DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI)— Lauridsen Skatepark in Des Moines has been recognized by USA Skateboarding as a competition-ready park after passing a rigorous inspection and certification process. USA Skateboarding’s Skatepark Performance and Accreditation Rating for Certification (SPARC) program is centered on a 75-point checklist. This checklist evaluates how a park fosters safety, inclusivity, and a sense of community. It also examines technical and safety requirements necessary for professional and amateur competitions.

There was a ceremony, celebration and meet-and-greet with professional skateboarders Grace Marhoefer and Liam Pace on Sunday morning to commemorate the certification.

“USA Skateboarding’s unity with the Des Moines skateboarding community is in perfect alignment with our goal of creating a gateway to safe and positive spaces in the world of skateboarding throughout the nation. The Lauridsen skatepark certification anchors our shared long-term mission to work with the city of Des Moines to bring world-class skateboarding events and stoke to Iowa. Des Moines created one of the world’s greatest and most recognized skateparks and is the anchor for skateboarding in the Midwest. We are honored to play a part in this incredible example of the community coming together and making their dream a reality,” said CEO of USA Skateboarding, Johnny Schillereff.

Polk County Supervisors Angela Connolly said “This certification will be a literal and figurative sign we are ready to host skaters of all skill levels – from beginners to world-class athletes.”

The park will feature Olympic-qualifying events like the Dew Tour, which has already happened at Lauridsen twice.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (KCCI) — A man convicted of a Christmas Day murder in Fort Dodge will spend the rest of his life in prison. Lakendrick Mosley was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole following his first-degree murder conviction in August. Mosley shot and killed 46-year-old Montreail Dungy before fleeing the state.

He and his half-brother Darwin Green, who authorities say was the Mosley’s getaway driver, were arrested in Minnesota months after the deadly shooting. Green was initially charged with aiding and abetting the murder but pleaded guilty to fleeing the state to avoid prosecution and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Mosley has appealed his conviction to the Iowa Supreme Court.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, says the immediate priority for the new speaker of the U-S House is bringing a series of budget bills up for a vote on the House floor. Nunn supports the House G-O-P’s new plan to try to reduce federal spending below the level the former House speaker and President Biden agreed to this spring. President Biden has also proposed a spending package with funding for Israel, Ukraine and U-S border security.

Nunn says the new House speaker is right to plan for separate votes on those issues. Nunn is calling for a conversation about funding for the war in Ukraine, as he says there’s currently no accountability, no strategy going forward and no vision of what the end of the war should look like.

(Radio Iowa) –  The University of Iowa has won the bid to take over the Mercy Iowa City hospital in a a second chance twist. Equity firm Preston Hollow Community Capital had won the bid for the Iowa City hospital earlier this month — but their financing was determined unviable. The U-I’s original bid of 28 million dollars was chosen as the best option after the first bid was turned down. The purchase must be approved in bankruptcy court in a sale hearing on November 6th before the U-I can take over.

The U-I issued a statement saying they plan to conduct an in-depth analysis of the healthcare needs of the Iowa City community before making any modifications to Mercy’s hospital or services. The University says it intends to offer employment to substantially all Mercy employees.

(Radio Iowa) – The experts say parents should warn their kids to be careful when handling a common Halloween accessory. Tammy Noble, a registered nurse and educator at the Iowa Poison Control Center, says the directions on glow sticks emphasize they are not to be cut or punctured. “Sometimes we see kids break those,” Noble says. “They put them in their mouth. They might bite into it or sometimes even when they’re trying to open it and make it start glowing, it somehow will break and they can get the liquid splashed in their eyes.” While it’s important to stay visible during the nighttime candy runs, it’s also important to avoid hazards. The chemicals in glow sticks can be a problem if they splash a kid’s face.

“It’s really irritating to the eyes,” Noble says. “You need to irrigate the eyes really well for 15-20 minutes. But also, if they get it in their mouth, it stings and usually that will go away within an hour. Just wipe out the mouth and give them a little something to drink.” If the stinging persists longer than an hour, she suggests calling the poison center. On another Halloween topic, Noble say to be selective if you’re buying make-up or face paints.

“You want to make sure that you’re looking for something that is listed to be non-toxic,” Noble says. “Anything that looks old and maybe doesn’t smell right or doesn’t look right, just throw it away. It’s probably best not to keep it year after year after year. And you do want to test it on the skin beforehand.” In fact, she says to test those colors on the skin 48 hours before trick-or-treating, just to be on the safe side. Some newer costumes light up and will come with a small battery pack to power those lights, which Noble says may also present a hazard.

“We have to be very careful because sometimes those costumes contain a button battery,” Noble says. “Those types of little round, like the size of a small coin, like a dime, those could be swallowed and kids that could get it stuck in their esophagus.” Those batteries could cause internal burns if swallowed. Noble recommends kids wait until they get home to open their treats so parents can inspect the goodies for any signs of tampering.

The Sioux City-based Poison Control Center Hotline is available around-the-clock at 800-222-1222.

(Radio Iowa) – The dry weather has created some yield loss in soybean and cornfields in north-central Iowa. I-S-U Extension Field Agronomist Angie Rieck-Hinz says some soybean pods were shattering in the fields before a combine would enter, or the pods shattered as the cutter bar of the combine hit them. The beans fall out of the shattered pods and can’t be harvested. “A lot of fields that are green with beans seed that fell on the ground and as germinated and some cornfields too and not a lot we can do when that crop dries down too fast,” she says. Rieck-Hines says the crops turned so quickly that it made it tough to respond.

“They kind of went from wet to dry like literally overnight,” she says.”Most people will tell you we went from green stems which was hard to combine, to dry pods and beans, and that made for some harvest losses.” She says many producers are making bales out of corn and soybean stover, but that can lead to a loss of important materials in the process. “Give some thought to how many nutrients in particular I’m talking about phosphorus and potassium were removed. How do we replace those nutrients with fertilizer or manure sources?,” Riek-Hinz says. “We can optimize our soil test levels for next year to optimize our crop production we sometimes forget we do remove a lot of potassium in corn stock bales, but we remove a lot more potassium if we’re bailing up soybean stubble.”

Rieck-Hinz says corn yields in her territory have been averaging 210-220 bushels an acre, soybeans have been averaging about 62 bushels an acre.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report two men were arrested on separate assault charges Sunday night. 26-year-old Dominic Cameron Essex, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 1500 block of N. 8th Street, in Red Oak, at around 7:10-p.m., and charged with Domestic Assault/1st offense, a Simple Misdemeanor. Essex was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

And, at around 7:30-p.m., Sunday, Red Oak Police arrested 65-year-old Scott Wade Barry, of Red Oak, for Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense. Barry was taken into custody in the 700 block of High Street in Red Oak, and transported to the Montgomery County. He too, was being held without bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Former President Donald Trump is expressing confidence he’ll finish well ahead of his G-O-P competitors in the Iowa Caucuses, but during an event in Sioux City on Sunday Trump said the rivalry he’s most focused on is a 2024 rematch with Joe Biden.

Three lawyers who worked for Trump or his 2020 campaign who were charged along with Trump for trying to overturn Georgia’s election results have pleaded guilty this month. On Sunday, Trump repeated his complaints about his loss to Biden and the indictments he now faces. Trump said he has accumulated 100 million dollars in legal fees.Trump says his 2024 campaign advisers have suggested it’s disrespectful to say he’s going to win Iowa.

Over two-thousand people were in a theater in Sioux City to hear Trump, who was on stage for nearly 90 minutes. He offered brief critiques of G-O-P challengers Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, but never mentioned that Mike Pence, his vice president, dropped out of the race this weekend. Trump promised the crowd he’d prevent World War Three if he returns to the White House — and he’d force Europe to match what the Biden Administration has given to Ukraine.

At one point, the crowd cheered to signify where they were from and it appeared there were contingents from South Dakota and Nebraska, even a few were from Minnesota. Republican State Senator Brad Zaun of Urbandale was the first elected official to endorse Trump in 2015 and he asked Iowans in the crowd to be the first to back Trump in 2024.

Republican Senator Lynn Evans of Aurelia told the crowd the 2024 Iowa Caucuses are the most important political event in their lifetime.

Also Sunday, the Trump campaign released the names of 100 faith leaders who’ve endorsed Trump.