From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two Iowa teenagers charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of their high school Spanish teacher will remain in jail after a judge decided to keep their bail bond at $1 million cash only. Attorneys for Willard Noble Chaiden Miller and Jeremy Everett Goodale, both 16, asked Judge Joel Yates to reduce their bond so they could be released from custody while awaiting trial. Prosecutors resisted citing the brutal nature of the teacher’s death. Yates says in a written ruling released Friday that he considered several factors including the nature and circumstances of the offenses charged. The attorneys for both teens declined to comment on the judge’s decision.
CARLISLE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say an Iowa high school basketball player has been arrested following an apparent assault on an opposing player at the end of a game as the two teams lined up to shake hands. The attack reportedly followed a boys’ high school basketball game between Nevada High School and Carlisle High School in Carlisle’s gym Tuesday night. A video that has been viewed millions of times on Twitter shows a Carlisle player repeatedly punch a Nevada player who had his hand extended for a handshake. The Nevada player suffered a concussion and required stitches for a cut to his mouth. The 17-year-old Carlisle player faces a felony charge of willful injury.
ALGONA, Iowa (AP) — State police officials are investigating after a north-central Iowa police officer shot at a suspect accused of driving his car toward the officer. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says in a news release that the incident happened Thursday in Algona, when police were called to a motel for reports of a disturbance. Algona police say responding officers encountered 30-year-old Juan Cavazos and say Cavazos refused to comply with officer’s commands to stop. Police say Cavazos drove his vehicle toward an officer as he was fleeing, leading the officer to fire one shot at Cavazos. Investigators say Cavazos was not hit, but suffered injuries when he subsequently crashed the vehicle in rural Kossuth County.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is getting $110.7 million and Nebraska $63.4 million from the federal government to upgrade water systems and improve water quality. The Environmental Protection Agency announced the new funding Thursday as part of $7.4 billion in new funding sent throughout the country. The allocation for next year is the first of five years of payments totaling nearly $44 billion. The EPA funding comes through a $1 trillion infrastructure bill approved by Congress and signed into law last month by President Joe Biden.
MONTICELLO, Iowa (AP) — A Monticello man has been arrested and charged with first-degree arson after investigators say he set off an explosion in the basement of his home last month that injured a Jones County sheriff’s deputy. The Gazette reports the explosion happened the night of Nov. 17, after 62-year-old David Costello had threatened to detonate a bomb in his home. Investigators say that as police tried to convince Costello to surrender, Costello ignited a propane torch near a natural gas supply line he had opened. The resulting explosion consumed an officer and a deputy in a flash fire. Officials say the deputy was injured and was treated at a hospital. Costello was taken to another hospital for a medical and psychological evaluation.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Police in western Iowa have arrested a former high school math teacher accused of writing and planting notes threatening gun violence at the school. Council Bluffs police say in a news release that 37-year-old Katrina Phelan of Council Bluffs turned herself in to police on Wednesday after an arrest warrant charging her with three counts of making terroristic threats were issued for her. Police say Phelan admitted in an interview with detectives that she had written the four notes found over two weeks in November and that she had done so to try to show that the school is not a safe place. The school district says she is no longer employed there.
