DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau/KCRG) — Iowa’s share will be $136 million from a $17 billion settlement between Meta Platforms, Inc., and 47 states following allegations that the social media company designed Facebook and Instagram so children would get addicted. The company agreed to numerous changes to settle a lawsuit that included: two-hour daily limit for young users; mandatory pauses to prevent non-stop scrolling; restrict children’s access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.; eliminate push notifications on weekdays during the school year from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; more effective age verification; enhanced safeguards against bullying and content that promotes eating disorders, suicide, and self-harm; limit filters that allow a user to change his/her appearance and visible counts that show how many other users “liked” the post; plus an independent auditor will review changes to see how they got implemented and how well they work.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI/KCRG) – A Des Moines man who pleaded guilty to hiding cameras inside of porta-potties has been sentenced to serve 20 years in prison. 33-year-old Tyler Pavlick pleaded guilty earlier this spring to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child, as well as one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. Investigators say Pavlick placed cameras at three separate events last fall. One of the incidents was at the Harvest & Handmade event on October 4 in Des Moines. He also hid cameras at cross country meets in State Center and Osceola. Pavlick could be out of prison after 15 years based on credit for time already served.
DALLAS COUNTY, Iowa (KCCI) – Kristin Ramsey, the Iowa woman accused of murdering realtor Ashley Okland in 2011, will face trial next year. Okland was found dead inside a West Des Moines home with two gunshot wounds on April 8, 2011. A new trial date for Ramsey has been set for July 12, 2027 in Dallas County. Ramsey was charged with first-degree murder in May of this year, more than 15 years after the murder took place. Last month, Ramsey’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Linn County Solid Waste Agency will vote on a resolution that would allow the landfill to refuse commercial loads, including ones from data centers. The move comes as the city reports Google and QTS data center construction has resulted in more than 40 million pounds of trash being thrown in the landfill. The proposed resolution would have commercial construction sites, including data centers, to sort their waste before bringing it to the landfill. Cardboard, which was banned from the landfill in 1999, has been appearing again lately. A spokesperson told TV9 the resolution hasn’t been written as of yet. The resolution will be voted on at the board’s next meeting on September 15.
