A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board shows a deadly plane crash last month in Monona County may have happened when the pilot hit powerlines. The incident happened on July 30th near Ute, Iowa. The Monona County Sheriff’s Office says 45-year-old Brady Penner of Oklahoma died at the scene. Penner was spraying a field at the time of the crash.
A suspect in a Nebraska double homicide was arrested after barricading himself inside an Iowa church alone on Sunday. West Des Moines Police Sgt. Jason Heintz said 27-year-old Gage Walter of Omaha ultimately surrendered after several hours of negotiations from inside the church in Winterset, Iowa. Walter fled when officers tried to pull him over Sunday morning and led them on a chase for 45 minutes before hiding out in the church. Walter is a suspect in the deaths of Marceline Teeters, 93, and Linda Walter, 70, whose bodies were found Saturday in an Omaha home.
Democratic candidate for Iowa governor Deidre DeJear says Iowa is facing a lot of challenges, but Iowans aren’t short of solutions.
DeJear says Iowa led on desegregating schools, electing the first Black president, and legalizing same-sex marriage.
“We are not short of vision. We just need leadership who’s one, willing to turn the lights on for us, and two, willing to get out of our way.”
DeJear says she’d prioritize investing in public education and mental health care. She says Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is starving the education and health systems while more than a billion dollars sits in a trust fund.
She made her comments Saturday at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair.
DeJear also attended the 19th annual Iowa Democratic Wing Ding in Clear Lake on Friday night.
While election polls and predictions forecast Democrats losing ground in November’s midterms, The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Iowans who attended the event say recent news, including abortion rights, have improved Democratic candidates’ chances.
However, recent polls and election forecasts show Republicans are favored to hold on to power in Iowa. The most recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds ahead of Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear by 17 percentage points. The poll also showed incumbent U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley leading his opponent, retired Navy admiral Michael Franken 47% to 39%.
Republican candidate for attorney general Brenna Bird says she will defend Iowans against what she calls federal overreach by the Biden administration.
Bird is the Guthrie County attorney.
She is challenging incumbent Tom Miller, who has served as state attorney general for more than four decades.
Bird says Miller’s out of touch with Iowans, particularly those in law enforcement. And she says he’s not defending Iowans against unconstitutional mandatesunder the Biden administration.
Bird made her comments Saturday at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair.
Miller is scheduled to speak at the soapbox on Wednesday.
Republican congressional candidate Zach Nunn says he believes the federal Inflation Reduction Act won’t help middle-class Iowans and will push for more tax cuts in Washington.
Nunn currently serves as a state senator from Bondurant. He’s challenging Democratic incumbent Cindy Axne for her third district seat.
Axne is currently Iowa’s only Democrat in Congress.
Nunn says Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which recently passed Congress, won’t help Iowans the way tax cuts will.
Nunn made his comments Saturday at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair.
Axne is scheduled to speak at the soapbox on Wednesday.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate will provide $1,000 grants to every county in the state to improve voter access in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections.
WHO-Television in Des Moines reports the grant will provide funds for counties to partner with local advocacy organizations to determine how polling places can be more accessible for people with disabilities.
Secretary Pate said that even though every polling place is required to be accessible, it’s time to move past just compliance.
Approximately 300,000 Iowans have a disability. Officials with the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council says voting can be difficult for people with disabilities and these grants are a great way to enact real change.
Hundreds of thousands of people took advantage of the sunny weather and came to the Iowa State Fairgrounds over the weekend.
The fair is on track to surpass a million visitors this year. For the first few days of the fair, attendance has been on-par with attendance from 2021.
An attendance record was set back in 2019 when about 1.2 million people walked through the gates.
News release from the City of Sioux City:
CONE PARK SUMMER TUBING SEASON EXTENDED FUNDRAISING EVENTS AND PRIVATE RENTALS AVAILABLE
Although the pool season has come to an end, and kids are heading back to school, there is still time to try Cone Park Summer Tubing! The tubing season has been extended through the fall ending October 9 for the Cone-Acopia Fall Fest.
Session Day and Times:
- Friday:
- Saturday:
- Sunday: *Glow Tubing
Pricing:
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm*
12:30 pm - 3:00 pm 3:15 pm - 5:45 pm 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm*
12:30 pm - 3:00 pm 3:15 pm - 5:45 pm
• $10/person for a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday session
Attendance Requirements:
- Max Capacity: 80 per session
- No open-toed shoes
- Must be 42 inches tall
The Parks and Recreation Department is now offering Cone Park Summer/Fall Tubing sessions for public fundraising and private events. To reserve a private event or a fundraiser, contact Rachael Eskins at 712-279-6162 or reskins@sioux-city.org.
Private Events: Host a fun, active, and unique summer event for your group or organization.
Rent a session for $500 to have exclusive use of the entire park. Available times: Monday – Thursday, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
• Public Fundraisers: Host a fundraising event for your organization. o No private rental fee and earn rebates on collected admission fees. o Rebate Scale
▪ $1.00 returned for each admission fee with 49 or fewer admissions.
▪ $2.00 returned for each admission fee with 50 or more admissions. o Available times: Monday – Thursday, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm o Admission: $7.00/person
Tickets for Cone Park Summer/Fall Tubing sessions are sold first come, first serve at Cone Park, in advance online at www.coneparksiouxcity.com, or by calling 712-279-6126.