LINCOLN, NE (IRN) – The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the first-degree murder conviction and life sentence of an Iowa woman found guilty of killing another woman she considered a romantic rival. KCRG-TV reports Shanna Golyar, of Persia, Iowa, was convicted and sentenced last year for murder and arson in the death of 37-year-old Cari Farver, who was last seen in Omaha in November 2012. Her body has never been found.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – High production costs and falling commodity prices over the past four years are forcing more and more dairy farmers out of business in Iowa. Iowa is the nation’s 10th-largest milk producer, with 1,150 dairy farms, and it’s lost about 80 dairy operations this year – nearly 7 percent.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Betting soared at the Iowa Greyhound Park in Dubuque this year, but the state’s only dog track still faces a host of problems that leave its future in doubt. The Telegraph Herald reports that about $6.7 million was wagered for races at the park in 2018, an increase of nearly 45 percent from last year. Despite the increase, the park only finished in the black because of subsidies from Iowa casinos, which will continue through 2022.

IOWA (IRN) – Brock Purdy threw for a touchdown and ran for another score as No. 23 Iowa State topped Baylor 28-14 on Saturday. Purdy threw for 230 yards as Iowa State (6-3) won a fifth straight Big 12 game in the same season for the first time. The Hawkeyes lost to Northwestern 14-10.

LOS ANGELES, CA (IRN) – A southern California jury has found a homeless man guilty of killing five people, four of whom were from southeast Iowa, by setting an abandoned Los Angeles building on fire in June 2016. Johnny Josue Sanchez, 24, was convicted of five counts of murder and two of attempted murder. Sanchez will be sentenced in January to a minimum of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

QUAD CITIES (IRN) – A driver was punched in the head by another driver during a road rage incident on Interstate 74 in the Quad Cities. WQAD-TV reports the driver was headed into Iowa when another car was tailgating her on Monday. Eventually, the tailgating car pulled in front of the other driver and traffic slowed to a stop on the bridge. The suspect exited his car, walked to the victim’s car and without warning, punched her in the head. The suspect then got back in his car and drove into Iowa.

GUTHRIE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Four people are dead in an airplane crash in Guthrie County, according to Raccoon Valley Radio. At 6:06 p.m. Friday dispatch received a distress call from the plane, and a search was initiated. No other details have been released.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Altoona woman is expected to be OK after being hit by a Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, or DART, bus. KCCI-TV reports police are reviewing bus video to determine what happened.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Although opioid use is going down in Iowa, methamphetamine use is going back up. A new state report on Iowa’s Drug Control Strategy shows opioid overdose deaths are slowing down. However, over 10,000 Iowans have been treated for meth use disorders so far this year – an all-time high. Marijuana is still one of the most commonly used illicit drugs in Iowa. Iowa has the nation’s lowest overall rate of illicit drug use at just under 7 percent.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Demonstrators gathered at the Iowa Statehouse and in other Iowa cities Thursday to protest President Donald Trump’s firing of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and hiring of Iowan Matt Whitaker as acting attorney general. Sessions has been in the president’s crosshairs ever since he recused himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. There have been reports that Whitaker has no plans to recuse himself, despite the fact that he has commented that the investigation has gone “too far.”

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – A crash killed one person Thursday night in Urbandale, according to KCCI-TV. The driver of the car tried to exit I-80 onto I-35, but then hit a pole and rolled into the ditch.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A vehicle chase through Davenport yesterday resulted in the arrest of four juveniles who stole the vehicle. WQAD-TV reports the chase ended in a crash. The juveniles were aged 14, 14, 13, and 12. One of the juveniles had numerous active felony charges, and police found a loaded handgun in the wrecked car.

MARION, IA (IRN) – The effort to set aside a thousand acres of land in Linn County for monarch butterflies and other pollinators is getting closer to happening. KCRG-TV reports the City of Marion is looking at donating 29 acres this year to the 1,000 Acre Pollinator Initiative. The program sets aside urban public land to increase pollinator habitat. Area municipalities have set aside more than 170 acres to date.

LINCOLN, NE (IRN) – The Iowa man accused of killing a 23-year-old Lincoln Nebraska woman and dismembering her body has been deemed mentally competent to stand trial. KCCI-TV reports Aubrey Trail told investigators he killed Sydney Loofe, then dumped her remains in a Clay County field. This allegedly happened after Loofe and Bailey Boswell, a co-defendant in the case, arranged a date through Tinder. The same day, surveillance video at a Lincoln Home Depot showed Trail and Boswell buying supplies that prosecutors think were used to kill Loofe and dispose of her body.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Ankeny native Matt Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney in Des Moines and starting tight end for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 1991 Rose Bowl, is now the acting U.S. attorney general after President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday. Whitaker is a Trump loyalist and trusted adviser to the president. He will lead the Department of Justice, which includes overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the president and the 2016 campaign.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Bettendorf firefighters responded Wednesday evening to a fire that injured two people at a home. Officials say flames broke out as family members were celebrating a religious holiday with candles. One person caught fire, and a second person was burned while trying to assist the first. One of the victims was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and the other was flown to Iowa City for treatment.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – With more than 1.3 million ballots cast in Iowa, the 2018 general election set a record for the most votes ever cast in a midterm. Turnout among registered voters was an outstanding 60.94%.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Drake University announced Wednesday it will start serving beer at its home basketball games, making the Bulldogs the first Division 1 team in the state to offer alcohol sales to fans. Initial offerings at the Knapp Center will include a selection of national and local craft brands.