DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on Wednesday told members of a U.S. House of Representatives committee that states could use more flexibility with federal resources and could deliver them more efficiently. Block grants, she said, could be a better way to save money and still provide services. The House Oversight Committee on Government Efficiency held a nearly four-hour hearing. Reynolds shared how she reduced the number of state agencies from 37 to 16, cut 600 unfilled state employee positions, sold farmland that the state owned, and eliminated dozens of boards and commissions. The savings have added up to $217 million so far, she said. “Since this hearing is about efficiency, I’ll get to the point: Iowa was doing ‘DOGE’ before DOGE was a thing,” as she echoed a line she uses to demonstrate how Iowa leaders took action before Donald Trump’s administration began the push for DOGE — Department of Government Efficiency.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – A former Dubuque police officer has been acquitted of domestic abuse charges. A woman, who had been in a relationship with Tyler Breitbach, had accused him of multiple incidents of domestic abuse. Breitbach was an officer with the Dubuque Police Department at the time. He was arrested in May 2024. Court documents filed shortly after his arrest said the woman accused Breitbach of striking her in the face with an open hand while they were driving home in June 2023. The woman also accused him of a second incident in which she alleged he had pushed her into a wall as he barged into a home in July 2023. When law enforcement interviewed Breitbach in April 2024, he denied any physical contact with the woman, saying the relationship was “toxic but never physical.” A Dubuque County jury acquitted Breitbach of the charges.
BREMER COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – The driver of a hatchback vehicle and two passengers were taken to the hospital for minor injuries after a crash involving a semi on Highway 63 in Bremer County Tuesday evening. The Bremer County Sheriff’s Office said the semi was pulling an oversized load and had pilot vehicles in front and behind it. The semi driver was heading south on Highway 63 at around 7:10 p.m. when the driver of a hatchback vehicle tried to pass the semi on the right side. The semi driver then tried to turn west on Highway 188, and the driver of the hatchback could not stop before hitting the semi on its passenger side. The hatchback overturned and ended up on its roof following the collision. The driver of the car and two passengers were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries. The sheriff’s office did not report any injuries for the semi driver. No details about possible charges related to this crash have been released.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa City woman has been charged with child endangerment after police say she was driving drunk with two children in her vehicle when she hit a parked vehicle. A criminal complaint says Adesola Miller, 31, was driving a vehicle near the intersection of Johnson and Jefferson Streets at around 7:15 p.m. on Monday, when she hit at least one parked vehicle. Officers said they later arrested Miller for OWI, when she provided a chemical breath test of .181 percent. Police said Miller’s 3-year-old and 5-year-old children were in the vehicle with her during the incident. Miller is the owner of The Haven Bar, at 220 S Van Buren Street. She was charged with Disorderly House for an October 2024 incident in which police say she failed to make any attempt to put a stop to a fight involving more than 20 people that broke out at the bar.
