EVANSDALE, Iowa (KCRG-TV) — HBO Max is set to release a three-part documentary series about the abduction and deaths of Evansdale cousins Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins, KCRG reports. Eight-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook disappeared on July 13, 2012, while riding their bikes in Evansdale. Investigators found their bikes but no sign of the children.

Hunters found their bodies five months later, about 25 miles from where they were last seen alive. Investigators said they have followed up on 2,000 leads, but no one has been charged in the case yet.

A trailer for the HBO Max series, called “Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric And Elizabeth,” was released on Monday.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI-TV — Authorities have identified a man who was killed by Des Moines police officers after a report of a no-contact order violation turned into a chase and a shooting, early Tuesday morning. Sgt. Paul Parizek, spokesperson for Des Moines police, told KCCI, that officers responded around 3:30 a.m. to a home to investigate a report of a person violating a protective order. Police found the suspect, who has since been identified as 45-year-old Weston Dean Derby, from Bellevue, NE, driving near the scene and attempted to stop his vehicle.

The suspect then fled from officers, who started a pursuit. That pursuit ended about one mile away, when the suspect’s vehicle left the roadway to the south and got hung up in vegetation, according to law enforcement. Parizek said officers’ body camera footage shows the suspect attempting to flee from the officers on foot before pulling a handgun.

Two officers fired their service weapons. One of the officers was hit and the suspect was also hit in an exchange of cross-fire. Derby was pronounced dead at the scene.  The injured officer was in stable condition at a nearby hospital and expected to recover.

Pottawattamie County, Iowa – Pottawattamie County is continuing a commitment to make communication with its residents a top priority by hosting another town hall meeting in Oakland, its third in the last 16 months. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 14 th, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. The informational discussion will occur inside the Oakland Community Center at 614 Dr Van Zee Road, with no formal deliberation or action from the Board of Supervisors.

Pottawattamie County held two similar forums in 2023, providing an opportunity for residents to hear from county leaders about the latest developments. “Understanding residents aren’t always able to attend our weekly meetings, we continue to do our best to find ways to engage and inform,” said Susan Miller, Chairperson for the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors. “We selected a venue for this town hall meeting that may be easier to access for some of our rural residents, a time of day that may be more manageable, and a time of year that doesn’t interfere with harvest season,” said Miller. “We’ve been strategic in our planning of the event.”

PowerPoint slides are expected to accompany brief presentations by leaders of several county departments during the meeting, before concluding with a question-and-answer session with those in attendance. “We’ve bolstered communication through our website and social media channels, but creating avenues to deliver information in-person remains important as well,” said Miller. “This platform allows an opportunity to outline the services our departments work hard to provide and celebrate the many reasons that make Pottawattamie County a special place to work, live, and play.”

Representatives will also be on hand to provide guidance to property owners and residents impacted by tornadoes, storms, and flood events occurring between April and July. FEMA Individual Assistance is available and team members will provide survivors with application status updates and referrals to community resources. Those impacted by the April tornadoes have until August 23rd to apply for FEMA assistance.

About the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors: Regularly scheduled meetings for the Board of Supervisors are held every Tuesday at 10:00am. To view archived meetings, visit YouTube.com/PottawattamieCountyIA. To learn more about the Board of Supervisors, visit PottCounty-ia.gov/departments/board_of_supervisors.

(Radio Iowa) – When school starts in less than a month, students in 10 Iowa districts will go to school just four days a week. Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair says it’s happening because of a recent change in Iowa law. It lets schools choose to calculate the required amount of classroom instruction each school year by the total number of days or just over a thousand hours.

“I have started the process of looking at the results,” she says. “We always want to know how this is impacting student achievement, how this is impacting families who utilize public schools.” Over 16-hundred districts in 24 states have opted for a four-day week and most offer child care on the other weekday. Sinclair says research shows parents depend upon schools for child care.

“Unless the data prove us otherwise in student achievement or in a family’s ability to maintain meaningful work, I’m happy letting those local school districts make those decisions,” she says. There’s been some push-back in other states on a four-day school week. A bill introduced in Louisiana sought to ban four day school weeks and legislators in Missouri and Texas have considered limiting which districts can switch to four days a week.

(The following Iowa school districts will have four-day weeks: Cardinal Community, East Union, Highland, Martensdale-St. Mary’s, Mormon Trail, Moulton-Udell, Murray, North Iowa, Saydel and Waco.)