WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – An eastern Iowa couple was sentenced to ten years in prison each after admitting to sex trafficking. KWWL-TV reports 36-year-old Lawrence Campbell, Jr. and 25-year-old Sade Campbell pleaded guilty after luring two teens from Chicago and forcing them to perform sex acts for money. Lawrence met the two girls online, bought them bus tickets, and told them he could offer them a “better life.”
MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City man who opted not to pull over for police for nearly a mile is facing an eluding charge and an additional felony drug charge. KIMT-TV reports Chad Wolfe, 42, admitted he didn’t pull over because he didn’t want to go to jail. A search found a baggie of methamphetamine in his pocket.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Farmers intend to plant more soybeans than corn for the first time in 35 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Experts say profitability is the primary reason farmers indicate they intend to plant 89 million acres in soybeans and 88 million acres in corn. Corn costs more to plant, and when the profitability of both crops is close, farmers bet on soybeans for a better return.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is trying to close a loophole to ensure guns don’t get in the wrong hands. KCCI-TV reports the office plans to create an online database of weapons permits. Deputies currently aren’t easily able to determine if a permit has been revoked, and now sellers will be able to check to see if a permit is valid online.
IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Tensions between Russia and the U.S. are likely to disrupt a wrestling event in eastern Iowa, according to KCRG-TV. The Freestyle World Cup is being held April 6th and 7th in Iowa City. Russia announced it’s expelling 60 American diplomats in retaliation for a similar move the U.S. made. The Russian wrestlers haven’t gotten their visas yet.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A painting of Apollo and Venus hidden in a closet for decades at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines is worth millions, according to WHO-TV. Otto van Veen, the artist, is in every major museum, and his paintings have sold at prices ranging from $4 million to $17 million. The painting was donated in the 1920’s and wasn’t displayed because if was felt to be too risque because of nudity. The painting was created between 1595 and 1600.