From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
The Pentagon says all four of the six American troops killed in the opening hours of the war with Iran were assigned to an Iowa Army Reserve unit. Among those killed was 20-year-old Specialist Declan Coady of West Des Moines. The other three casualties were from Florida, Nebraska, and Minnesota. All of the soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve unit based in Des Moines.
The Iowa City School District is looking at a plan to cut more than $8 million from next school year’s budget. This includes cuts from the administrative office down to the elementary level. The district says all staffing cuts would happen through attrition, including retirements, voluntary resignations, and non-renewals for probationary teachers. The district says these moves would also help stabilize the district financially long-term and reflect changing enrollment patterns.
The Iowa State Athletics Department says the women’s gymnastics program has been discontinued. Just weeks earlier, the team’s 2026 season was canceled. Athletics Director Jamie Pollard says there were internal conflicts between teammates and coaching staff. The athletics department plans to replace women’s gymnastics with another women’s sport.
A bill to double the number of inpatient psychiatric beds at state mental health institutions passed the Iowa House unanimously and now heads to the state Senate. Iowa ranks last in the country for mental health bed availability, with only two beds for every 100,000 people. Supporters say the addition of more than 90 beds would be a big help in the wake of the closure of half of the state’s mental health hospitals in 2015. They say more beds would help break the cycle of homelessness, jail and emergency room visits.
Davenport Catholic Bishop Dennis Walsh joined a group of demonstrators in Cedar Rapids to support immigrants during their regular check-ins with Homeland Security. In the past, some cases ended with detentions. Bishop Walsh says he wanted to accompany them during their meetings but says a DHS officer respectfully turned him away. Escucha Mi Voz, one of the groups that organizes these demonstrations, says about 200 people came out Tuesday. They say no one was detained yesterday.
