DES MOINES – While the nation focuses on the Iowa Caucuses in the very near future, the State Historical Museum of Iowa turns to the tradition’s colorful past.

Featuring images, film clips, newspaper articles and more than 100 artifacts from 1972 to 2016, the museum’s “First in the Nation: Shaping Presidential Politics Since 1972” exhibition is now open and will help voters and others understand the state’s unique role in presidential politics.

“Every four years, Iowa becomes the focal point for presidential candidates, political insiders and the entire world as the first contest on the road to the White House,” said Susan Kloewer, administrator of the State Historical Society of Iowa. “With this exhibition, we are helping to demystify the caucus process while sharing campaign stories from the past. We encourage Iowans and visitors to see this exhibition.”

“First in the Nation” explores candidates’ journeys through the Iowa caucus cycle, from their first exploratory visits all the way through their frenzied final hours. The exhibition shows how candidates organize their campaigns, meet everyday Iowans and participate in the excitement of caucus day. While Iowa does not pick the president, it narrows the field of candidates who test their message and organizational skills to win one of the proverbial “three tickets out of Iowa” and a head start on the race to the White House.

In the exhibition, guests and visitors can:

• Watch a video about Iowa’s unique position as host of the first-in-the-nation caucus.
• Take a selfie with their favorite 2020 presidential candidates.
• See campaign and election artifacts, including the button collection of David Yepsen, the host of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” and former political reporter for The Des Moines Register.
• See an 1856 Republican Ticket, the first presidential election with a Republican nominee.
• See an Iowa Caucus jersey from the Iowa Cubs. It’s a newly acquired item from the team when it honored Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses with special uniforms and caps.

If you go:

What: “First in the Nation: Shaping Presidential Politics Since 1972”
Where: State Historical Museum of Iowa, 600 E. Locust St., Des Moines
When: Now through February
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Admission: Free

In addition, the “First in the Nation” traveling exhibit will be on display Nov. 1-27 at Drake University’s Cowles Library and Jan. 7-30 at the University of Northern Iowa’s Rod Library. The traveling exhibit is an extension of the museum exhibit and travels the state to share images, film clips and artifacts that also tell the story of Iowa’s unique presidential election process.

The State Historical Museum of Iowa is overseen by the State Historical Society of Iowa, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. More information is available at iowaculture.gov or 515-281-5111.

GREENFIELD – Iowans interested in the results of a DNR study to improve water quality in Meadow Lake in Adair County can attend a meeting Tuesday, Oct. 8. Citizens are encouraged to bring their questions and ideas to improve the lake to the meeting for discussion.

Meadow Lake is on the state’s list of impaired waters for high levels of algae and turbidity. The current study, or DNR water quality improvement plan, shows how these problems are caused by too much phosphorus in the lake. The problems impact recreation on the lake and aquatic life.

The plan explores the amounts and sources of phosphorus entering the lake and offers potential solutions to reduce those levels and work toward fixing the problem. The document is designed as a guide for local resource agencies, partners, stakeholders and residents to improve the lake. Staff from the DNR’s Watershed Improvement Program will be on hand to answer questions.

The Oct. 8 meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the City of Greenfield City Hall, 202 S. First St. Those not able to attend the public meeting can receive more information at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WaterQuality/WatershedImprovement/WatershedResearchData/WaterImprovementPlans/PublicMeetingsPlans.aspx and submit comments on the plan by Oct. 28 via:

E-mail: jeff.berckes@dnr.iowa.gov

Mail:  Jeff Berckes, care of Iowa DNR, Wallace State Office Building,

502 E. Ninth St. Des Moines, Iowa 50319

After gathering Iowans’ comments, the DNR will forward the final plan, also called by its technical name of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals will decide whether a lawsuit against the governor challenging a new law that changed the way Iowa picks some judges can move forward.

The Iowa Supreme Court on Thursday issued an order sending the case filed in May by a group of Democratic lawmakers and lawyers against Gov. Kim Reynolds to the appeals court.

The order signed by Justice Thomas Waterman said Chief Justice Mark Cady did not take part in the deliberations and that Justices David Wiggins and Brent Appel disagreed with the decision. They would have had the Supreme Court decide the case.

That means the four remaining justices, all Republican appointees, favored sending the case to the appeals court.

The case had been dismissed in June by a judge who said the lawmakers and other plaintiffs don’t have legal standing to challenge the law.

The new law signed by Reynolds in May gave the governor an additional appointment to the 17-member state judicial nominating commission, resulting in the governor having a majority of nine appointees.

The commission nominates justices for the Iowa Supreme Court and the Iowa Court of Appeals.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The man who was killed in Monday night’s crash near Oakland was a volunteer with Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s campaign.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says 22-year-old Zachary Crombie Presberg was killed Monday night when the car he was driving on U.S. Highway 6 collided with two trucks as he tried to pass one of them.

A statement from Warren’s campaign says Presberg joined the campaign this summer after graduating from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, to organize voter meetings and build relationships in Cass County. He continued his service to Warren’s campaign as a volunteer after his fellowship ended.

He was a native of Piedmont, California.

Warren said in the statement that she and her husband “are heartbroken over Zac’s passing” and added that “Zac represented the very best of us.”

The Creston Police Department reports the arrest of 47-year-old Christopher McGinnis of Creston on Wednesday afternoon. At 4:05pm Officers arrested McGinnnis at his residence on a Union County Warrant for the charge of Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon-Injure/Provoke Fear and additionally charged with Controlled Substance Violation, 2 counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Offense, Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug, Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp, and Possession of Paraphernalia. McGinnis was booked into the Union County Jail on $23,300 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines will pay $90,000 to settle a lawsuit over the death of a man killed when the vehicle he was driving was struck by a car being chased by police.

On Monday the City Council approved settling the October 2017 lawsuit filed by the estate of Jason Hunt.

The 41-year-old Hunt was driving to a grocery store early on Aug. 14, 2016, when he was hit by a car that crossed into oncoming traffic. Police say the car driver was trying to evade Des Moines officers who’d attempted to stop him because his car didn’t have any license plates.

The lawsuit alleged police were partly at fault for Hunt’s death, because the defendants “acted in reckless disregard” for the safety of the public. Police spokesman Paul Parizek has said the officer who started the chase acted within department policy.

w/ Chris Parks

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A Shenandoah man was arrested early Thursday morning following a traffic stop in Red Oak. At 12:28am Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at the intersection of Oakwood Avenue and 8th Street in Red Oak. Following investigation 30-year-old Cory James Schlup of Shenandoah was arrested for Driving While Revoked for OWI. Schlup was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests on Wednesday.

At 2:03pm Deputies arrested 21-year-old Stephen Cody Esquivel of Red Oak in the 100 block of 1st Avenue in Red Oak. Esquivel was arrested on a Montgomery County Bench Warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marijuana). He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

At 4:03pm Deputies arrested 27-year-old Joslin Nicole Davies of Red Oak in the 100 block of East Washington Street in Red Oak. Davies was arrested on an Iowa State Patrol Warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marijuana). She was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — The city of Ames has announced that the personal information — including credit and debit card numbers — of some 1,500 people who used the city’s website to pay parking tickets this summer may be at risk.

The city says information submitted from July 30 to Sept. 12 was targeted in a data breach that also exposed the names, addresses and email addresses of customers. The city says no one who used the system has reported any suspicion activity to the city.

Ames uses Click2Gov to process parking ticket payments. The city also maintains its own web server to communicate with Click2Gov. The city says the breach occurred on the city’s web server, which has since been replaced.

In November 2018, the parking ticket system was compromised after Click2Gov experienced an attack, affected 4,600 people who paid Ames parking tickets.