A woman convicted of child abuse tried to open an in-home day care in Ames. That's legal in Iowa — and shouldn't be, some say

Benny Peet thought the horror of finding a hand-sized bruise on his 2-year-old son ended with a trial.

Kimberly Murray, the woman trusted with his son's care that day, was found guilty of felony child endangerment and assault in 2017. 

​Three years later, Murray started advertising an in-home day care in Ames.

As long as she watches five or fewer children, the state says the day care is legal. But warnings posted by parents and others online thwarted Murray's attempt to open shop in Ames.

'It's just devastating': Disabled Des Moines couple struggles to pay for $26,000 in repairs after basement wall collapses

John Ollin, 69, feels like he failed his wife. 

​The couple lived in their Des Moines home for 11 years, until a basement wall collapsed during strong storms on June 22, leaving the home uninhabitable. 

'It's a lifesaver': 99-year-old central Iowa man saves lives volunteering for Meals on Wheels

Harrold Rittgers, 91, was on the floor for 16 hours before a man eight years his senior came to his aid.
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Harris Seidel, age 99, was stopping by Rittgers' Ames home to make his daily Meals on Wheels delivery in August when he found Rittgers and called 911. Normally, Rittgers' door is locked, Seidel said, but luckily, he was able to let himself in.
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"He was helpless — he was really not talking," Seidel said. "I don't know how long he'd been there."

Hinterland 2019: Excitement felt in the audience leading up to memorable sets by Kacey Musgraves, Hozier

High anticipation for Kacey Musgraves' Hinterland appearance was apparent in the moments before her 8 p.m. set Friday, through undeniable angst.
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Musgraves fans — many identifiable by their cowgirl hats — claimed their spots, ready to defend their patch of grass from the unavoidable attempts by latecomers to squeeze into the perfect view of the Grammy Award-winning country star.

24 rural Iowa counties opt for single polling site amid COVID-19 concerns​

Voters in one Iowa county of 9,000 cast their ballots the same way people purchase a Big Mac: in the drivethrough.
The Bloomfield Fire Department, the usual polling location for Bloomfield, served all of Davis County’s eight sites this year. Cars could pull into the emptied equipment bays — where the firetrucks normally sit — and drivers could vote behind the wheel and then pull forward to exit.

Amid protests and change, Iowa police training on implicit bias varies​

In 2015, the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy lacked training on implicit bias.
As a cadet there then, Natasha Greene sought discussions on her own about some of the mistaken beliefs officers might hold of others, such as expecting a black person to be dangerous or more crime prone from stereotypes, ideas that could come from television or passed from family and friends.

Iowa adoptees seek access to birth certificates

For Michelle Spear, gaining access to her birth certificate is about control. Spear is the founder of the Iowa Adoptee and Family Coalition whose purpose is to give Iowan adoptees access to their original birth certificate which a law has blocked them from doing since 1941.

'This is not America:' International students express threatened status in United States

This story covering the impact the travel ban had on Iowa State international students won first place in the Columbia Scholastic Press news feature category, 
International students discuss the impact that the travel ban had on them. 

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on SB1 veto: Make school funding fair for the whole state​

 Iowa State could face an additional $2.5 million in budget cuts this fiscal year, said Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, on Friday.