(Radio Iowa) – Leaders of Iowa’s two major political parties are condemning political violence and making an appeal for calm in the wake of the shooting death of influential conservative Charlie Kirk. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart spoke at an outdoor fundraiser in Des Moines on Saturday.

“We live in a country that was founded on the principal that we could stand up in a place like this and express our feelings, out thoughts, our beliefs, our political leanings and not get shot,” Hart said. Steve Scheffler, one of Iowa’s representatives on the Republican National Committee, opened a Sunday afternoon event in Cedar Rapids with a prayer for healing. “Lord, we are so thankful you haven’t passed judgement quite on this nation and that you are giving us another chance to get our act together,” Scheffler said.

“Lord, help us to preach unity, love, compassion, not holding grudges, trying to have a decent conversation, one-on-one, without any vitriol like Charlie Kirk did so admirably.” Four Democrats who are running for the U.S. Senate also denounced political violence when speaking with reporters this weekend. Josh Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs, says he’s worried the country is headed toward a cycle of political violence not seen since the 1960s. “Political violence doesn’t have a side,” Turek said, “and ultimately it touches all of us.”

Nathan Sage of Indianola — the former executive director of Knoxville’s Chamber of Commerce — says no one should be gunned down in America.  “We need powerful leadership to stand up and say: ‘Enough’s enough,'” Sage said. “We need to stop being divided on things and start coming together as people.” Jackie Norris, a former teacher who’s chair of the Des Moines School Board, says it’s time to tone down the rhetoric. “Kids are watching,” Norris said. “…The answer has to be political violence is never the answer, period, end of sentence.”

Zach Wahls, a state senator from Coralville, says no matter how it happens — or who it happens to — political violence is unacceptable. “None of us want to live in a country where political violence is being normalized,” Wahls said, “and certainly not celebrated.” Wahls says his county should have complied with the governor’s order to lower flags to half staff through sundown yesterday (Sunday) in Kirk’s honor.

Johnson County Board of Supervisors chair Jon Green condemned Kirk’s killing in a post on Facebook, but Green said Kirk made it his life’s mission to denigrate the marginalized, so Green ordered that flags not be lowered in Johnson County. Ashley Hinson, the Republican who’s running for the U-S Senate, led a moment of silent prayer for Kirk yesterday (Sunday) at a campaign event. “Charlie was a man of faith,” Hinson said. “…He really inspired a true generation of people and he delivered results that changes millions of people’s lives for the better.”

Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks has called for the University of Iowa’s new Center for Intellectual Freedom to be named in Kirk’s honor.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says Democrats want to push the country past the brink and that’s why she’s running for the U-S Senate. “We’re embarking on a journey to continue fighting alongside President Trump to transform the America First agenda into our America First Future,” Hinson said. Hinson hosted a rally in Cedar Rapids Sunday afternoon to formally kick off her U.S. Senate campaign.

Hinson led the crowd in a round of applause for fellow Republican Joni Ernst, who has chosen not to seek a third term in the U-S Senate — and Hinson emphasized that Trump endorsed her shortly after she entered the race. “Mr. President, I want to say, ‘Thank you for your support. I will not let you down,'” Hinson said, to applause. Hinson, who has been a member of the U-S House since 2021, says her political agenda is focused on working families, kids, small businesses, seniors and veterans.

“I’m a mama bear who refuses to stand by and allow my kids to grow up in a country run by liberals who want to ditch the American experiment and set up some sort of crazy liberal dystopia…but that’s the vision the Democrats in this race in Iowa are fighting for…They want to push our country past the brink. Guess what? I’m not going to let them do that. Are you with me?” Hinson asked and the crowd cheered. A handful of Democrats are running for their party’s 2026 nomination for the U-S Senate. Hinson singled out one of them — State Senator Zach Wahls of Coralville.

Ashley Hinson (R-Marion) hosted a campaign kick off rally in Cedar Rapids on Sept. 14, 2025.

“We rejected the last Walz who sought to destroy our country. We’ll do the same for this one. The same woke ideology, a little bit different spelling, but we get it,” Hinson said. That’s a reference to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic Party’s 2024 V-P nominee. Wahls — the Democrat from Coralville — says Ernst ran for the hills because she couldn’t defend her voting record — and Hinson has taken the same votes in the House. “I think that there is a real frustration with what’s currently happening with the economy and we know it’s gotten worse over time,” Wahls said, “and it will continue to get worse unless we elect new leaders.”

Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines School Board says Hinson will have to answer for her votes on the campaign trail. “Ashley Hinson has to own the same thing that Joni Ernst did,” Norris said, “Medicaid cuts, rural health care being decimated.” Josh Turek, of Council Bluffs, a state representative, says Hinson’s voting record shows she’s ignoring income inequality. “We literally have two Iowas now or two Americas,” Turek said. “I mean, we’re living through a second ‘Guilded Age’ at this point.”

Nathan Sage of Indianola, the former executive director of Knoxville’s Chamber of Commerce, calls Hinson full MAGA.  “Iowa continues to crumble and our democracy continues to crumble because people like her are voting the way they’re voting,” Sage said, “and not fighting for the people they’re supposed to represent.”

The primary election — on the 2nd of June — is 260 days away.

(Creston, Iowa) – One person suffered from possible/unknown injuries following a collision that involved three-vehicles Friday afternoon, in Creston, According to Creston Police, the accident happened at around 1:17-p.m. at the intersection of Highway 34 and 25 (Sumner and Taylor Streets). An investigation determined a 2017 Ford Escape (SUV) driven by 72-year-old Penny Ripperger, of Thayer, was westbound on Highway 34, when the woman began to make a left turn southbound, toward S. Sumner Street.

A 2003 Ford Taurus driven by 39-year-old Briget Carroll, of Afton, was eastbound on Highway 34, when Ripperger failed to yield the right-of-way and turned into Carroll’s car. Police say Carroll attempted to avoid the collision by swerving to the right, but her car was struck by the SUV.

Carroll’s car then crashed into a 2005 Ford F-350 pickup, driven by 55-year-old Vern Liesener, of Creston, as the pickup was facing north, legally stopped at the red light on S. Sumner. The car and the pickup sustained disabling damage. The SUV sustained minor damage, according to the report.  Briget Carroll complained of pain, but was not transported to the hospital.

Ripperger told Police she turned into the path of the Taurus because she didn’t see it and thought the path was clear. No citations were issued. The vehicles sustained a combined total of $6,000 damage.

(Guthrie County, Iowa) – A teenager died, and adult and two juveniles were injured, during a head-on collision Saturday afternoon east of Panora. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2003 Chevy Cavalier driven by 17-year-old Savannah Nicole Matthias, of Guthrie Center, was traveling westbound on Highway 44, west of Willow Avenue, and a 2016 Ford F-250 pickup was traveling eastbound.

When the car failed to negotiate a curve, it crossed the center line into the eastbound lane, and struck the pickup head-on. The crash happened at around 4:50-p.m.

Savannah Matthias, who was wearing her seat belt, died at the scene. The driver of the pickup, 37-year-old Noelle Elizabeth Bubeck, of Redfield, and 10-year-old Cassey Bubeck, along with 11-year-old Whyet Bubeck, both of Redfield, were injured in the crash. All three of the occupants in the pickup were wearing seat belts.

The 10-year-old was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Unity Point in Des Moines for treatment of suspected serious injuries. Noelle and  Whyet Bubeck suffered minor injuries and were transported to the same hospital by family members.

(Tama, Iowa) – A Tama County Deputy on patrol Saturday afternoon, noticed heavy smoke coming from an area off of Highway 30 east of Tama, near Exit 204. When he investigated, the Deputy found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames south of the railroad tracks, in a remote and hard-to-reach area in the 3400 block of N Avenue, just south of Highway 30.

The Deputy immediately notified dispatch, and Tama Fire Department and Tama EMS were paged to the scene. Due to the thick brush and intensity of the fire, it was initially unclear whether anyone was inside the vehicle. Once Tama Fire began knocking down the flames, an elderly male was found deceased in a deep ditch with standing water near the driver’s side of the vehicle. His name was not immediately released.

The case remains under investigation. The individual’s next of kin was notified, and the body of the individual was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. At this time, authorities say no foul play is suspected.

Tama County Sheriff Casey Schmidt said thanks to Deputy Dvorak for being alert and quick to act when he saw the smoke, the fire was brought under control quickly and was kept from spreading further into the dry brush. In his news release, the Sheriff said “With how dry the conditions have been recently, his timing likely prevented a much larger and more dangerous fire.”