From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.)
BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man accused of suffocating his brother to death has been charged with attempted murder. Todd Alan Laing Sr. of Bettendorf, Iowa, was arrested Tuesday. The the Quad-City Times reports an arrest affidavit alleges he put his hands over his brother’s mouth on Nov. 11, expecting and intending to cause his death. Scott County First Assistant Attorney Amy DeVine says Laing wasn’t charged with murder because those charges require the perpetrator to have had “malice aforethought” and state prosecutors didn’t feel they could prove such malice. A charge of attempted murder doesn’t have the same requirement.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has set a special legislative session for Oct. 5 to approve redrawn legislative and congressional district maps. And the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court has signed an order giving lawmakers extra time to complete their task. Reynolds signed a proclamation Tuesday convening the special session to take up redistricting. The once-a-decade process was complicated this year by a delay in releasing U.S. Census Bureau data blamed on the coronavirus pandemic. Also Tuesday, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen signed an order allowing the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency to submit maps to the Legislature as outlined in Iowa law even though they will be completed after the legally mandated deadline.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Masks will be required for all students, staff and visitors in Cedar Rapids schools. Superintendent Noreen Bush on Tuesday announced the requirement beginning Wednesday in an email to families. The decision came a day after a federal judge ordered the state of Iowa to immediately halt enforcement of a law the prevents school board from ordering mask mandates. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports more than 90 students in the district are now positive for the coronavirus. Cedar Rapids is the state’s second-largest school district after Des Moines schools, which within hours of the court ruling reinstated its mask mandate, also beginning Wednesday.
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa State University has announced that its student crew club must stay off the water at least for now after an inquiry faulted the university and the club’s leaders in the drowning deaths of two members. The Ames Tribune reports that Iowa State made the announcement Monday when it released the preliminary findings of a pair of investigations into the March 28 deaths of 20-year-old Yaakov Ben-David and 19-year-old Derek Nanni. The suspension of the crew club will last for at least the remainder of the current school year while health and safety measures are adopted.
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) – Voters in the fast-growing suburb of Ankeny elected Republican Mike Bousselot to the Iowa House, filling a seat left vacant after the incumbent died in July. Bousselot on Tuesday beat Democrat Andrea Phillips by 51.5% to 48.3% for the House District 37 seat that was previously held by Republican Rep. John Landon until his death. Bousselot will hold office until the general election in November 2022. Bousselot served roles in the administrations of former Gov. Terry Branstad and current Gov. Kim Reynolds.
MOUNT AYR, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa woman whose husband died from a breakthrough COVID-19 infection is blaming Americans who refuse to mask or get vaccinated. The Des Moines Register reports that Ardith Keplinger said “that kind of attitude” killed Gary Keplinger. The Mount Ayr man was 77 when he died Aug. 11. The family held a small graveside service for him on Sept. 5, at a cemetery next to the farm where he grew up north of town. His widow said he had a rare autoimmune condition called myasthenia gravis that may have made him particularly susceptible to complications from the coronavirus.
