DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The 2025 Iowa State Fair Grandstand saw record-breaking crowds, fair leadership announced. In the first 10 days of the fair, the Grandstand recorded 131,616 concertgoers, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 with 128,504 concertgoers.
- Aug. 7: Forrest Frank with special guest Lecrae, 15,804
- Aug. 8: Parker McCollum with special guest Josh Abbott Band, 9,256
- Aug. 9: Megan Moroney with special guest Kameron Marlowe, 16,371
- Aug. 10: Pitbull with special guest Neon Union, 16,090
- Aug. 11: Lynyrd Skynyrd with special guest The Outlaws, 6,960
- Aug. 12: Rascal Flatts with special guest Neal McCoy, 13,322
- Aug. 13: Hairball’s Silver Anniversary Tour, 8,358
- Aug. 14: Def Leppard with special guest Phil X & The Drills, 14,733
- Aug. 15: Hank Williams Jr. with special guest Old Crow Medicine Show, 11,185
- Aug. 16: T-Pain with special guest charlieonnafriday, 16,202
- Aug. 17: KIDZ BOP LIVE Certified Bop Tour, 3,335 tickets sold as of 10 a.m. Sunday.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – On Saturday, Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order aimed at expanding STEM opportunities for K-12 students. The order was announced during STEM day at the Iowa State Fair, and directs the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council “to ensure that every Iowa student in every geographic location and from every background has access to cutting-edge educational opportunities.” The STEM Advisory Council was first established in July 2011 by Governor Terry Branstad and chaired by then Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds to develop the K-12 talent pipeline for STEM careers. Executive Order 14 directs that the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council shall be co-chaired by the Lt. Governor of Iowa and a co-chair appointed by the Governor of Iowa for a two-year term. Goals and objectives are also outlined and include connecting STEM classroom content with structured work-based learning experiences, driving career exploration and development, and recommending policy changes that strengthen K-12 STEM instruction.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa City man has been arrested after police said he intentionally drove his car into five people Friday night. 29-year-old Roman Aguilar Ventura is charged with one count of OWI 3rd offense, five counts of willful injury causing bodily injury, five counts of assault use/display of a weapon, one count of driving while barred, one count of driving while license denied or revoked and one count of leave scene of accident – injury. Police said the incident happened around 10:40 Friday night at Southgate Ave. and Waterfront Drive. In a criminal complaint, police said Aguilar Ventura drove his car into five people and then drove away from the scene. Aguilar Ventura is currently in the Johnson County Jail on a $35,000 bond.
KEOKUK COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – A settlement has been reached in the civil case of a hayride accident that left multiple children injured in 2023. In October 2023, Daniel Brubaker was driving a pickup truck pulling a trailer for a hayride when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a ditch. 29 children were thrown from the trailer into the ditch. Three of them were transported to a nearby hospital for their injuries. Following the crash, Brubaker fled the scene. Brubaker had one another passenger in the pickup truck at the time of the incident, identified as David Heady Jr. Heady was a Keokuk County deputy at the time of the crash. Investigators believe alcohol may have been involved. Heady later resigned from his role. In December 2024, Brubaker and Heady were charged with 13 counts of felony child endangerment – three for serious injury and 10 for bodily injury. In July 2025, Brubaker pleaded guilty to all 13 counts of child endangerment. The details of the settlement are unclear at this time.
