DES MOINES – Governor Reynolds has announced that eight troopers and two sergeants from the Iowa Department of Public Safety will deploy March 31 to Texas in support of Operation Lone Star and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The deployment will last 28 days and conclude on April 27. The Iowa National Guard will deploy on two mission. The first deployment will begin April 1and conclude May 3, with 110 personnel supporting the Texas Military Department’s security objectives. The second deployment will conclude September 30th with 5 personnel providing ground vehicle maintenance and public affairs support. All costs will be covered by federal funding allocated to Iowa from the American Rescue Plan. RED OAK – The fertilizer spill near Red Oak in Montgomery County earlier this month killed nearly all the fish in an almost 50-mile stretch of the East Nishnabotna River to the Missouri border, totaling at just under 750,000. On March 11, NEW Cooperative, Inc. in Red Oak notified the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of a release occurring on-site. Approximately 1,500 tons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer discharged into a drainage ditch, then into the East Nishnabotna River. The release occurred due to an aboveground storage tank valve left open for the weekend. DNR staff from the Environmental Field Office worked with the NEW Cooperative staff to stop the release and began cleanup efforts. DNR Fisheries staff began investigating the impacts and documented the fish kill occurring in all 50 miles of the East Nishnabotna and Nishnabotna Rivers downstream of the spill. BOSTON – A late effort in a primetime contest was not enough for the Iowa State Cyclones basketball team, as the men fell to Illnois 72-69 in the Sweet 16. The Cyclones were the last Iowa-based team in the men’s tournament; Iowa’s No. 1 seeded women take on Colorado Saturday.

DES MOINES – Major changes are now officially coming to Area Education Agencies in Iowa. Governor Kim Reynolds celebrated the signing of House File 2612, which shifted large amounts of guaranteed funding from AEAs to school districts who would rather use private services. The bill also established a state aid increase for students at 2.5% and increased base teacher pay for new teachers and those with 12 years of experience. The bill caps administrator pay for AEA leaders as well. HILLS – One day removed from a vote to close its hometown school, the City of Hills is wanting the facility back after its closure. KCRG-TV reports city officials and residents believe the Iowa City School District should essentially donate the elementary school back to the town, as Hills initially sold the building to the district for $1 in the 1960s. The school board unanimously approved closure of the Hills Elementary School in response to budget reductions across the district. CLIVE – The $1.13 billion jackpot in Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing was won with a ticket in New Jersey. Three Iowa tickets were just a number away from having a share of that jackpot, matching four of the first five numbers and the Mega Ball. One of those tickets won a $10,000 prize, while two won a $20,000 prize. The winners purchased their tickets in Ankeny, Burlington, and Dubuque.

WATERLOO – The Waterloo Police Department has requested the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to investigate an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Waterloo. One Monday afternoon, employees at Victory Motors called 911 to report that a neighbor, later identified as 41-year-old John Piazza put a gun to an employee’s face and fired a round at the property. Employees stated Piazza told them he would return with a rifle. Police claim they observed a male fitting the description near the windows of the residence with a long gun. A Waterloo police officer observed Piazza point a long gun out of a window towards officers. The officer fired at Piazza, striking him. Officers entered the residence and found Piazza deceased. DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds is going to sign a bill highlighting a pre-session priority that garnered bipartisan opposition across the state. House File 2612 will become law as it overhauls Area Education Agencies in Iowa. A few Republicans in both the house and senate joined in Democratic opposition as the vast majority of educators in Iowa also were against major changes to AEAs and how they operate. The director of the Heartland AEA in Central Iowa expects they will have to cut close to $18 million in their operations, knowing some school districts will leave their umbrella. The measure redirects all funding outside of special education back to school districts, who can now hire private firms for media and professional services. HILLS – The Iowa City School Board voted unanimously to close Hills Elementary Tuesday. KCRG-TV reports the move was made to try and preserve jobs in the district after the system faced millions in budget cuts. Local residents pleaded with the board to save the small school, worried about the impact it would have on the small town just outside of Iowa City’s limits. The board says they’ve had to reduce their budget for nearly two years as state aid has fallen well short of inflation and due to declining enrollment.

DES MOINES – A Des Moines man is accused of deliberately set a fire during an argument with his girlfriend over the weekend. WHO-13 reports 36-year-old Pah Lo Baw faces charges of attempted murder and arson following the incident Sunday. Emergency responders rushed to a call of a fire they were told was started intentionally, and arrived to it extinguished. Baw is accused of pouring gas throughout the home and on his girlfriend with the intent of setting both adults on fire. DES MOINES – Senate Republicans sent a bill to Governor Kim Reynolds that would restrict local entities from regulating stormwater and soil. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Senate File 455 passed on partisan lines and bans cities and counties from having regulations that are more restrictive than state or federal guidelines. IOWA CITY – Top-seeded Iowa women’s basketball defeated eighth-seed West Virginia, 64-54, on Monday night inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the fourth time since 2019. All-American Caitlin Clark led Iowa with 32 points and eight rebounds in her final ever game in her home gym. Clark broke the NCAA’s single season scoring record surpassing Washington’s, Kelsey Plum.

FONDA – A nurse has been charged in the death of a U.S. Army veteran in an Iowa nursing home. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports 69-year-old Becky Sue Manning faces a count of neglect of a health care facility resident. The licensed practical nurse is accused of refusing to provide physician ordered care to 89-year-old Marvin Jacobs. The veteran died in February of 2023 after having undergone a tracheostomy, which meant he had a suctioning machine by his bedside. Another staff member had noticed Jacobs struggling to breathe, and that individual went to Manning for help. Prosecutors claim Manning ignored four staff members’ request to suction the man for air and their pleas to call 911, and instead was slow in her own assessment and attempted treatment before his death. WEST DES MOINES – Officials say a bystander was critical in saving two people trapped in a West Des Moines home during a fire Sunday morning. WHO-13 reports the West Des Moines Fire Department responded to a fully engulfed house in the history Valley Junction district after someone inside the structure called 911. Firefighters were able to rescue a wheelchair-confined man and a woman with the help of an unidentified individual, who helped fight flames until firefighters arrived. Several pets were also rescued. The West Des Moines Fire Department is seeking to find that bystander to thank him for his efforts and for more details about what he witnessed. IOWA – March Madness fit the bill for Iowa’s Division I universities in the world of sports over the weekend. Iowa State’s David Carr won his second wrestling national championship Saturday evening, not too long after the Cyclones Men’s Basketball team claimed a spot in the NCAA Sweet 16 with a win over Washington State. The women’s team, led by 40 points from Audi Crooks in Friday’s opener, advanced to a game against Stanford late Sunday evening that went to overtime, in which they fell 87-81 after keep the game within a four-point margin for the duration. That game followed news that longtime Drake Men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries took a new job at West Virginia after leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament and a Missouri Valley Conference title. Reigning National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark is slated to compete in her final game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the NCAA Women’s Tournament win or lose, as the Hawkeyes host the Mountaineers at 7:00 this evening. If No. 1 Iowa advances, they would play at neutral sites moving forward as they push for a second consecutive Final Four appearance.