Charges Filed Against Des Moines Postal Worker Charged in Workplace Shooting
(Des Moines, IA) — A postal employee accused of shooting her co-workers at a Des Moines post office Thursday morning is arrested on charges including attempted murder. Police say 39-year-old Jennifer Pledger opened fire on a group of co-workers at the Des Moines Main Post Office on Second Avenue. Witnesses say the West Des Moines woman fired again in the direction of other employees as they fled the area. Two people were shot, and another was injured in a fall. All are expected to survive. Police have not released a motive in the shooting. Pledger is being held in the Polk County Jail.
>>Polk County Judge Charged in Fatal Crash
(Polk County, IA) — A Polk County judge facing charges for a fatal Urbandale crash could have been using her phone at the time of the crash. Urbandale Police say two pedestrians were hit by a car while crossing 86th Street on September 25. One of the victims, a 60-year-old woman, died last week. According to a search warrant application, suspect Lynn Poschner told investigators she didn’t see the pedestrians in the roadway and admitted to looking at her phone, trying to get her audiobook to play through her car speakers. Poschner was arrested on Wednesday on charges including homicide by vehicle.
>>Governor-Elect Rob Sand Gives More Information About Transitioning into New Role
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor-elect Rob Sand is giving more information about his transition into the new role. The current State Auditor defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn in the midterm election Tuesday, with unofficial results showing Sand with more than 55-percent of the vote. On Thursday, Sand announced Elisabeth Buck and Morgan Miller will be co-directors of the Sand Transition Committee. Buck has served on transition teams for two prior Iowa governors, and Miller has served as the political director of the Iowa State Education Association since 2020. Sand also launched a website, IowaForAll-dotcom, where Iowans can find more information.
>>Democrat Wins Iowa House Race After Suspending Campaign
(Pottawattamie County, IA) — A Democratic candidate who stopped campaigning months ago because of health issues has still won his Iowa House race. Eric Armstrong, who was running to replace now-U.S. Senator-elect Josh Turek in Pottawattamie County’s House District 20, suspended his campaign in September. In a Facebook post, Armstrong said the district deserved a candidate who could give the race their full attention, and he felt he could not do that while dealing with health concerns. Armstrong’s name remained on the ballot, and he defeated Republican Keith Jones by over 800 votes.
>>Flags To Fly At Half-Staff In Iowa Saturday In Honor Of Fallen WWII Solider
(Des Moines, IA) — Flags will fly at half-staff across Iowa on Saturday in honor of a fallen World War Two soldier. Cherokee County native U.S. Navy Fireman First Class Robert Shove enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Des Moines in 1922. He served on the USS Canopus [[ cuh-NOH-pus ]] in the Pacific Theater during World War Two and later died as a prisoner of war in the Philippine Islands at 21 years old. Shove’s remains were identified in 2025. He will be laid to rest on November 7 in Sioux City.
>>Iowa, Iowa State To Play Away Games Tomorrow
(Des Moines, IA) — Both Iowa and Iowa State will play away games tomorrow. The Cyclones are heading to Texas to face the Baylor Bears Saturday morning, with kickoff set for 11 a.m. The game will air on FS1 and stream on Amazon Prime. Following a 30-0 shutout over Wisconsin last weekend, the Hawkeyes will travel to Northwestern to face the Wildcats for a night game. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will air on FOX.
