Midwest
Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks beats Dem challenger in state's 1st Congressional District
Republican Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has successfully fended off Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan in the race for the state’s 1st Congressional District, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
Miller-Meeks has served in the U.S. House since 2021, and currently represents the state’s 1st Congressional District, which includes cities such as Davenport and Iowa City in the southeastern portion of the state.
She flipped her seat from blue to red in 2020 and saw this year’s race move from a “likely” victory for Republicans to a toss-up. She won her 2020 race by a slim margin of just six votes but expanded that advantage in 2022.
REP. MILLER-MEEKS BEATS BACK CONSERVATIVE PRIMARY CHALLENGE IN IOWA RACE
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, speaks during a town hall event in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Miller-Meeks fended off a GOP primary challenger earlier in the cycle who accused her of voting “against you and the Republican platform over 40% of the time,” while she pitched herself to voters as a “proven conservative.”
The Iowa Republican received endorsements from the Trump orbit amid her election cycle, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“There is no better conservative fighter for Iowa’s First Congressional District than Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks. I am proud to endorse and serve beside Mariannette to deliver for the American people and help claw back disastrous policies from the Biden administration,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in his endorsement of Miller-Meeks earlier in the election cycle.
Miller-Meeks is a doctor and military veteran who served in the U.S. Army for 24 years before retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
Former Iowa state Rep. Christina Bohannan. (Iowa Legislature )
Democratic challenger Bohannon is a law professor at the University of Iowa College of Law, who previously served in the Iowa state House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023. She campaigned on making the Iowa public school system top-rate nationally, instituting “common-sense gun laws,” fighting to “put Roe v. Wade back into federal law” and vowing to “work with anyone to secure the border.”
FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: CRITICAL ‘TOSS-UP’ RACES WILL DETERMINE BALANCE OF POWER IN THE HOUSE
The pair sparred during a debate last month that included exchanges on abortion and the economy, as well as immigration reform. Miller-Meeks, similar to Republicans across the nation, pinned blame for the illegal immigration crisis on the Biden-Harris administration following former President Donald Trump’s White House border policies.
“Trump-era policies that reduced the amount of illegal immigrants coming across our border, that helped to keep down the amount of illegal drugs, illegal fentanyl, that our customs and border protections agents actually felt like they were doing their job,” Miller-Meeks said during the debate.
Bohannan argued that a bipartisan piece of legislation this year that would have addressed the border but argued Republicans “killed it.” Republicans have said the immigration bill would have further worsened the crisis, and that the legislation was essentially dead on arrival.
GREG GUTFELD: MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS ‘MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY’ TO GRILL COVID ERA OFFICIAL ON THE LIVES RUINED
The U.S.-Mexico border wall in Sasabe, Ariz. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)
“We had a golden opportunity recently to pass the strictest border security bill that we have seen in this country in a very long time, maybe ever. And Rep. Miller-Meeks and her party in the House killed it,” Bohannan said last month.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Miller-Meeks previously defeated Bohannan in the 2022 general election, 53% to 47%. The 1st district as a whole went for Trump in the 2020 election, voting for him by about three percentage points over President Biden.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
Illinois
Illinois State Police release video of deadly shooting involving ISP troopers on South Side
CHICAGO (WLS) — Illinois State Police have released videos showing a deadly shooting involving state troopers last month in Chicago.
The video in the player above may be difficult to watch.
The shooting happened around 10:50 p.m. April 15 in the 6500-block of South Champlain Avenue in the city’s Woodlawn neighborhood.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Officers got a call for a domestic battery from a passenger in a vehicle on I-57.
That passenger led the officers to find her boyfriend, 24-year-old Jalen Carpenter, in the 6500-block of South Champlain Avenue.
That’s where the newly released video picks up.
ABC7 froze the video at the moment it appears Carpenter fires a weapon during a scuffle with the officers.
No one was hit by that bullet, but seconds later, the officers return fire, killing Carpenter, officials said.
The officers are still on administrative status while the Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation investigates the case.
INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Indiana
Indiana Peony Festival rescheduled due to storms
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Mother Nature is forcing one of central Indiana’s most popular spring festivals to move.
The Indiana Peony Festival has been rescheduled from Saturday, May 16, to Sunday, May 17, due to forecasted storms and high winds.
“After closely monitoring the weather overnight, and after doing everything we could to keep today’s plans in place, conditions have unfortunately taken a turn for the worse,” festival organizers said in a statement. “We are so incredibly sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen says he supports the festival’s decision to postpone until Sunday.
“While we can’t control the weather, this adjustment helps ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. The city is ready to support the festival’s efforts for tomorrow, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to enjoy the event on Sunday,” Jensen said in a release.
Know Before You Go:
- Festival Hours: Remain the same — 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Location: Noblesville’s Seminary Park and Historic Downtown
- Events: Festival and Downtown Brunch and Retail Crawl Brunch & Blooms
For updated information, please visit indianapeonyfestival.com.
Iowa
‘Viral’ mac and cheese bar expanding in Iowa with new Waukee store
See the 2025 Des Moines Register Essential Restaurants
What are the best restaurants in Des Moines? These entries from the Des Moines Register’s Essential Restaurants list won’t let you down.
You know that viral mac and cheese place? The one that slathers every bowl with ungodly amounts of cheese? The one that makes you feel lactose intolerant just looking at it?
Yeah. Roni’s Mac Bar is opening its second Iowa location, this time in Waukee.
The store will celebrate with a grand opening on Saturday, May 16 at 10:30 a.m. sharp
In a video on social media, the company credits the new location choice to the Waukee man who drove to a location in Waco, Texas, asked for a bowl so cheesy that the chef making it felt lactose-intolerant just looking at it.
Frank Senese, chief executive officer of Roni’s Mac and Cheese, said the business as the “Chipotle of mac and cheese.”
“It’s comfort food; whether you’re a hungover college kid, tattooed biker or a little princess in a tutu, you’re going to find something here that you’ll love,” Senese told the Ames Tribune before the company’s restaurant opened there in 2025. “It’s a fun way to think outside the box.”
The first 100 people to get in line can spin the wheel for a chance to win giveaways and a year’s worth of mac and cheese.
Roni’s Mac bar boasts massive menu
The quote, “Think outside the box” is painted on the wall inside the mac and cheese bar, and the menu certainly inspires customers to do just that.
Roni’s Mac Bar has created a menu of more than 77 million possible combinations that continues to grow, Senese said.
Every bowl can be unique, with drizzles like pesto and ranch, and toppings such as tomatoes and even pineapple − a topping that can be a key indicator of a repeat customer, Senese said.
Where to find Roni’s Mac Bar in Waukee
- Location: 1195 SE Alice’s Road, Waukee
- Contact: 515-450-2497, ronismacbar.com
- Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily starting May 16
Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.
-
Idaho2 minutes agoIdaho primaries come next week
-
Illinois8 minutes agoIllinois State Police release video of deadly shooting involving ISP troopers on South Side
-
Indiana14 minutes agoIndiana Peony Festival rescheduled due to storms
-
Iowa20 minutes ago‘Viral’ mac and cheese bar expanding in Iowa with new Waukee store
-
Kansas26 minutes ago‘We just wanted it more’: How Kansas City became unlikely World Cup hosts
-
Kentucky32 minutes agoKentucky Wildcats News: UK on the recruiting trail
-
Louisiana38 minutes agoRepublican Louisiana senator in tough primary after Trump backs opponent
-
Maine44 minutes agoOpinion: Experience should matter in Maine’s Senate primary