INDIANOLA, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — A Norwalk mother accused of killing her newborn baby has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a week before she was set to go to trial for first-degree murder. Megan Staude was arrested in March 2023 after she and her father, Rodney Staude, allegedly placed the baby in a trash bag and left it in a ditch the month before. Both were charged with first-degree murder.

Megan Staude’s trial was scheduled to start July 9, but on Wednesday, she entered a plea of guilty to second-degree murder. A status conference is scheduled for Aug. 26. Rodney Staude’s case is currently on hold while he undergoes a mental evaluation.

(Radio Iowa) – Libertarian Party candidates have been nominated in three of Iowa’s four congressional districts. Lone Tree City Councilman Nicholas Gluba is the Libertarian candidate in Iowa’s first district. Gluba, a U-S Marine Corps veteran, says Iowans are tired of U-S involvement in Ukraine and Israel. “I don’t want my children and my constituents’ children to have to fight in another war because I saw that first hand. Nobody else needs to ever see that again,” Gluba says. “…The United States has people here who need money that need the United States to be backing them and not backing foreign wars.”

Gluba says he’s running on a platform of accountable government, economic opportunity and personal freedom. “Libertarians, we come from a very, very wide base,” Gluba says. “If you are on your property or in your home, do what you need to do to make your life better, so long as it does not hurt anyone else.” Gluba is running in the district where Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Davenport is seeking reelection and Christina Bohannan of Iowa City is the Democratic Party’s nominee.

Libertarian Marco Battaglia of Des Moines is the party’s candidate in the third congressional district. Battaglia says voters should have a choice beyond Republican Congressman Zach Nunn and Democrat Lanon Baccam.  “You know, there’s just a few glaringly red or blue issues that they would vote differently on,” Battaglia says, “but I think in terms of like, continuing to spend more and more money, they’re gonna vote, they’ve consistently voted the same.”

Battaglia says it’s time to cut spending on foreign conflicts in places like Ukraine and Israel and spend that money to solve domestic issues. “We basically have to get our own house and our own budget in order before we even consider sending money to other countries,” Battaglia says. Battaglia was the Libertarian Party’s nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022 and ran for attorney general in 2018.

The Libertarian Party has nominated Charles Aldrich of Clarion to run in the fourth district, where Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra is running for reelection and Democrat Ryan Melton of Nevada is running a second time. Aldrich, an enginer who served in the Marines for four years, ran for a U-S House seat in 2018 and ran for the U-S Senate in 2016. He ran for a seat in the state legislature in 2022.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – For 4th time in the United States, the CDC has identified a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a human being. Officials say that as with previous cases, the person is a worker on a dairy farm where cows tested positive for the virus.

The person reportedly only showed symptoms of the virus in their eyes, and after receiving treatment, has recovered.

Based on the information available, the CDC says the infection does change the health risk assessment for the U.S. general public in relation to HPAI. However, officials do say that the development underscores the importance of taking precautions when exposed to infected animals.

The CDC recommends:

• People should avoid close, long, or unprotected exposures to sick or dead animals, including wild birds, poultry, other domesticated birds, and other wild or domesticated animals (including cows).
• People should also avoid unprotected exposures to animal poop, bedding (litter), unpasteurized (“raw”) milk, or materials that have been touched by, or close to, birds or other animals with suspected or confirmed A(H5N1) virus.
• Using personal protective equipment (PEE) to reduce a person’s and the overall public’s health risk.

More information on the virus and health recommendations can be found here.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds all boaters and anglers to check for unwanted hitchhikers on their boats and equipment this Fourth of July to help protect Iowa lakes and streams. Aquatic invasive species move from one water body to another by hitchhiking on boats, in bait buckets and on other equipment used in the water. They can create serious problems for Iowa waters and negatively impact the quality of outdoor recreation experiences. Kim Bogenschutz, aquatic invasive species coordinator for the Iowa DNR, says “Aquatic invasive species can reduce native species and make lakes and rivers unusable for boaters, anglers and swimmers.”

These invasive species often grow quickly and spread fast when brought to another lake or stream due to a lack of natural predators or competitors. Boaters and anglers can help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species to new water bodies by cleaning, draining and drying their boats and equipment after each time on the water.

• CLEAN any plants, animals, or mud from your boat and equipment before you leave a waterbody.
• DRAIN water from all equipment (motor, live well, bilge, transom well, bait bucket) before you leave a waterbody.
• DRY anything that comes into contact with water (boats, trailers, equipment, boots, clothing, dogs). Before you move to another waterbody either: Spray your boat and trailer with hot or high-pressure water; or Dry your boat and equipment for at least five days.
• Never release plants, fish or animals into a water body unless they came out of that waterbody and always empty unwanted bait in the trash.

It is illegal to possess or transport aquatic invasive species or to transport any aquatic plants on water-related equipment in Iowa.  Signs posted at public accesses identify infested waters and remind boaters to stop aquatic hitchhikers. Iowa law also requires boaters to drain all water from boats and equipment before they leave a water access and to keep drain plugs removed or opened during transport. It is also illegal to introduce any live fish or plants, except for hooked bait, into public waters.

Learn more about aquatic invasive species, including a list of infested waters in the current Iowa Fishing Regulations or at www.iowadnr.gov/ais.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled it was unconstitutional to let two children testify remotely against an alleged abuser. The children were in the judge’s office and their testimony was shown in the courtroom, but four Iowa Supreme Court justices ruled that violated the defendant’s right to confront his accusers. Professor Emily Hughes teaches criminal law at the University of Iowa Law School. She says if the video connection had given the children a view of the defendant in the courtroom, the opinion MAY have been different.

“The opinion itself doesn’t say that a two-way video is sufficient,” Hughes says, “so the dissent points out it’s not exactly decided by the court whether a two-way video would suffice or whether the person has to be in the room with the defendant.”

In FEDERAL courts, judges have authority to let children testify in child abuse cases by one-way, closed circuit video. Hughes says the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling makes clear their decision rests on the IOWA Constitution, not the U-S Constitution.”The Iowa Supreme Court has said that under Article I, Section 10 of the Iowa Constitution, which is what people kind of talk about as the ‘confrontation clause,’ that confrontation means face-to-face and face-to-face means that the defendant can see the witness and the witness is able to see the defendant,” Hughes says.

Iowa Judicial Branch Bldg.

“…They are the people who get to decide what the state constitution means and how to apply it, so that is a pretty powerful part of that opinion because the whole case rested on the Iowa Constitution.” State Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the ruling is outrageous and she may sponsor a bill to make it clear children could testify against an abuser via a two-way video connection. “I’ve been talking with civil rights attorneys and experts in child protection just to get their take on the ruling,” Petersen says, “just wanting to make sure that if we pursue legislation that would actually work with the current Supreme Court that Iowa has.”

Petersen says her concern is prosecutors may not be able to pursue some cases when the child is the only witness to the abuse. “Kids that feel unsafe testifying in front of their abuser who may not decide not to move forward with the (criminal) case, they’ll also be barred from the civil court room by their 19th birthday,” Petersen says. “Iowa has to address our horrible laws that protect predators and not children.”

Under current Iowa law, a lawsuit against an alleged abuser must be filed in civil court before the victim turns 19. An Illinois law passed in 2023 gives Illinois judges the discretion to let children under 13 testify outside the courtroom when warranted. Last year Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled prosecutors may use outside-the-courtroom testimony from older children, even if the defendant is accused of abuse or assault.

ATLANTIC, IOWA – July 3, 2024 – Interstate 29 and I-680 north of Council Bluffs, which was originally scheduled to partially reopen at 3 p.m. today will now partially reopen at approximately 6 p.m. today, following severe flooding in the area.

You should expect intermittent lane closures on I-680 between the Mormon Bridge and Exit 61, Old Mormon Bridge, and on I-29 between I-680 and Exit 71, I-880 near Loveland. All lanes will be open on I-29 south of I-680.

If you are traveling west out of Crescent on Old Mormon Bridge Road, please note that the northbound I-29 on-ramp will remain closed.

Floodwaters remain in the area. The Iowa DOT reminds travelers to never enter a water-covered roadway. Do not move or travel around barricades or fencing as they are placed there for your safety. Turn around and don’t drown.

(Marne, Iowa) – (Update 1:57-p.m.) A dog was shot and killed early this (Wednesday) afternoon in rural Cass County (IA), after a woman was attacked by a dog. The incident took place at 54148 Boston Road, northwest of Marne, at around 12:45-p.m. The woman was bleeding from multiple locations, according to dispatch reports.

Cass County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Westring tells KJAN the woman was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital (CCHS) for lacerations to her arms. Her name was not released. A second person suffered minor abrasions during the incident.  The dog – a pit bull-  was put down by a resident of the home.

Cass EMS, Marne and Atlantic Fire and Rescue were called to the scene.  Additional information was not immediately available.

(DES MOINES) – The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors today (Wednesday), awarded a total of more than $10.6 million in federal housing tax credits to support the construction and rehabilitation of a total of 404 affordable rental homes for Iowans. The awards were made to 10 rental housing projects located in Burlington, Charles City, Davenport, Des Moines, Jefferson, Knoxville, Mount Pleasant, Oskaloosa and Spirit Lake.

The Internal Revenue Service makes an annual per capita allocation of federal tax credits to each state for the Federal Housing Tax Credit program. The Iowa Finance Authority is charged with allocating those credits to affordable housing developers. The developers who receive tax credits sell them to investors to generate equity for the housing developments. The Iowa Finance Authority received 27 applications requesting nearly $30 million in housing tax credits in the 2024 tax credit round. IFA had a total of approximately $10.8 million available to allocate. The actual awards total nearly $106 million because the credits are committed annually for a 10-year period.

In addition to the federal housing tax credit awards, the projects received a total of $4.8 million in HOME program funds and a total of $2 million in National Housing Trust Fund and Senior Living Revolving Loan Funds.

“Housing is fundamental to the economic mobility of Iowans and the vitality of our communities,” said Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham. “Congratulations to all nine communities receiving tax credits today, with a special recognition to the four designated as Iowa Thriving Communities, Charles City, Jefferson, Knoxville and Oskaloosa for their exceptional efforts in leveraging innovative practices to attract housing opportunities for their workforce.”

“The Carrie Lane Place development will bring 40 additional apartments to Charles City, enabling our workforce to live closer to where they work and creating positive ripple effects,” said City of Charles City Administrator Steven Diers. “We’re proud of our Iowa Thriving Communities designation, which we’re leveraging as a catalyst for both housing and economic growth.”

The full awards list is available here.