IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa is reopening an inquiry into allegations that members of the university band were targets of abuse during a game at Iowa State University. Members of the Hawkeye Marching Band alleged they were subjected to racial slurs, verbal and physical and sexual harassment and assault when the two teams met Sept. 14 at Iowa State.

Administrators at both schools announced earlier in the week that they looked into the allegations but decided to concentrate on procedures for future games. Some students reacted by posting details of the events on social media.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports Iowa spokeswoman Jeaneane Beck said Friday the school is continuing its investigation to ensure all students have the chance to share their experiences with appropriate authorities.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — One of five suspects in the shooting death of a Davenport man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Twenty-year-old Darell Allen Williams Jr., of East Moline, Illinois, was sentenced Friday for his role in the robbery and shooting death of Brady Tumlinson, whose girlfriend was seriously injured in the September 2017 attack.

The Quad-City Times reported Williams pleaded guilty in July to first-degree burglary. As part of the plea deal , charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony were dropped.
Two other suspects were sentenced to life in prison without parole and a third was sentenced to up to 35 years in prison.

The fifth suspect is awaiting a verdict after having a bench trial in July.

(Radio Iowa) — The stepmother of a Sioux City teenager who was stabbed to death in early 2018 was in court Friday to speak directly to the 19-year-old found guilty of murdering her daughter. Tran Walker of Sioux City was found guilty in August of killing his ex-girlfriend and a friend who tried to intervene. He was sentenced yesterday (Friday) to spend the rest of his life in prison. Stevie Sullivan, the stepmother of 17-year-old Paiten Sullivan, delivered a victim impact statement in the courtroom — noting 19-year-old Felipe Negron, Junior tried to defend her daughter when Walker started stabbing.

“To Felipe’s family, please know Felipe died a hero, our hero, and your loss is also our loss,” Stevie Sullivan said. “Other witnesses came to Paiten’s side as she took her last breath. It comforts our family to know complete strangers showed such love and compassion to Paiten. Thank you. You, too, are our heroes.” Sullivan, the only member of either victim’s family to speak, then addressed Tran Walker.

“Your actions are wicked, foul, vile, deranged, sinister, vicious, malicious, monstrous, despicable, heinous, horrible, low-down, dirty, shady, warped, bent, crooked, dastardly and evil,” Sullivan said. “…You violently murdered two people by stabbing them to death — two people who were willing to be friends with you.”

Police say Walker, Sullivan and Negron were in a car when Walker became upset that Sullivan refused to start dating him again. He stabbed his ex-girlfriend 43 times. Negron suffered 17 stab wounds. Walker declined to speak at his sentencing. Judge Tod Deck ordered Walker to pay 150-thousand dollars ($150,000) to each of his victim’s estates. A restitution hearing was set for next January 24th.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — When Barack Obama marched into the 2007 Iowa steak fry flanked by 1,000 supporters, skeptical Iowans were put on notice that he could win the caucus. A dozen years later, a new generation of Democratic White House hopefuls is looking to pull off a repeat performance to turbocharge their campaigns.

Today’s (Saturday’s) steak fry is part parade, part organizing show of force — and quintessentially Iowa. It began as a fundraiser for Tom Harkin’s first congressional bid, where the 53 attendees could buy a steak and a foil-wrapped baked potato for $2. Harkin is out of politics now, but the steak fry lives on as a fundraiser for the Polk County Democratic Party. This year, 11,000 people are expected to join in addition to 19 presidential candidates. Attendees can listen to bands, munch on 10,500 steaks or get food from food trucks, a vegan grill or a craft beer tent.

There are even camping grounds, where supporters of former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke spent Friday night.
The festival vibe has some Iowa activists calling the steak fry the “Coachella of the Caucuses,” referring to the weekend-long music festival in California. Polk County Democratic Party Chairman Sean Bagniewski said the event purposely has a “modern twist.” “That’s the future of the party — it’s gonna be more women in positions of leadership, it’s gonna be more people of color, and it’s going to be more young people,” he said.

But what hasn’t changed is the significance of the event for the presidential candidates. The steak fry comes as a number of candidates are reconfiguring their Iowa approach. California Sen. Kamala Harris this week announced she would focus more heavily on Iowa in hopes of finishing in the top three. Meanwhile flagging campaigns like that of O’Rourke and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar are campaigning beyond Iowa in an effort to broaden their national appeal.

Bagniewski said that, like 2007, Democrats are looking for someone who can show they’ve got the organizational strength to win. “Everyone wants to beat Donald Trump,” he said. “Everyone has a top 5, but when you actually see that your candidate of choice has 1,000 people supporting them at the Steak Fry, it gives you more liberty to make that decision.”

Over four decades, the event has seen plenty of rock-star moments. In 2014, the final year Harkin hosted the event, Hillary Clinton returned to Iowa for the first time since Obama beat her in the 2008 caucuses. She was welcomed by a jubilant crowd chanting “Hillary, Hillary,” as speculation about a second presidential campaign swirled. With a cheeky smile, she stretched her arms out to the audience of thousands, saying “Well, hello Iowa. I’m back!”

This year, a number of the candidates will kick off the festivities by hosting celebrations for their supporters beforehand, featuring everything from live bands to carnival-style games. Many are planning an Obama-esque march into the event — amping up the pressure on their teams to turn up big numbers to the event, as any flagging campaigns will be painfully obvious. Campaigns are bussing and flying supporters in from out of state to boost their numbers, and the Polk County Democratic Party says they’ve sold tickets to attendees from 48 states. Former Vice President Joe Biden is widely believed to have sold the most tickets to the event, with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg not far behind him.

Biden will host what his team is calling “Bidenfest” beforehand, featuring a bouncy castle, an ice cream truck and bands, and he’ll be marching in with a fire truck and a marching band from a Waterloo-area Baptist church. California Sen. Kamala Harris will march into the event with striking McDonald’s workers demanding a $15 an hour wage, as well as the Isiserettes, a local Des Moines drumline that appeared regularly at Obama events, including the 2007 steak fry and later his inauguration.

But Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren are skipping the march into the event. Warren has come under growing criticism from some of her rivals and her staff has said she’s looking at the steak fry as more of an opportunity to connect with potential new supporters, rather than organize those she has already won.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana State University students will have an opportunity to see presidential campaigning up close in Iowa before the first-in-the-nation caucuses. The LSU Manship School of Mass Communication is holding its “Iowa of the Tiger” program from Dec. 29 through Jan. 7.

Students who participate in the program will spend 10 days attending dozens of presidential campaign events across Iowa before that state’s caucuses on Feb. 3. The program carries a $1,000 fee. Students also must pay for their own transportation to Des Moines and most of their own meals.

It’s the fourth time LSU has offered the program to students. More than 70 students have participated since the launch in 2008.

The Iowa State Patrol reports a South Dakota man died following a crash on I-29 Northbound in Harrison County on Friday night. The crash occurred at 10:00pm near mile marker 85. The area is head to head traffic on the northbound side due to construction on the southbound side.

A 2002 Toyota Camry driven by 30-year-old Scott Munce of Sioux Falls, SD was southbound and drifted on to the shoulder and struck the end of a guardrail. This caused the Camry to enter the northbound lane facing east/west. A 2017 Chevy Silverado driven by 46-year-old Neil Nielsen of Columbia. MO was traveling northbound and struck the camry on the passenger side. Both vehicles came to rest facing the same direction as when the collision occurred.

Munce was killed in the crash. Nielsen was not listed as injured but three passengers in his vehicle were. 40-year-old Sheryl Reams and 5-year-olds Rylie and Ryker Nielsen all of Columbia, MO were injured. No details on their condition were released but all were wearing their seatbelts during the crash.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of two men following a disturbance outside the Pub in Corning. Deputies were dispatched to the report of a fight at 1:57am Saturday. After investigation David Yazell of Carbon and James Castillo of Stanton were arrested for Public Intoxication. No further details were reported.

AMES, Iowa – Sept. 20, 2019 – Area flooding has caused the Iowa Department of Transportation to close Interstate 680 from the Missouri River to the I-29 interchange near Crescent around 10 p.m. this evening.

Interstate 29 in the area was closed early this morning and is expected to remain closed over the weekend.

Relying on phone or in-vehicle navigation systems may not be reliable as closure changes happen rapidly and navigation systems can route traffic through areas not designed for heavy or some types of traffic.

The best source of information on state and U.S. highways and interstate roadway closures during uncertain weather events is www.511ia.org. You can stay connected with 511 on Facebook or Twitter (find links at https://iowadot.gov/511/511-social-media-sites); or download the free app to your mobile device. (Note: for information on county or local roads, please check the county 511 system at https://www.iowacountyroads.org/connections#county-511-map) or contact your local county engineer’s office.

To receive email or text alerts about traffic incidents, road closures, traffic delays, and other restrictions that affect this highway route or other routes you travel, the Iowa DOT offers the “Your 511” option on 511ia.org. It’s easy to subscribe to Your 511 and sign up to receive the email/text alerts. Visit https://iowadot.gov/511/511-full-feature-website-help/how-to-videos for simple, step-by-step instructions.