(Radio Iowa) – Police say a long-running fight over a lawn tractor led to the shooting death of a Des Moines woman. On Sunday night, a 9-1-1 caller expressed concern about a woman and police found 42-year-old Amber Burton of Des Moines dead of what was originally thought to be a stab wound.

An autopsy determined she died of a gunshot wound. Fifty-year-old Des Moines resident Nery Arnoldo Lopez Morales has been charged with the woman’s murder. Police say Morales and Burton had an ongoing dispute about the ownership of a lawn tractor and witnesses and surveillance video connected him to her death.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa Senate committee has dismissed complaints against Republican senators who voted to ban schools from requiring masks. Six Iowans accused G-O-P senators of violating Senate ethics rules by backing a ban that could put medically vulnerable students, staff and families at greater risk of getting Covid. Senate Republicans, in a written response, said voting for a bill isn’t an ethics violation.

Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque who voted against the bill, says she’s sympathetic to the concerns of parents — but Jochum says the Senate Ethics Committee isn’t the proper forum to resolve the issue. “Unfortunately I believe the remedy really is in a court of law,” Jochum says.

On Monday, a judge issued a temporary order that lets school districts require face masks be worn on school grounds until the lawsuit challenging Iowa’s ban on mask mandates is decided.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State Education Association president Mike Beranek says it is a welcome relief to have a federal judge issue an order that blocks Iowa’s ban on mask mandates in schools.  “The number is increasing of our students that are contracting the virus,” Beranek says, “and one of the best protocols that we could be utilizing here in the state is to be wearing masks.”

Beranek spoke during an online news conference shortly before a federal judge issued a temporary injunction barring enforcement of the law that has prevented schools from requiring people wear face coverings on school grounds. According to Beranek, more than 80 percent of school districts required students and staff to wear masks last year. Beranek says with the more contagious delta variant of Covid now circulating, the number of students testing positive for the virus is increasing.

“The number of students below 12 years of age that are contracting the virus is a concern since they do not have the ability to have a vaccine yet,” Beranek says. Beranek says the people in the best position to decide what is right for the health and safety of a school community are the people in that school district.

Governor Kim Reynolds signed the statewide ban on school mask mandates in May and she says the state will appeal the federal judge’s ruling. Reynolds says parents should decide whether their own children wear masks at school. House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, says the law took the necessary step to return decision-maker power to parents and the judge’s order strips parents of those freedoms.

(Radio Iowa) – The state’s largest school district is the first to reinstate a requirement that students, staff and visitors wear face coverings. On Monday, a federal judge issued a temporary order that blocks enforcement of the Iowa law that bans mask mandates in schools. Early Monday evening, Des Moines Superintendent Thomas Ahart said he’s heard concerns from families in the district and school staff about the ban and the judge’s ruling was welcome news. The mask mandate will go into effect in the Des Moines district Wednesday.

The school board in Iowa City was set to meet tonight (Tuesday), to consider issuing a similar requirement.

Atlantic, IA— As of Sunday, September 12, 2021, the Atlantic Evangelical Free Church is now officially known as GracePoint Church. According to Senior Pastor Donald McLean, “There are many reasons to refresh and rebrand. While we are proud to continue our partnership with the Evangelical Free Church of America, we’ve come to realize some parts of our name are confusing for people. For example, the term ’evangelical’ has taken on different connotations in recent years that have little to do with what we mean by the term. We’ve also noticed that the word ‘free’ means different things to different people.

“And even having ‘Atlantic’ in our name isn’t entirely accurate. We certainly love the city of Atlantic, and the majority of our congregation lives here. But more than 25% of our people come from other towns in the area. We want those people to know they are welcome, too!”

Pastor McLean said “We decided on the name GracePoint Church, because it captures the essence of who we are as a church. Our church’s mission is to connect real people to the Real God by engaging our communities with the hope and love of Christ. And that’s what God’s grace is all about – He connects real people to Himself through the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ. We see our church as a point (or place) where people can connect with God’s grace for themselves. And once we’ve experienced this grace in our own lives, we then have the joy of pointing other people to Jesus Christ. Hence the name – GracePoint Church.”

GracePoint Church is a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, an association of about 1500 Bible-believing churches throughout the United States. GracePoint’s ministries include an active youth program led by Andrew Johnson, Pastor of Student & Worship Discipleship, as well as a wide selection of small group Bible studies and many other opportunities to be involved. The church also offers AWANA, a children’s program for pre-K through grade 5 that runs on Wednesday evenings during the school year.

GracePoint Church is located at 1 East 22nd Street, on the corner of Chestnut and 22nd Street, in Atlantic, Iowa. Sunday worship is at 10:30 a.m. and all are welcome. You can learn more about the church at VisitGracePoint.com or on Facebook at GracePointAtlantic.

(Radio Iowa) – A federal judge has blocked enforcement of the Iowa law that bans mask mandates in schools. A group of parents of disabled Iowa students filed a lawsuit, arguing their children face a greater threat of contracting Covid and the state law on mask mandates in schools is discriminatory. Federal Judge Robert Pratt cited the recent drastic increase in Covid cases among Iowa children and he issued a temporary injunction, barring the law from being enforced, until the lawsuit is decided.

Governor Kim Reynolds says the ruling takes away parents’ ability to decide whether their children wear masks at school and the state will appeal the federal court ruling.

Last week, a judge in state court declined to issue a similar order in connection with a different lawsuit that challenges Iowa’s ban on school mask mandates. That one was filed by a Council Bluffs woman who’s the mother of two first grade boys.