Iowa Radio News

SWISHER – A Swisher teenager died in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 380 over the weekend. The Des Moines Register reports 17-year-old Kaden Blair was a Cedar Rapids Prairie graduate enrolled as a pre-med student at the University of Iowa. Blair was ejected from a vehicle after striking the barrier between lanes on Saturday morning. FORT DODGE – Twelve people were displaced and six were injured in a Sunday morning fire in Fort Dodge. WHO-13 reports crews responded to a call for trapped occupants on the third floor of a building in town. One person was flown to the University of Iowa Hospital with serious burns, two were transported to a nearby hospital, and three others were treated on site. The fire took several hours to extinguish.DES MOINES – A longtime pollster renowned for her accuracy until the 2024 election is ending her tenure with the Des Moines Register. According to KCCI-TV, J. Ann Selzer is not renewing her contract and made the announcement in an op-ed. Selzer had predicted statewide elections with accuracy that earned her some of the highest ratings from polling aggregate websites. However, the Iowa Poll had Vice President Kamala Harris leading the now President-elect Donald Trump by three points in a late October poll — Trump won Iowa by 13. Selzer claims she made the choice to step down over a year ago.

Two people died on Iowa’s roadways on Friday. The Iowa State Patrol reports 27-year-old Cole Lantz of Williams died while attempting to pass another vehicle on U.S. 69 in Hamilton County at 6:30 a.m. Lantz collided head-on with another vehicle and caused a third to swerve. The other was a car vs. pedestrian incident in Fort Madison. Seventy-year-old Nancy Lynne Kuhljergen attempted to cross a road and was struck by a Toyota Tacoma. Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 3.0 percent in October amid job cuts in manufacturing and construction. Meanwhile, the state’s labor force participation rate ticked down by 0.1 percentage points to 66.2 percent last month, and the U.S. unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent in October. The number of unemployed Iowans increased to 51,000 in October from 49,400 in September. The total number of working Iowans fell to 1,633,200 in October. This figure is 1,400 lower than September and 19,300 lower than one year ago.

IOWA CITY – A Democratic challenger for the U.S. House seat representing southeast Iowa has requested a recount in one of the most competitive seats in the country. The Associated Press reports Christina Bohannan has asked for a new count as she trails current U.S. Representative Marianette Miller-Meeks by nearly 1,000 votes in 20 counties. DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds toured Broadlawns Medical Center on Thursday, signing a proclamation for apprenticeship week. The Des Moines Register reports the governor was promoting apprenticeships as a way to fill high-demand careers and build a pipeline for future workers. DES MOINES – A vendor at the Iowa State Fair has had its contract terminated after allegations of not paying employee wages and other fees. KCRG-TFV reports Steer N’ Stein owe the fair itself over $100,000, and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals had received 14 complains about lack for payment. The report alleges another contractor is owed $218,000 by Michael and Kimberly Krantz.

WASHINGTON D.C. – Iowa’s junior senator was defeated in a bid for a leadership role in the U.S. congressional votes ahead of the new Republican majority in 2025. The Des Moines Register reports Joni Ernst lost a possible conference chair position on Wednesday. Ernst had served on the Senate leadership team for the past cycle before losing a seat to Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton. Ernst is expected to run for reelection in the 2026 cycle. IOWA – More than 300 Iowa schools were marked as in need of targeted support and improvement in an annual report issued by the Iowa Department of Education. Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the 2023-24 Iowa School Performance Profiles were released earlier this week. A total of 377 schools were identified as needed assistance — 93% of those were placed in that category because their student population with disabilities was performing in the lowest 5% of all schools in the state. Two-thirds of those on the latest report were also identified as needing help in last year’s update. IOWA – A popular gas station chain in Iowa will be rebranded soon. KCRG-TV reports Kum & Go was sold to Maverik in 2023, who has announced intentions to change the name of their acquisition over time. The Kum and Go stores will fall under the Maverik name after keeping its current namesake since 1975.

IOWA – After expanding their majorities in the Iowa Legislature following the November 5th election, the Republicans in the statehouse have elected their leadership. Senator Jack Whitver will remain Senate Majority Leader and Representative Pat Grassley is still Speaker of the House, according to the Des Moines Register. The GOP holds supermajorities in both chambers, the largest since 1970. Senator Amy Sinclair also remains as president of the senate, and Senator Ken Rozenboom is the new president pro tempore, after Brad Zaun lost his bid for reelection in his district. CEDAR RAPIDS – A new coalition has announced an advertising campaign to stop a new casino in Cedar Rapids. KCCI-TV reports Iowans for Common Sense is asking Iowans to sign a petition to support a statewide moratorium on new construction of casinos. Peninsula Pacific Entertainment and the Linn County Gaming Commission have presented applications for a new facility in Cedar Rapids. IOWA – A Pleasantville woman accused of spiking her husband’s drink with eyedrops has been sentenced. WHO-13 reports 39-year-old Daisy Zantjer was arrested earlier this year for the incident that occurred in 2023, and in September, pled guilty to one count of administering harmful substances and domestic abuse assault. Zantjer received the maximum sentence for both charges, which is five years in prison.