(Radio Iowa) – A bill to ban any Iowan under the age of 18 from having accounts on TikTok, Instagram or any other social media site has cleared its first hurdle in the Iowa House, but bill backers are planning changes in the legislation. House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans want to start a conversation about how social media companies are collecting data about children — but, more importantly, about how smart phone apps and online platforms are impacting the mental health of Iowa kids.) “This is a broader conversation than just dollars and cents,” Grassley says.

House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says lawmakers should let parents control their children’s social media use.  “We can all be better about social media use. Social media can be a toxic environment and so we have to be careful, of course. Kids have to be careful with social media,” Konfrst says. “Let’s not also forget that social media can be a place of community where kids find each other in a way that can be valuable and meaningful to them.”

Utah has just adopted a law that requires minors to have parental consent for social media accounts. A key G-O-P lawmaker in the Iowa House says the plan is to adjust their bill so Iowa parents would have to sign off on social media accounts for teenagers, but Iowa children under the age of 13 would not be allowed to have one.

A recent study found 40 percent of kids under the age of 13 were using apps like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

(Radio Iowa) – Tornadoes and hail struck portions of Iowa Friday. Tornado watches or warnings were issued for 40 different counties Friday as severe weather struck the Midwest. Governor Reynolds has approved state assistance to six counties — Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Johnson, Mahaska and Washington.

Emergency shelters were opened in Coralville and Manchester. Damage was reported near Ottumwa and in Keokuk County as well. About half of the residents in Charlotte, a small town in Clinton County, were evacuated because a propane tank was damaged and began leaking.

The storm system knocked out electricity to thousands of customers in Iowa on Friday afternoon and, by midnight, snow had begun falling in northwest Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Police in Des Moines say the suspect in the killing of a woman in Fort Dodge Thursday night, shot and killed himself at a gas station in Des Moines, Friday, as police were closing-in.

Officers located 27-year-old Adarius Clayton at a Casey’s store Friday in Des Moines. When they approached him, he pulled out a gun and shot himself, according to Des Moines Police Dept, spokesman, Sgt. Paul Parizek.

No other injuries were reported.

Clayton was believed to have killed 26-year-old Nicole Reza, Thursday night.

(Radio Iowa) – A former southeast Iowa teacher was arrested based on accusations that she assaulted a preschool student.

The Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office says 46-year-old Erin Aalfs was a preschool teacher at the Moravia Community School District when on March 10 she kicked and threw rocks at a student and later picked up the child and threw the victim towards a chain link fence causing the child to hit the ground and fence. The incident occurred at the elementary school’s playground during school hours. The child was not injured.

Erin Aalfs

Aalfs later resigned from her position and was arrested on March 29. She’s been charged with two counts of simple assault and interference with official acts after the sheriff’s office says Aalfs resisted arrest and a deputy suffered minor injuries.