Category: State News

DANBURY – An Iowa farmer who defrauded federal taxpayers out of more than $1.7 million in agricultural subsidies, stole multiple identities, and stalked a witness, was sentenced last week to 13 years in federal prison. Tanner James Seuntjens from Danbury received the prison term after pleading guilty on September 19, 2025, to one count of theft of government funds, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of crop insurance fraud, and one count of stalking. Evidence in Seuntjens’ cases established that, between June 2020 and June 2021, he defrauded the United States Department of Agriculture out of more than $1.5 million in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program grants.

IOWA – An active weather month is set to continue this week across the state of Iowa. According to the National Weather Service, a slight risk of severe weather returns to northern Iowa tonight and southern and eastern Iowa on Tuesday. High temperatures will jump into the mid-80s during the two-day stretch. This comes after multiple rounds of at-times heavy rain impacted Iowans over the past week.

DES MIONES – Iowa’s unemployment rate remained steady in January, according to the most recent update from Iowa Workforce Development. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, which had been revised downward to 3.4 percent for December, held steady at that level in January. The U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 4.3 percent in January.

DES MOINES – Police have identified the victim and made an arrest in connection to a fatal shooting is Des Moines on Friday. WHO-13 reports 46-year-old Sharneeka Evans has been charged with first degree murder. She’s accused of shooting 36-year-old Ashley Maria Hall, who died at the scene of the incident. Police responded to a shooting at an apartment building early Friday morning.

DES MOINES – An active weather week could continue for many, with small chances for severe weather. According to the National Weather Service, multiple rounds of rainfall this weekend could add on to what has been a busy April so far for precipitation. Many of the state’s drought conditions were reduced in the latest weekly report. Additional chances for severe weather return to the state early next week.

APLINGTON – Two nursing home works are facing charges for stealing medications from residents at nursing facilities in Iowa. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports 44-year-old Amanda Renee Stroh and 36-year-old Haylye Christine Lee of Sioux City are facing disciplinary charges of misappropriating medications. Stroh is accused of taking several medications from at least four different residents. Lee faces several other disciplinary charges.

DALLAS COUNTY – The legal defense team of a woman accused of killing Ashley Okland in 2011 is arguing for reduced bond. KCCI-TV reports Kristin Ramsey is scheduled for a bond reduction hearing today in Dallas County District Court. Ramsey’s attorneys have pointed to her community involvement, and the defense includes a letter form her son, Tanner. Ramsey was arrested on March 17th and charged with the murder of a Woodward-area realtor, which was investigated as a cold case.

BONDURANT – A central Iowa principal that resigned after she was accused of being intoxicated on the job allegedly blew into a breathalyzer at twice the legal limit. WHO-13 reports Carrie Ratliff was a principal at Bondurant-Farrar, when the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a public intoxication call on March 9th. Deputies responded to the incident at 1:15 p.m., while school was still in session. The district did not fire Ratliff, and instead, reached a resignation settlement. She’s still receiving her salary through May 31st.

WEST DES MOINES – The first female president of Hy-Vee grocery stores has died. The Des Moines Register reports 63-year-old Donna Tweeten passed away this week. Tweeten worked to make Hy-Vee a national brand, which included an endorsement deal with basketball superstar Caitlin Clark. Tweeten joined Hy-Vee in 2006 as an assistant vice president of marketing.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Senate has sent its property tax bill to the Iowa House with bipartisan support on Wednesday. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports a 41-4 vote on Senate File 2472 sends that measure further into negotiations with other lawmakers and Governor Kim Reynolds, who outlined property tax relief as her top priority this legislative session. The Senate version changes, but does not eliminate, the state’s current rollback system, boosts the Homestead credit to 50%, and makes other changes.

DES MOINES – A report from AAA indicates gas prices in Iowa continue to trend upward. WHO-13 reports the average gallon of gasoline in the state was $3.64 on Wednesday, up 21 cents from last week and 56 from this time in 2025. Diesel prices jumped to $5.10 in the latest weekly update.

DAVENPORT – A Muscatine man was sentenced this week to 15 years in federal prison for transportation of child pornography. According to public court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received CyberTips that an account, later determined to be associated with 45-year-old Clay Dereck Calkins, received and uploaded files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement seized Calkin’s phone during a March 2023 search at his Muscatine residence. After completing his term of imprisonment, Calkins will be required to serve an eight-year term of supervised release.

POWESHIEK COUNTY – Police have identified two people found dead in a submerged vehicle in Poweshiek County. WHO-13 reports 30-year-old Amanda Ray of Des Moines and 29-year-old Joshua Carroll of Montezuma were pronounced dead at the scene after the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office found a car in a drainage pond north of Montezuma. No additional details have been release from the ongoing investigation.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds signed a law that changes training requirements for foster parents. KCCI-TV reports the new law could drop the required time for the state’s program from approximately nine months to around three-to-four months. The law signed by the Governor removes the number of hours for training. The program will keep several required topics before approval.

DES MOINES – Two immigrants who are truck drivers are suing the federal government after they were picked up as part of a joint operation with the Iowa State Patrol and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The Des Moines Register reports two recent cases involve drivers from India and Pakistan, who were arrested in Iowa despite having authorization to work in the United States and had pending cases for asylum. The Iowa State Patrol had pulled over one of the drivers in March for failing to stop at a Dallas County weigh station on Interstate 80.