From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) – Investigators searching for an Iowa boy who vanished in May days before his 11th birthday say they have found human remains matching his description in a nearby cornfield. The remains were discovered by a farmer working in a field a few miles outside of Montezuma, where then 10-year-old Xavior Harrelson was reported missing May 27 from the trailer park where he lived. The farmer called the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office, which responded to the scene. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agents and the Iowa Office of State Medical Examiner and the state anthropologist also responded and confirmed that they were remains. DCI spokesman Mitch Mortvedt says the body “appears to be that of an adolescent” and the clothing found on scene match what Xavior was wearing.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa’s largest public school system, will offer drive-through COVID-19 testing starting Monday, in an effort to curb rising virus infections since the governor discontinued a statewide testing program. School officials say while students and staff will have priority, the public also may get a test. The district entered a contract with Utah-based Nomi Health to begin offering tests starting Monday. Gov. Kim Reynolds discontinued the widespread Test Iowa program in July saying demand had fallen and vaccines were widely available. But virus cases have surged in the past two months. Since the school year started, the Des Moines district has had 149 positive cases among staff and 654 among students.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A Davenport man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2019 shooting death of his ex-girlfriend’s unarmed boyfriend during an early-morning confrontation at a Cedar Rapids convenience store. The Gazette reports that a judge on Wednesday found 26-year-old Todd Ricky Jenkins guilty of the murder count and going armed with intent in the killing of 27-year-old Reginald Ward, of Moline, Illinois. Police say Jenkins drove from Davenport to Cedar Rapids on Oct. 30, 2019, to confront Ward, and the two men began arguing outside a convenience story near the girlfriend’s apartment. Jenkins had argued that he shot Ward in self-defense.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $620 million after nearly four months without a big winner. That makes it the 10th largest U.S. lottery prize ahead of Saturday night’s drawing. There have been 39 drawings in a row without a Powerball grand prize winner, dating back to the last time someone hit the jackpot on June 5. It’s no mystery why it’s been so long since a player has hit the jackpot – the odds are a steep one in 292.2 million. Although the jackpot is billed as $620 million, that is the estimate for the annuity option paid over 30 years. Winners nearly always opt for the cash option, which for Saturday’s drawing will be an estimated $446 million.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Doctors who specialize in the care of children say in court documents submitted in a federal court case that the rise of the delta variant and beginning of the school year have dramatically increased the risks children face during the coronavirus pandemic. The American Academy of Pediatrics and its Iowa chapter submitted a brief on Tuesday with the federal court judge who is considering a lawsuit seeking to strike down a state law that prohibits school boards from imposing mask mandates in schools. The AAP says cases of pediatric COVID-19 have skyrocketed since the school year began. The group says it’s clear that universal mask policies in schools significantly reduce the spread of COVID-19.
CHICAGO (AP) – Republicans are using money from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package for projects on conservatives’ wish lists. Alabama lawmakers are advancing a plan to use $400 million of the state’s coronavirus relief funds toward building prisons. In Texas, a Republican-led county pledged to help Gov. Greg Abbott revive former President Donald Trump’s plans for a border wall. This kind of spending probably isn’t what the bill’s supporters had in mind when Democrats passed the bill on party lines. But it’s the inevitable result of Washington sending money to places with very different ideas about how public dollars are best spent.
