Iowa Radio News

WINNESHIEK COUNTY – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has pulled back on her lawsuit against a county sheriff who made a social media post vowing to slow federal agents acting unconstitutionally. KCCI-TV reports Bird has dismissed her suit against Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx, stating the county is complying with state law following a discussion between the two. DES MOINES – A ban of central Iowa residents watering lawns is being scaled back in phases. The Des Moines Register reports Central Iowa Water Works indicated customers can stagger their use based on a newly developed schedule. The timing of the ongoing rollout and reduction relies on nitrate levels. The ban was placed on communities in the water service’s broad territory following a spike in the pollutant above federal standards. IOWA – Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall could cause more localized flooding in locations across the state through Monday morning. According to the National Weather Service, late evening and overnight thunderstorms could continue to develop and drop additional precipitation on already saturated grounds. Forecasts indicate it won’t take a lot of rainfall to refill river streams statewide, but many locations could see 1-3″ of additional rainfall per night.

DES MOINES – Following a 2 a.m. Thursday vote by the U.S. Senate to pull back already approved funding for public broadcasting, Iowa PBS indicated the cuts could impact 20% of the station’s budget. KCCI-TV reports Iowa PBS General Manager says if the bill is again approved by the U.S. House, 25 staff members could be cut this fall. The recissions package requires just a simple majority, based on a request by the Trump Administration. It would ultimately cut $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $8 billion in international programs that have already been approved by Congress. MADISON COUNTY – A group has officially filed a petition for a special election in Madison County for the county auditor’s seat. WHO-3 reports former auditor Teri Kaczinski resigned following several attempts to hire her former campaign manager in various county roles. The Madison County Board of Supervisors appointed new auditor Matthew Schwarz earlier this month, but the public was not property notified about his appointment and their right to petition. The Madison County Civic Alliance, a group of citizens, challenged the appointment and collected signatures for a special election. IOWA – Federal election reports show Incumbent Senator Joni Ernst raised $722,000 in the most recent quarter, much less than her first quarter numbers. KCRG-TV reports the Republican has less than $3 million in her campaign funds. Ernst has not formally declared if she will run for another term. Democratic Opponents Nathan Sage and State Senator Zach Wahls both were close, but slightly behind, Ernst’s numbers for the most recent quarter.

MYSTIC – Police have arrested a man accused of shooting a father and son in southern Iowa. KCCI-TV reports 36-year-old Destry Walker was found dead and 62-year-old Randy Walker critically injured in rural Mystic. While responding, the Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a motorcycle crash. Robert Barrell was found hiding in the weeds near the crash. The department says the 51-year-old was considered the suspect after investigations at both scenes. He’s been charged with first degree murder and attempted murder. AMES – An Iowa State University student accused of sexual exploitation faces more charges. WHO-13 reports 43-year-old Patrick A. Connerley was arrested in March for communications with minors on social media. On Sunday, he was charged with two counts of purchasing and possessing depiction of a minor in a sex act and one county of bestiality. Investigators claim they found photos and videos of children victims, as well as sexual acts with an animal. IOWA – Thunderstorm and heavy rainfall chances return to the forecast this weekend, beginning this evening and continuing intermittently through Sunday. Rain may linger into the morning hours Saturday and Sunday, but precipitation will generally occur through the overnight hours with breaks during the day. While still early, the National Weather Service will be monitoring for heavy rainfall and flash flood potential through the weekend.

DECORAH – A K-9 unit disarmed a Decorah man accused of threatening a deputy with a firearm. KCRG-TV reports that police responded to a home for a welfare check Monday afternoon. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office reports 29-year-old Jordan Schaller arrived with a loaded shotgun. K-9 Drago bit the man in the hand following attempts by a responding deputy to talk Schaller down. The 29-year-old faces multiple charges. WINTERSET – The Madison County Treasurer has resigned just before a hearing scheduled for her removal. The Des Moines Register reports 37-year-old Amanda DeVos is stepping down, but admitted to no wrongdoing, as was stated in a release by the Madison County Attorney’s Office. DeVos was arrested in January for felonious misconduct in office, theft, fraudulent practices, and tampering with records charges. She’s accused of misallocating $250,000 in government funds and delaying distributions to hte Winterset School system. DES MOINES – The Iowa State Fair announced the top three new foods at the 2025 fair this week. WHO-13 reports the Bacon Chicken Ranch Eggroll, the Three Little Pigs, and The Scotcheroo Shake will compete for the final award. Winn & Sara’s Kitchen won the 2024 prize for best new food with the Bacon Cheeseburger Eggroll.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed a case of measles in an adult resident of Eastern Iowa and is notifying the public of potential exposure locations. Those include Dubuque, Ely, Cedar Rapids, Amana, and North Liberty. The individual is fully vaccinated and has no known link to the previous measles cases in Iowa, nor any recent travel outside the state. Iowa has a total of seven confirmed measles cases in 2025. As of July 8th, a total of 1,288 confirmed measles cases have been reported in the United States. Of these, 92% were unvaccinated, and 8% had received at least one dose of MMR vaccine. DES MOINES – A Democratic U.S. Senator will be visiting the 2025 Iowa State Fair to speak against the policies of Iowa’s congressional delegation. Arizona’s Ruben Gallego is planning a stop on August 8th, according to We Are Iowa TV, before moving to eastern Iowa for a visit to support Iowa Democrats in Davenport. Gallego is attacking Senator Joni Ernst in particular, who is up for re-election in 2026, should she choose to run. IOWA – Rain on and off throughout the week limited farmers to 3.8 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 13th, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Wet conditions made field activities difficult. Topsoil moisture condition rated 6 percent short, 71 percent adequate and 23 percent surplus. Corn silking reached 36 percent, one day behind last year, but one day ahead of normal. Five percent of Iowa’s corn reached the dough stage. Corn condition rated 12 percent fair, 58 percent good and 27 percent excellent. Soybeans blooming reached 54 percent, three days ahead of last year but equal to the five-year average and the condition rated 18 percent fair, 59 percent good and 20 percent excellent.