Category: State News

AMES – Two people injured in a shooting in Ames are now facing criminal charges. WHO-13 reports 40-year-old Karl J. Flagg and 31-year-old Quintin L. Evans exchanged gunfire on June 1st at a residence and as Evans tried to flee, Flagg gave chase and shot him three more times. Flagg is charged with attempted murder and control of a firearm by a felon and Evans faces a count of possession of a weapon by a felon.

MAHASKA COUNTY – A man facing a prior conviction on charges of enticing a child was found guilty on more counts in a different case while serving time. KTVO reports 43-year-old Adam Joseph McKinney was found guilty of two counts of second-degree sexual abuse late last week for incidents that occurred in 2003. McKinney has been in the Newton Correctional Facility for enticement of a child in Jefferson County.

DUBUQUE COUNTY – Nearly 300 people attended a public town hall in Dubuque County this week. County leaders are working on an ordinance related to data centers after a one-year hiatus on their development. The Dubuque County Board of Supervisors heard from people voicing concerns about water qualify, property value, and future economic development. The meeting comes a month after a development group purchased land south of Dubuque interesting in constructing a data center.

MADISON COUNTY – A Madison County man has been charged with first-degree murder after police say he admitted to shooting his mother. KCCI-TV reports 23-year-old Theodore Corkrean was arrested after the Madison County Sheriff’s Office found 6-year-old Tammy Corkrean dead with gunshot wounds during a welfare check.

AMES – In a letter to Iowa State University fans on Monday, Athletic Director Jamie Pollard announced that Jack Trice Stadium will sell alcohol moving forward at football games. The move comes as Iowa State University aims to bolster revenue with several financial challenges anticipated due to changing rules. Alcohol sales will now prevent fans from leaving and returning to the stadium during a game.

DES MOINES – Gas prices have had a big drop over the past week. WHO-13 reports the average gallon of fuel in Des Moines dropped by 17 cents by Monday, 85 cents cheaper than it was in late May. Diesel prices also dropped. Experts with GasBuddy caution that steady peace in Iran is not a certainty and that oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz will be key in keeping prices lower.

BREMER COUNTY – The Iowa State Patrol responded to a pair of fatal crashes on Sunday. According to their latest reports, a single vehicle crash resulted in the death of 58-year-old Andrew Lincoln on Storm Lake in Buena Vista County at 9:10 a.m. The other collision involved multiple vehicles in Bremer County in the evening, with one person dying as a result of a head-on crash. That person was not identified.

IOWA – The Iowa Department of Transportation released its latest five year plan recently. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the Gordon Drive Viaduct in Sioux City is scheduled to be replaced at just over $200 million — but is marked as underfunded in the document, noting there are other possible sources. The other is making an interchange for Highway 27/58 in Cedar Falls. The total plan outlines $4.2 billion in projects.

DES MOINES – An Iowa-based non-profit that helps reunite unclaimed cremated remains received a large donation over the weekend. KCCI-TV reports The Final Salute was presented $99,000 on Saturday at their annual convention. The organization reunites the remains of veterans and civilians with their families.

FAIRFIELD – The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the dismissal of a human trafficking charge against a Polk County man will be upheld. KTVO-TV reports Kevin Lind was charged in 2024 with human trafficking involving a minor. However, because he was arrested in a sting operation and before a 2025 law change that allowed for a Class A felony with undercover officers, the charge was ultimately dismissed because there was no victim. He faces several other sex offense charges.

DES MOINES – The nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services has stepped down from the potential director role after his confirmation stalled in the Iowa Senate. KCCI-Tv reports Larry Johnson was appointed to the role by Governor Kim Reynolds in October of 2025, but did not receive the 2/3rds majority required. Current Director of the Iowa Department of Management Kraig Paulsen will now lead the department, and has named Johnson the deputy director.

OKOBOJI – A Johnson resident drowned at Lake Okoboji on Thursday. WHO-13 reports 76-year-old Marsha Bax was identified on Friday following a report of a missing person. She was found dead by the docks at condominiums in Okoboji. No foul play was suspected, according to the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office.

HARLAN – A second person has died on Interstate 880 in western Iowa this week. The Iowa State Patrol reports 31-year-old Dillion Michael Wood of Harlan was ejected from a GMC Acadia in the westbound lanes of the highway on Tuesday morning. Wood died from his injuries in the rollover crash.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Board of Education discussed a new law that allows eighth grade students to play high school sports year-round. KCCI-TV reports the policy changes are still under consideration ahead of August 1st, when local school boards can decide to allow eighth graders to compete at the varsity level. One of the concerns the board is working to address is the “No Pass, No Play” rule that only applies to 9th grade students and older, and how to handle academic eligibility in districts where middle school standards vary from high school.

IOWA – A report was released this week that shows one-third of Iowa households are struggling to meet basic needs. WHO-13 reports the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed, or ALIC Report is based on 2024 data, and shows 34% of Iowans don’t make enough money to afford food, housing, and transportation. However, based on the threshold nationally, Iowa places 4th out of 50 states.