Iowa Radio News

IOWA – The state of Iowa can not enforce a part of its law banning books from school libraries, at least for now. The Associated Press reports federal judge Stephen Locher has issued a temporary ban on a bill signed by Governor Kim Reynolds in 2023. The U.S. Court of Appeals had allowed the law to go into place, but Locher is citing a different provision of the U.S. Constitution this time, claiming unconstitutional restrictions on books exceed those that may be constitutional. The bill passed in 2023 prohibits certain obscene material from books in school libraries and classrooms, but critics have argued its meant to restrict certain topics some may find objectionable for political reasons. DES MOINES – Lawmakers passed a bill in the Iowa Senate that places work requirements on the expanded portion of Medicaid. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Senate File 615 passed on a partisan-line vote that places guidelines for those Republicans considered “able-bodied” to work at least 80 hours monthly to continue receiving coverage. The Legislative Services Agency estimates the bill would remove at least 32,000 people from the expanded plan meant to ensure Iowans in poverty have access to healthcare. MARION – A Marion woman pled guilty to misspending money from a special needs trust. KCRG-TV reports Megan Middaugh deposited money from a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of a victim into a checking account to form a trust. Middaugh then spent nearly $67,000 on personal expenses, including more than half of that on gambling. She now faces 20 years in prison after she falsified accounting reports after failing to do so for the trust for three years.

AMES – An Ames man was sentenced Monday to life in federal prison on each of fifteen counts of sex trafficking by fraud and coercion. According to court documents, 45 year old Carl Dale Markley used fraud and coercion to cause dozens of teenage boys and young men, and a few young women, to engage in sex acts in exchange for money or some other benefit for more than two decades. Markley was a nurse practitioner in Ames and owned several businesses. Over a course of years, Markley used his professions and position in the community to befriend and gain the trust of victims, and then groom and repeatedly sexually abuse them. Markley placed hidden cameras in locations to record this abuse.CRESCO – A Cresco man died in a single vehicle crash Sunday evening. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Ford F150 operated by 38-year-old Tyler Timothy Johnson was northbound on a bridge and struck a guardrail. Several agencies responded and Johnson was pronounced dead on scene. DES MOINES – The Iowa House passed a measure on Monday that increases training for local officials related to open meeting laws. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the bill is the second attempt by lawmakers in the last two years to strengthen laws related to the matter. House File 706 also includes increased penalties for open record law violations. It’s a similar version to the bill Governor Kim Reynolds vetoed last spring, without the language that prompted her move to do so. IOWA CITY – Iowa native Ben McCollum has been named the head coach for the University of Iowa men’s basketball program. McCollum is the 23rd head coach in program history. McCollum arrives in Iowa City with a resume that includes four NCAA Division II national championships at Northwest Missouri State University. In his first season in NCAA Division I, McCollum guided Drake to a school-record 31 wins, the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles, and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

CASS COUNTY – Cass County authorities and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating an incident in which two people were found dead at a rural residence on Friday. KSOM Radio in Atlantic reports the Cass County Sheriff’s Office received a call in the afternoon and upon arrival, found one man dead outside of the building and another inside. Police believe the incident was isolated, but no further details have been released. IOWA – The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the National Weather Service have joined together to promote Severe Weather Awareness Week, which begins today. The next five days aim to promote education of the impact of tornadoes, Severe thunderstorms, and flash flooding. This comes after the busiest tornado season on record in 2024 and historic flash floods that caused widespread damage in northern Iowa last summer. The annual statewide tornado drill is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m.DES MOINES – One of the most popular pop groups of brothers in the nation is making a stop in Des Moines as part of their upcoming North American tour. The Jonas Brothers are celebrating the groups 20th anniversary with their Living the Dream series of shows on Sunday, October 5th at what will soon be named the Casey’s Center. Tickets go on sale on March 28th.

DES MOINES – A review by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate found 35 non-citizens voted in the 2024 election out of 1.6 million ballots cast. The Associated Press reports the review found 277 noncitizens had been registered to vote out of 2.3 million total. The new numbers are a fraction of the more than 2,000 claimed by Pate based on information from the Iowa Department of Transportation. PERRY – The Congressional Medal of Honor Society announced that Dan Marburger is among the recipients of the Citizens Honors Award. The announcement on Thursday is for the Perry principal who worked to save students during the January 2024 shooting at Perry High School. Marburger died from his injuries. He will receive the honor posthumously next Tuesday. IOWA – Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for five counties in response to severe winter weather that occurred earlier this week in northwest Iowa. This allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather for Crawford, Harrison, Monona, Shelby, and Woodbury Counties. Six-to-ten inches of snow, coupled with wind gusts up to 60 MPH, caused widespread damage and power outages in many communities on Wednesday.

CARROLL – A man who sexually exploited multiple children and possessed millions of files of child pornography was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison. Lucas Oliver Knowles of Carroll received the prison term this past week after a February 23, 2024, guilty plea to sexual exploitation of a child, receipt and possession of child pornography, and possession of firearms by a prohibited person. Knowles admitted that he had been collecting child pornography since approximately 1996 and may have millions of images. CEDAR RAPIDS – A man wanted in connection to a death in Cedar Rapids was arrested on Wednesday. KCRG-TV reports Donnie White is accused of killing 38 year old Brittany Hopkins, who was found dead last month. White was found in Las Vegas and faces a count of first degree murder and nonconsensual termination of a pregnancy. IOWA – The Iowa State Patrol responded to 74 crashes in northwest Iowa related to a powerful blizzard on Wednesday. Thirteen injuries were reported as several communities were pummeled with at least a half-a-foot of snow and wind gusts over 50 MPH. At one point, Interstate 29 was closed for several hours from Sioux City to near Council Bluffs. Several power outages were also reported. AMES – A century after playing championships inside State Gym, the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa State University have entered into an agreement to have the Boys State Basketball Tournament move to Hilton Coliseum starting in 2027. An initial five-year deal with support from Discover Ames will place the five-day, 32-team boys’ tournament inside Hilton Coliseum as the first-of-its-kind multi-use CyTown district is developed at the Iowa State Center and slated to come online in 2027.