Category: State News

DES MOINES – State Auditor Rob Sand released a report about the cost of the state’s Education Savings Account program. WHO-13 reports the funding for students to attend private schools cost $329.6 million in the previous fiscal year. Sand says the new legislation allowed just under 8,900 students who didn’t attend a private institution to do so — the rest were already going. He claims his office has not been allowed to audit the program by Governor Kim Reynolds. Sand also stated that the number of private schools has grown by 25% since the legislation was passed three years ago.

LOS ANGELES – An Iowa native was among eight people killed when a B-52 bomber crashed in Southern California. KCCI-TV reports Maj. Brad Hovey was born in Algona and was a graduate of both ADM High School and Iowa State University. The 35-year-old was a pilot serving with the 419th Flight Test Squadron in the U.S. Air Force.

MARSHALLTOWN – A powerful complex of thunderstorms produced wind speeds over 90 MPH on Wednesday morning. According to the National Weather Service, a gust of 94 MPH was reported in Marshalltown for morning storms that pushed through central and eastern Iowa. Multiple other reports of damage and winds over 70 MPH were also noted. A calmer few days is ahead before more rain and storms return this weekend.

MINDEN – A Minden man was found in an upside down vehicle near Interstate 880 on Monday afternoon. The Iowa State Patrol reports officers responded to a call of a Subaru Legacy upside down in Mosquito Creek. Officers believe the vehicle driven by 22-year-old Aaron Charles Roloff left the road, crossed the median, and struck a bridge railing, causing it to go airborne. The crash remains under investigation.

DAVENPORT – A Burlington man was sentenced this week to 10 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to public court documents, in March 2024, law enforcement encountered 48-year-old Michael Alexander Patoir during a traffic stop. Patoir was in possession of more than nine and a half pounds of methamphetamine in the backseat of his vehicle.

IOWA – A contagious virus that was detected in a small commercial swine facility in Iowa earlier this year has been eradicated. WHO-13 reports the Pseudorabies virus was found in April in an Iowa swine herd. The virus can cause abortion and stillbirths, respiratory issues, and sometimes death. Secretary Mike Naig said the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s response to the virus, outlined by the USDA, was successful in halting the spread of the illness.

GRIMES – A Grimes father now faces a murder charge in the death of a two-month old infant. WHO-13 reports 23-year-old Dylan James Brown initially faced several other criminal charges after admitting to hitting a baby dozens of times. He now faces a first degree murder charge after the initial series of criminal accusations were dropped to allow for a more detailed autopsy report to be completed.

DES MOINES – Two Libertarian candidates were removed from the 2026 general election by the State Objection Panel. KCCI-TV reports the group made up of Secretary of State Paul Pate, Attorney General Brenna Bird, and State Auditor Rob Sand reviewed objections against candidates seeking elected office. The panel voted to remove both Marco Battaglia and Jules Cutler. Battaglia’s legal name is Mark Thomas Anderson.

IOWA – Two rounds of storms appear possible on Wednesday, with the highest risk in southeast Iowa during the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. There remains some uncertainty if storms can develop in the afternoon, but if they do, they could pose a threat for large hail, damaging wind gusts, heavy rain, and a tornado or two.

DES MOINES – The former superintendent of the Des Moines Public School system serving federal prison time for immigration status charges used a fake Social Security card to get hired locally. The Des Moines Register detailed a memo filed by prosecutors in U.S. District Court, claiming Ian Roberts used the document to back up his claim of citizenship. Roberts pled guilty to federal charges and is serving time in prison before likely deportation.

HARRISON COUNTY – A juvenile was killed in a single vehicle crash in Harrison County on Thursday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Ford F-150 was traveling at a high rate of speed along the Tama Trail before striking an embankment. The 15-year-old was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.

DES MOINES – Air travelers using the Des Moines International Airport will experience changes while traveling to the facility. KCCI-TV reports construction on a new terminal will impact vehicles making their way to the space starting today. Passenger and commercial curbs will be reduced to a single lane over the next few weeks.

DES MOINES – An Iowa native and former Masters champion won the Principal Charity Golf Classic in his first appearance at the event. WHO-13 reports Zach Johnson shot a 5-under 67 at Wakonda Club to earn the victory. Johnson is a Cedar Rapids native now competing on the PGA Champions Tour.

TAYLOR COUNTY – Authorities found a fisherman in a southern Iowa lake on Friday. WHO-13 reports the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call in the afternoon for a person who had gone under the water at Wilson Lake near Lenox. Nearly 15 minutes after the call, first responders had removed the man from the water. Despite life saving efforts, the man died.

IOWA – Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 11 Iowa counties on Friday for continuing severe weather. KCRG-TV reports the declaration allows for state assistance programs. Several rounds of severe weather have impacted the state this spring and summer, with multiple tornadoes, wind storms, rounds of hail, and flash flooding causing damage in Iowa communities.

IOWA – Six public beaches in Iowa are posted with swimming not recommended warnings. KCCI-TV reports the Iowa Department of Natural Resources have tested for high levels of E. Coli, finding those amounts at Backbone, Black Hawk, Clear Lake, Crandalls, Emerson Bay, and Lake Darling beaches.