From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One person was killed and another person seriously injured when a vehicle crashed into a tree shortly after a Des Moines police officer attempted to stop the vehicle. The crash happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday. The woman in the driver’s seat died in the crash, and a female passenger was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek said shortly before the crash, an officer observed the vehicle speeding and tried to stop it. The officer broke off the pursuit before the vehicle crashed.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are still searching for a gunman or gunmen who opened fire at a hotel party, injuring six people. The shooting happened just before 10:30 p.m. Friday at the Ramada by Wyndham Cedar Rapids Hotel. Police said on Facebook that several dozen people were at a birthday party in a conference room when a disturbance broke out among some attendees, and several shots were fired. One victim is hospitalized with serious injuries. Police say the other victims have injuries that are not life-threatening. Police Chief Wayne Jerman called the shooting “senseless and inexcusable.”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The biggest lottery prize in more than eight months is growing larger after no ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball in Saturday night’s drawing. The estimated jackpot for the next drawing on Monday is $670 million. The jackpot has slowly climbed thanks to 40 consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner. There hasn’t been a bigger Powerball jackpot since a $731.1 million prize was won on Jan. 20. The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292.2 million. The estimated jackpot amount refers to an annuity option. Most winners take cash, which for Monday’s drawing would be an estimated $474.8 million, before taxes.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One woman is dead and another is hospitalized after a car crashed into a tree in Des Moines. The accident happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday. The names of the victims have not been released. Police say officers observed a vehicle speeding and tried to stop it, but the vehicle sped away. Police say the officer called off the chase, but the speeding vehicle kept going. The driver lost control and struck a tree on Scott Avenue. The woman who survived is hospitalized with serious injuries.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Four mobile homes are damaged and nine residents are displaced after a fire at a mobile home park in Johnson County, Iowa. KGAN-TV reports that the fire broke out Friday afternoon at the Regency Mobile Home Court. Officials say two of the mobile homes were severely damaged. No one was hurt and the Red Cross is helping those who were displaced. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farmland values are rising sharply in Iowa, according to a semi-annual survey of real estate agents. The Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs reports that the survey released this weeks shows that tillable farmland value increased by 18.8% over the past six months. The statewide average value of $12,182 per acre compared to a value of $10,221 per acre in March. The September survey by the Realtors Land Institute’s Iowa chapter indicated that the year-over-year increase totaled 26.6%. RLI spokesman Matt Vegte called the value “pretty hefty for Iowa ag land.”
