SIOUX CITY  – The man accused of killing a young woman in Sioux City over 40 years ago has entered a plea and he now has a jury trial scheduled. KTIV-TV in Sioux City reports court documents show 62-year-old Thomas Popp pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder of Terri McCauley, who was killed in 1983. Popp entered his plea on Thursday, March 27, and the court has set his jury trial for Tuesday, June 3.

In January 2025, a Woodbury County grand jury indicted Popp on the murder charge, which began the process of bringing him to Woodbury County to face trial. After being indicted, Popp was taken into custody and held in Washington State before being extradited to Iowa.

In 1983, the 18-year-old McCauley met with some friends in downtown Sioux City during late September and never came home. On Oct. 1 of that year, McCauley’s mother contacted the Sioux City Police Department and filed an “attempt to locate” report to find her daughter.

With no success, McCauley’s mother filed an official missing person report on Oct. 5. McCauley’s body was found less than 24 hours later. Investigators say she had been shot point-blank with a 20-gauge shotgun. The gravel road where her body was found no longer exists in Sioux City, it has since been paved over.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed nearly a dozen bills into law Friday. Among them is a new law that would require anyone convicted of grooming to register as a tier 1 sex offender. She also signed a law to expand Iowa’s open container law to include beverages with THC and a law that allows essential EMS funding to be used for salaries of Emergency Medical Care providers.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (Official photo)

Reynolds also gave her approval of a law that will make it so all sports betting winnings are considered earned income, making them subject to state and federal income tax laws.

You can see the full list of bills signed below (SF stands for Senate File bill/HF is a House File bill)

(Adair County, Iowa) – Multiple firefighting agencies responded Friday afternoon to a large field fire located about two-miles west of Orient, or about eight-miles south of Greenfield, in Adair County.

Officials say Creston Fire Department was requested for mutual aid to assist the Orient Volunteer Fire Department, Greenfield Volunteer Fire Department, Fontanelle Fire & Rescue, Bridgewater Fire & Ems, and Prescott Fire & Rescue contain a massive field fire, while battling winds of 30-to 50-miles per hour. 

The fire was believed to have started from a downed power line, and high winds spread the fire to what is said to have been a two-mile line of flames. (Photos are by Chuck Spindler, via the Creston FD Facebook page)

Highway 25 was closed for a while due to dense smoke. Area farmers showed up en masse to disk fields to create fire breaks. Water tankers constantly refilled the multiple brush trucks as firefighters worked the field fire, while several pumper/tanker crews attacked the fire in an abandoned house. Several outbuildings, an RV and the house were damaged or destroyed in the flames.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office was coordinating traffic in the area and the Adair County Health System‘s ambulance was on scene for support.

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2025 – Cargill Kitchen Solutions, a Lake Odessa, Michigan establishment, is recalling approximately 212,268 pounds of liquid egg products that may contain a cleaning solution with sodium hypochlorite, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The liquid egg items were produced on March 12 and 13, 2025. The following products are subject to recall [view labels]:

• 32-oz. (2-lb.) carton containing “egg beaters ORIGINAL LIQUID EGG SUBSTITUTE” and USE BY AUG 10 2025.
• 32-oz. (2-lb.) carton containing “egg beaters CAGE-FREE ORIGINAL LIQUID EGG SUBSTITUTE” and USE BY AUG 09 2025.
• 32-oz. (2-lb.) carton containing “egg beaters CAGE-FREE ORIGINAL FROZEN EGG SUBSTITUTE” and “egg beaters NO ENJAULADAS ORIGINAL SUSTITUTO DE HUEVO CONGELADO” and USE BY MAR 07 2026.
• 32-oz. (2-lb.) carton containing “Bob Evans Better’n Eggs Made with Real Egg Whites” and USE BY AUG 10 2025.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “G1804” ink-jetted on the carton. These items were shipped to distributor locations in Ohio and Texas and for foodservice use in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois and Iowa. There is a possibility that the products were distributed nationwide. 

The problem was discovered when FSIS received a tip about the potential contamination of these products. After conducting an investigation and thorough assessment of the contents of the cleaning solution, FSIS scientists concluded that use of this product should not cause adverse health consequences, or the risk is negligible, resulting in a Class III recall.

Although FSIS does not expect any adverse health effects for Class III recalled products and there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products, anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ or foodservice refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them and foodservice locations are urged not to serve them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Chuck Miller, Cargill Kitchen Solutions, at 1-844-419-1574.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – You’re invited to join Iowa State University Extension and Outreach staff for the Food Safety Escape Challenge on Wednesday evening, April 2. The hands-on training for child care providers will help you make smart choices to protect children in your care. Attendees will explore topics like potentially hazardous foods, cross contamination, cleaning, and temperature to help your team solve the food safety puzzle! All training has been approved by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and is designed to help providers identify, recognize and implement best practices relative to nutrition, physical activity, health and safety for children under their care.

Research has shown that only half of Iowa youth meet current physical activity recommendation levels and less than 10 percent of youth meet recommendations for fat, fruit and vegetable intake. These trends demonstrate the need to foster healthier nutrition and physical activity behaviors among our youth. Ideally, these behaviors need to begin early during their preschool years. Some health behaviors can be established before the child begins school and the child care setting can play an important and influential role, research suggests.

Leah Brooke, ISU specialist in Health and Human Sciences will be hosting the Food Safety Escape Challenge on Wednesday, April 2 at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Child care providers will learn practical strategies and skills to provide a healthy environment for the children in their care. The cost for the training is $10 per person. Due to partial funding provided by Thriving Families Alliance Early Childhood Iowa, each provider will receive a FREE food safety kit for attending! Providers will also receive 2 hours credit for childcare license renewal approved by Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

Registration is available online with a deadline of Monday March 31 for guaranteed acceptance to the class. Providers can sign up through the online registration link at https://go.iastate.edu/QDET8V and should also register in I-Power to ensure full credit for the class. With questions contact instructor Leah Brooke by email at lbrooke@iastate.edu or by phone at (712) 623-2592. You can also call the Cass County Extension office for details at (712) 243-1132 or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Relay for Life Committee is switching gears this year and will host or have a presence at numerous events throughout the year in order to reach as many residents as possible to celebrate survivors, remember those lost, and fight back against cancer.

Officials say their first event this year will be Spring into Relay on April 26, 2025 at Heritage House in Atlantic. The event will be a social gathering featuring cake, punch, live music, and a debut viewing of an honorary cancer survivor/battler slideshow.

The Relay for Life Committee is looking for submissions in memory or support of a cancer battler/survivor for the slideshow. A picture taking event will take place April 4th from 4-until 6-p.m at the Heritage House, for those that would like to submit their photos.

For more information, check out the flyer:

(Iowa Capital Dispatch; Washington, D-C) – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is set to play a top role as the Senate Judiciary Committee chair in hearings next week on courts blocking President Donald Trump’s actions. Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation also introduced legislation to make English the official language of the nation and to address a shortage of truck drivers.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to hold a meeting titled “Rule by District Judges II: Exploring Legislative Solutions to the Bipartisan Problem of Universal Injunctions” Wednesday, April 2, looking at nationwide injunctions on executive actions.

Many of the high-profile actions taken by Trump’s administration have been stopped in court in the months since he took office. On Thursday, a federal appeals court upheld an injunction blocking the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan nationals, and a federal district court judge blocked the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Personnel Management and Treasury Department from disclosing “personally identifiable information” on certain parties to Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service in a Monday injunction. These are among numerous court decisions temporarily stopping the Trump administration from enforcing or enacting measures that challengers have argued in court are unconstitutional or unlawful.

But Grassley and other Republicans say these court actions are an overreach of power. The Iowa Republican said Congress “must step in and provide clarity” on the judicial branch’s ability to halt executive actions, saying the hearings will “explore legislative solutions to bring the balance of power back in check.” Grassley also spoke Tuesday in opposition to a resolution proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, that would require the federal executive branch to comply with federal court rulings.

The U.S. Capitol on Nov. 26, 2024. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)

Grassley proposed amendments to the resolution stating the executive branch only has to comply with “lawful” court rulings, and that added language saying “it is inappropriate for courts of the United States to override legislative or executive action by the elected branches of government because of different policy preferences.” Without these changes, Grassley argued on the Senate floor that “this resolution demands that the president comply with all court orders, but it’s completely silent about the role of the federal courts to adhere to the law themselves.” He also said he supported congressional action to limit courts’ ability to stop Trump administration policies from taking effect.

Durbin had argued immediate action was needed from Congress to support the court’s ability to keep the executive branch in check in light of calls from Trump and others like Musk to impeach judges over decisions. Grassley said Thursday he does not support calls to impeach judges over a decision.

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Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks this week introduced a measure codifying Trump’s executive order designating English as the official language of the United States. Trump issued the executive order March 1, rescinding an executive order by former President Bill Clinton in 2000 directing federal federal agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to improve access to services for people with limited English proficiency

Immigrant advocates criticized Trump’s order for potentially limiting services for people who speak other languages.  Currently, 32 states have made English their official state language, with some states like Alaska, South Dakota and Hawaii designating both English and a native language as official languages.

In a news release Friday, Miller-Meeks argued making English the official language of the U.S. is an important step in “reinforcing a shared national identity and strengthening civic engagement.”

(Radio Iowa) – Severe Weather Awareness Week is wrapping up with a reminder on how to stay safe during flooding. National Weather Service meteorologist Peter Rogers says flood deaths can be avoided.

Rogers says it does not take much water to carry a car or truck off a roadway.

Radio Iowa file photo

He says there are two types of flooding.

Rogers says flooding is another reason they advise you to make up an emergency kit that you have ready to go if you are suddenly forced out of your home.

(Radio Iowa) – Gasoline prices in Iowa have risen about 12-cents a gallon on average over the past month, but they’re still down about 25-cents a gallon from a year ago, according to Brian Ortner at Triple-A Iowa. As we shift from winter to spring weather, he anticipates more fluctuations in gas prices as Iowans’ driving habits change.

The current statewide average for gas is three-dollars and five-cents a gallon, which is the same as a week ago.

Triple-A says Iowa’s cheapest and most expensive gas prices are both in eastern Iowa. The average in Davenport is two-95 a gallon, while in Dubuque, it’s three-21.