Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:25 a.m. CDT
UNDATED (AP) — Gender reveal parties that were once considered private gatherings are becoming social media spectacles, sometimes with dangerous consequences. The death of a 56-year-old Iowa woman this weekend highlights a small but growing trend of families who use flashy gimmicks to announce the gender of their soon-to-be-born child. Pamela Kreimeyer was killed instantly Saturday when a homemade device that was meant to spray colorful powder into the air instead exploded like a pipe bomb.
MORAVIA, Iowa (AP) — Law enforcement officials in southern Iowa have identified a woman who died following an explosion in a home involving an oxygen tank. The Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday that 58-year-old Diane Golos died in the Wednesday incident. Officials say Golos was found on the kitchen floor and pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say she had been using an oxygen machine for medical purposes when an unknown ignition source caused an explosion and fire.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man who has long been suspected of involvement in the death of an Iowa man who disappeared last year has been charged with murder, obstruction of justice and abusing a corpse. Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner says a grand jury hearing evidence in the death of Christopher Bagley has indicted 32-year-old Drew Blahnik on those charges. Investigators testified earlier this year that Blahnik had allegedly confessed to stabbing Bagley in retaliation for his robbery of a large-scale drug trafficker.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she is appointing a committee to focus on getting as many Iowans as possible to participate in the 2020 Census. She says the goal of the Iowa Census Complete Count Committee is to increase awareness among Iowans about the importance of participating. The 2020 Census will determine how many congressional seats each state gets and guide the allocation of hundreds of billions of dollars of federal funding. Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg will chair of the committee.