Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES – At a press conference held during the annual Terrace Hill Easter Egg Hunt, Governor Kim Reynolds suggested she will not endorse a candidate to be her successor. The Des Moines Register reports following her announcement to not run for a third full term, Reynolds indicated wanting the primary process to play out. The governor did endorse several house and senate candidates in the last few cycles during Republican primary elections to have a legislature that better aligned with her agenda. DES MOINES – A Des Moines man faces a life sentence for a murder conviction. KCCI-TV reports Cedrick Thomas, Jr. is guilty for his role in a 2022 robbery that resulted in the death of Charles Lovelady. Court records indicate Thomas and two other people set up a drug deal with Lovelady to ultimately ambush him. Thomas was guilty of first degree murder and the two accomplices both also face prison time. IOWA – Drought conditions have remained steady throughout the state through the first few weeks of spring. According to the most recent report, nearly 80% of the state is still at least abnormally dry and 29% is in moderate drought, primarily in northeast Iowa. Chances for severe weather return for many later this week, especially on Thursday in the longer range forecast, and the National Weather Service also is keeping on a eye on a wet end to April in its Climate Prediction Center outlook

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds announced she will not seek a third full term in 2026. In a release sent Friday, Reynolds cited she aimed to spend more time with her grandchildren and felt her administration has accomplished many of their goals for the state. This means both Democrats and Republicans will hold primary elections for their candidates next June. CLARENCE – A Clarence man died in a three-vehicle crash in Cedar County Friday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Mazda sedan driven by 36-year-old Zachary John Hutchinson attempted to pass two vehicles, when one of the two others he was trying to pass also moved in front of him. All three vehicles collided, with Hutchinson spinning into a nearby ditch. He died from his injuries and was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision. Another driver involved was transported to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. CASS COUNTY – A New York man was killed in a crash on Interstate 80 in Cass County early Friday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports a tractor trailer operated by 35-year-old Jagdeep Singh rear-ended another tractor trailer in the westbound lanes just after 1 a.m., and subsequently became engulfed in flames. Singh was pronounced dead on scene.

AMES – An Iowa man is accused of secretly filming women while they were changing clothes in a Target store. WHO-13 reports 45-year-old Michael Leslie has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of invasion of privacy. The Ames Police Department began an investigation after a female said she noticed a cell phone underneath a fitting room door. The department claims Leslie had videos of multiple woman and a minor changing throughout the month of February. Leslie was also an assistant girls wrestling coach at Nevada High School.DES MOINES – Lawmakers continue to revise legislation that would impact property taxes across the state. The Des Moines Register reports the latest effort doubles the homestead exemption for all households, caps growth on cities and counties at 2% except when inflation is higher than 4%, and eliminating the state’s residential and commercial rollback policy. Governor Kim Reynolds and the Republican majorities have made property tax reduction a priority, but advocates for cities and counties have said their proposals will force deep cuts to essential services at the local level. HARDIN COUNTY – A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza was found in Hardin County on Thursday. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the H5N1 strain was detected by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. This is the seventh instance of the disease being found in Iowa in 2025 and third in a backyard flock. State and federal officials have maintained that consumption of poultry and eggs is still safe as the outbreak spreads.

ATLANTIC – An Atlantic man faces a first degree murder charge for the death of an infant. KCCI-TV reports 25-year-old Corbin Loudermilk was arrested after a child was taken to an Omaha hospital, and doctors found severe head trauma. The one-month-old died from injuries that appeared to be from impact or shaking. CEDAR RAPIDS – Two school districts in eastern Iowa held a joint, closed session meeting after social media posts made by their shared superintendent caused community response. KCRG-TV reports Nick Trenkamp made a post on his personal Facebook page, claiming that “Big Pharma” promotes homosexuality and obesity. Trenkamp, who led both the Central Community and Eastern Allamakee School Districts, apologized twice after the post and removing it, but has been placed on administrative leave. The boards took no action following Wednesday’s closed session.LINN COUNTY – Governor Kim Reynolds has called for a special election on April 29th to fill a vacant seat in the Iowa House. The Des Moines Register reports Cedar Rapids-based Democrat Sami Scheetz is now serving as a Linn County Supervisor. He ran unopposed and won a second term in November.

DES MOINES – Lawmakers have sent a school funding bill to the Governor’s Desk two months after a legal deadline imposed by the legislature has passed. WHO-13 reports the Iowa House and Iowa Senate have come to an agreement for a 2% increase to both public school funding and private school education savings accounts, with some other supplemental components. The two chambers had differed on percentages earlier in the session. This comes as the Iowa House and Senate also passed more restrictions on cell phone use in Iowa’s public school classrooms on Tuesday. SHENANDOAH – A Shenandoah resident died in a crash in Fremont County Tuesday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Chevrolet PT driven by 79-year-old Joyce Kruse was westbound on Highway 2 and failed to yield to a tractor trailer traveling southbound on Highway 59. Kruse was pronounced dead on scene and the driver of the semi was uninjured. SHELDON – A nursing home affiliated with a northwest Iowa hospital has been cited for the death of a resident. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the staff at Sanford Senior Care failed to assess and treat the wound of a male resident in January, and did not report the situation to the family or a doctor, even as it worsened in February. That person died two days after being rushed to the emergency room with an exposed wound in early March. The facility has been fined by federal services multiple times, according to the report.