DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — New U.S. Census estimates show Iowa’s population continued to increase slowly in the last year and now numbers 3,155,070. The July 1, 2019, estimate released Monday was up 108,199 from the 2010 population. Iowa’s population would have been significantly lower if not for international migration, which since 2010 has added nearly 48,000 people to the state. That migration offset nearly 30,000 residents who moved from Iowa to other states during that period. The national population was estimated at 328.2 million.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has approved a competency evaluation of a woman accused of hate crimes in the Des Moines area, including intentionally running over a girl she believed was Mexican. Nicole Poole’s attorney told a judge Monday that he thinks Poole has a mental disorder and is incompetent to stand trial. The Des Moines Register reports that prosecutors didn’t fight the defense request for a competency evaluation. Poole is accused of throwing items at a store clerk and directing racial epithets at him and customers and of intentionally hitting a 14-year-old Hispanic girl and a 12-year-old black boy with her vehicle. Both children survived.

(Radio Iowa) — An Elgin man is facing multiple charges following an early Sunday morning incident outside an Elgin bar. The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office says 25-year-old Wyatt Guyer was arrested Sunday afternoon at his home without incident. Authorities say he was charged with attempted murder, intimidation with a dangerous weapon with intent, second-degree criminal mischief, assault with a firearm and assault with intent to inflict serious injury. The Fayette County Sheriff’s office says Guyer is being held in the Fayette County Jail on 25-thousand dollars bond.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer, today (Monday), said the Numbers are in for the Page County Sheriff’s Office’ 2019 “Operation Blessing.” Palmer says they had 14 families sign up for the program. The 14 families equated to 38 children. The Page County Reserve program along with everyone else in the Page County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the program, which Palmer said “Would not be possible without the monetary donations it receives year after year.” He said also, “Thank you so much for this from all of us at the Page County Sheriff’s Office / Jail / Civil / & Reserves. We hope everyone has a SAFE and happy 2020 New Year!”

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-O-T’s message boards on the state’s interstates are displaying a message geared toward the New Year’s holiday. This week’s digital message on Iowa D-O-T message boards is this: “Drinking and driving impairs your 2020 vision.” The D-O-T changes the message every Monday, so this week’s sentence about drunk driving will be on display on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Past messages this month have encouraged drivers to buckle up and to pay attention to the road.

Many of the messages rhyme, like the one that read: Happy Festivus! Slow it down for the rest of us.” During emergencies and bad weather, the message boards flip to advisories about hazard driving conditions or detours. In Iowa’s largest cities, the message boards display the estimated driving time through congested areas.

(Radio Iowa) — Today (Monday) is National Bacon Day — and Iowa plays a key role in providing the ONE BILLION servings of bacon consumed in the U.S. this year. Iowa is the number one pork-producing state. Nearly one-third of the nation’s hogs are raised here. According to the Iowa Pork Producers, there are about 22 million pigs being raised in Iowa today. According to the National Pork Board, seven out of 10 U.S. restaurants have bacon on the menu either as a breakfast item or incorporated in some other dish.

image via Facebook