Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Polk County, Iowa, is proposing a five-person cold case unit to tackle more than 100 unsolved cases identified in 2024. The Polk County Sheriff's Office has previously depended on retired officers volunteering to revisit old investigations. Under the new proposal, each of the five specialists would be paid about $31 an hour for up to 500 hours a year, at an estimated cost of roughly $90,000 in the first year and about $95,000 annually after that.

The plan was not included in the county's adopted budget and would require a budget amendment, with no specified funding source, as Iowa's new law capping local property tax revenue growth at 2% tightens county finances. Sheriff Kevin Schneider has said his office lacked resources for a dedicated team and welcomed outside help. Other Iowa agencies, including Cedar Rapids police, already run cold case units; that city's team helped secure a 2024 murder conviction in a 2007 killing. Attention will focus on case prioritization, including the long-unsolved 1982 disappearance of paperboy Johnny Gosch.

A focus group of Iowa independent voters found deep frustration with tariffs and their impact on farmers, cost of living, and water-quality-linked cancer concerns, posing risks for Republicans in the state's open Senate race. The seat, vacated by Joni Ernst, pits Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson against Democrat Josh Turek, a Paralympic gold medalist and state legislator. Cook Political Report recently shifted Iowa from "leans Republican" to "toss-up," underscoring the race's volatility in a state Donald Trump won by more than 13 points in 2024. Most panelists leaned toward Turek, citing distrust of Hinson over tariffs and Medicare/Medicaid cuts, though several said they might revert to her to protect Trump's Senate majority.

Turek's own record is drawing fresh scrutiny. His legislative newsletter has offered illegal immigrants guidance on avoiding ICE detention, he backed an "easier pathway to citizenship," and he voted against restricting law enforcement cooperation with ICE and against several DEI-related bills, complicating his "common-sense moderate" branding. With Republicans holding a narrow Senate majority, an Iowa loss could pressure other GOP-held seats and reshape the fight for Senate control in the midterms.