused of grooming and sexually harassing a student. No criminal charges were filed.IOWA – A burst of heavy rain last week has relieved drought conditions, or at least its severity, across most of the state. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report shows severe drought dipped from 51 to 13% over the last week. Many communities received 3-5″ of rainfall in about a week’s time, from October 30th to November 5th. More rainfall remains possible on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa – Following a joint investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Webster City Police Department, 26-year-old Gunner Jones of Webster City has been charged with first degree murder in connection with the April 16, 2023, death of a 10-month-old infant. Webster City officers and emergency personnel responded to a 911 call reporting an unresponsive infant at a residence in Webster City. The infant was transported to Van Diest Medical Center and later transferred to Blank Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased later that morning. The investigation and medical examinations revealed injuries consistent with child abuse, leading authorities to rule the death a homicide. Evidence gathered during the investigation led authorities to believe that Gunner Jones had access to the infant and caused the fatal injuries. EARLVILLE – Three people involved in a fatality motor vehicle collision that occurred on U.S. Highway 20 on October 13th in Delaware County is being investigating. A preliminary investigation by the Iowa State Patrol revealed a 2014 Chevrolet Impala occupied by three adult males was eastbound, when for an indeterminate reason, the vehicle crossed the median and continued eastbound in the westbound lanes for over one mile. The Chevrolet ultimately collided head-on with a 2018 Freightliner Straight-Truck, resulting in both vehicles becoming fully engulfed in flames. The occupants of the Chevrolet were pronounced deceased on the scene, while the operator of the Freightliner sustained minor injuries. The occupants of the vehicles involved in the fatality motor vehicle collision have now been positively identified. The driver of the 2014 Chevrolet Impala was identified as Tijuan Devell White of Robbinsdale, Minnesota, the front seat passenger was identified as Tyrese Devell Johnson of Minneapolis, and rear seat passenger was identified as Augustine T. Monboe, 38, of Robbinsdale. The investigation determined that Tijuan White sustained a gunshot wound prior to colliding with Bergfeld’s truck. Due to extensive fire damage to White’s vehicle, the manner of death remains undetermined.