DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines will lay off 67 workers, effective March 17.

That’s according to a new listing on Iowa WARN.

Employees were notified on Monday.

TV9 reached out to MercyOne by email Thursday morning, asking for a reason behind those layoffs in Des Moines.

This comes just a couple weeks after MercyOne announced it will be closing its clinic in Ottumwa.

Forty people will be laid off when that clinic closes on February 27.

In a statement about the closure in Ottumwa, MercyOne said:

“MercyOne regularly evaluates operations to adapt to changing demographics and needs. This evaluation process is driven by our need to strengthen our ministry by expanding access where possible and consolidating or relocating services where barriers exist, ensuring sustainability and growth in a swiftly changing health care environment.“

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – House Republicans announced three bills Wednesday as part of what they call their tough on crime approach this session.

State Representative Steve Holt is leading one bill that will punish repeat offenders, “Our communities will be safer and the justice deserved by victims of the crime will actually come to fruition. I believe that lives will be saved by this approach to incarcerating individuals who refuse to be rehabilitated.”

The bill creates a three-strike system based on the severity of the crimes half a strike for misdemeanors and a full strike for felonies.

If an offender reaches three strikes, they will serve a mandatory 20 year minimum sentence without parole.

House Republicans also proposed changes to the state’s bail system.

Legislators want to update the state bail schedule after nearly 10 years, adjusting recommended amounts for inflation.

If judges and magistrates set a bail amount different from the state schedule, they will now be required to document an explanation of the decision.

State Representative Mike Vondran says the bill will remove loopholes that allow criminals back on the streets.

“A magistrate can no longer accept bail lower than the uniform bond schedule or a percentage of it without providing written justification. We’re enhancing responsibility with accountability,” he said.

The third bill announced will create a dashboard for Iowans to see data on sentencing, bond, and court efficiency.

A subcommittee is scheduled to discuss that bill next week.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.

IOWA CITY — A long and arduous season delivers several moments where a team must snap and clear from what just happened, good or bad. Iowa women’s basketball finds itself in that exact position.

After a stretch that paired excitement with devastation, the No. 8 Hawkeyes head out west for maybe their trickiest trip of the season. The Los Angeles swing begins with a Jan. 29 showdown at USC (8 p.m. CT, Peacock), followed by a Feb. 1 duel at No. 2 UCLA (3 p.m. CT, FOX).

Though these two schools have only been in the Big Ten a year and change, no conference squad has completed a perfect sweep of a California trip when knocking out the two matchups together. Considering UCLA has national-title aspirations as one of the best teams in the country, there’s even more pressure for the Hawkeyes to start this trip with a victory over the Trojans.

With that, here are three things to watch in Iowa vs. USC.

Can Iowa mentally move on from a whirlwind week that covered both ends of the emotional spectrum?