DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Former Iowa First Lady Billie Lee Ray has died at 97 years old. Drake University said she passed away in her sleep Wednesday morning. Billie Ray served as Iowa’s first lady from 1968 to 1983 during her husband Robert Ray’s tenure as governor. She worked with several organizations including Terrace Hill Foundation, Iowa Friendship Force, the Cedar Rapids Symphony, the historic Brucemore in Cedar Rapids, the Red Cross, Easter Seals, United Way, Women in Business, Iowa Save Your Vision, Des Moines Civic Center, Blank Park Zoo Foundation, and Drake University. The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at the university works to improve civility through character development and extends from early childhood to the corporate and public service. Her husband, former Governor Robert Ray, died in 2018.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Linn County supervisors have unanimously approved a new ordinance regulating future data centers in unincorporated areas of the county, following months of public input and debate over water use, noise and placement. The new ordinance creates separate zoning rules for small and large data centers in unincorporated Linn County. Large projects must complete a detailed study outlining how much water they will use, where it will come from and how it could affect groundwater and surface water. Developers will also be required to sign agreements addressing water use, setbacks, lighting, noise limits, traffic impacts and road use. Supervisors said those additions reflect public feedback gathered over several months, including a meeting in Palo where more than 100 residents attended to voice concerns. Supervisors said county staff spent nearly seven months developing the ordinance and reviewing how other Iowa communities have handled similar projects. The ordinance applies only to future data center proposals in unincorporated Linn County and does not affect the two facilities already under construction within Cedar Rapids city limits.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCRG) – A judge has sentenced a Davenport man to up to 40 years in prison after a deadly shooting in Cedar Falls in 2022. He could have faced life in prison. The judge found Beau Ekstrom guilty of three charges in the shooting death of 19-year-old Arthur Lang from Clear Lake. The shooting happened near the intersection of College Street and West 22nd Street in Cedar Falls in 2022. Two others were also shot and taken to the hospital that night. The judge found Ekstrom guilty of voluntary manslaughter as a habitual offender, possession of a firearm by a felon and intimidation with a dangerous weapon.
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa lawmakers are considering legislation to name part of Highway 30 in Marshalltown after an Iowa National Guard solider who was killed in Syria in December. House File 2478 was introduced Monday in honor of Staff Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard. The Iowa National Guard member was killed in action on December 13, 2025, during an attack by an ISIS gunman in Syria. Staff Sgt. Edgar Torres-Tovar also died in the attack. Both soldiers were members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment. The Iowa National Guard has honored them as heroes. Supporters say the highway designation would permanently honor Howard’s legacy, ensuring his sacrifice is forever linked to his hometown of Marshalltown. The bill advanced out of the House Committee on Wednesday with a unanimous 17-0 vote.
