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.

IOWA – Election results strongly favored Republicans in Iowa. President-elect Donald Trump won 56.3% of the vote in the Hawkeye State, improving upon his margins of victory in 2016 and 2020. At least three of the four U.S. House seats are also called by the Associated Press for Republicans — Iowa District One slightly favors the incumbent, Mariannette Miller Meeks, but was too close to call. Miller-Meeks herself did declare victory late Tuesday night. IOWA – Many Iowa communities received 4-6″ of rainfall over the last week, according to the National Weather Service. The totals exceeded the previous four months combined for many cities and rain gauges. More rain appears to be on the way this Saturday, and the Climate Prediction Center has forecasted a wet November.

IOWA – Much needed rain across the State meant Iowa farmers had just 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending November 3rd, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included harvesting corn and soybeans, completing fall tillage, and applying fall fertilizer and manure. Harvest of the corn for grain crop reached 92 percent statewide, six days ahead of last year and two weeks ahead of the five-year average. Moisture content of field corn harvested for grain remained steady at 14 percent.DES MOINES – A shooter involved in a deadly drive-by shooting at East High School was sentenced on Monday. WHO-13 reports Alex Santiago Perdomo is going to prison for life for the killing of 15-year-old Jose Lopez. Santiago Perdomo pled guilty to first degree murder last year to the incident.

IOWA – An Iowa-based poll known for its accuracy in predicting outcomes in the state has shown a dramatic shift in the 2024 General Election just days from November 5th. The Des Moines Register Poll, conducted by J. Ann Selzer, shows Vice President Kamala Harris with a three-point lead over former President Donald Trump in Iowa. The 45th president won Iowa by significant margins in 2016 and 2020 — both of which were accurately predicted by the pollster. The numbers also show gains for Democrats on the generic congressional ballot in U.S. Districts 1 and 2 — both rated as toss-ups by national election forecasters. That includes a 16-point lead for Democrats in the district held by current U.S. Representative and Republican Marianette Miller-Meeks. The poll has a 3.3% margin-of-error. IOWA – Three more fatal crashes have added to what has been an autumn of above-average deaths on Iowa’s roadways. The Iowa State Patrol responded to three crashes in Story, Cerro Gordo, and Lee Counties from Thursday through Saturday. Among those are 67-year-old John Husted Berg of Ames, who was traveling in the wrong lane of 13th Street in Ames late on Halloween and collided head on with another vehicle while not wearing a seatbelt. Fifty-nine-year-old Michelle Schultz was walking along Interstate 35 at 1:16 Saturday morning and was struck by a box truck driven by Henry Moss, Jr. of Des Moines. A BMW driven by 234-year-old Josue Alexander Boton Pinula failed to yield at a stop sign near the intersection of U.S. 218 and Iowa Highway 16 and was struck by tractor and trailer in the southbound lanes. This comes has traffic deaths in Iowa exceed 2023 numbers by 11 in September and nine in October. That has pushed 2024 into being the second most-deadly on Iowa’s roadways in the last five years. IOWA – The average price received by farmers for corn during September 2024 in Iowa was $4.09 per bushel according to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service report. This was 7 cents abovethe August price but $1.13 below September 2023. The September 2024 average price received by farmers for soybeans, at $10.00 per bushel, was 10 cents below the August price and $3.10 below the September 2023 price.