Iowa

‘It sold out in 45 minutes.’ Iowa can’t wait to celebrate Caitlin Clark homecoming

Published

10 months ago

May 4, 2025

‘It sold out in 45 minutes.’ Iowa can’t wait to celebrate Caitlin Clark homecoming

Lisa Bluder will be among 15,000 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday to cheer Caitlin Clark. She recalls the exact moment she knew Clark became a star.

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder remembers the exact moment she saw Caitlin Clark’s game make national news for the first time.

It was Feb. 6, 2022, and the Hawkeyes were stuck in the airport after a sobering loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor. It was a game where Iowa was down by as many as 22 points, and at points, seemed insurmountable.

With Clark, though, it wasn’t truly over.

The sophomore took over the game in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points and making four 3-pointers over six minutes. Every 3 seemed like it was going to be a heat check; each time, it went in. At one point, she pushed her way through all five of Michigan’s defenders for a layup, causing the Iowa bench to throw their hands up in disbelief.

Clark ended up scoring 46 points that night, setting a Crisler Center record and a new career high. It was a loss, but it got what the young superstar thought was something even bigger — a spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10.

The Hawkeyes stared at the airport TV in awe as they saw Clark’s efforts broadcasted on national television.

“Coach Bluder wasn’t even that mad that we didn’t win. She was like, staring at the TV like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Clark told David Letterman on ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.’ “Everybody was just kind of in awe. Even I was like ‘Wow, we’re on SportsCenter. We made SportsCenter top 10.’”

Bluder remembers it slightly different, but she knew it was the start of Clark’s superstardom. And they were witnessing it in real time.

“We could see the ESPN replays going on, but I remember being a little more disappointed than she does about the loss, because obviously, you’re going there to win,” Bluder told IndyStar. “But also, you know, I was just amazed at the way that she brought us back and gave us an opportunity to win that game.

“That’s when it really did start to explode, because then all the men’s basketball players and armchair point guards were all of a sudden paying attention to what was going on.”

ESPN’s cameras will be back at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday as Clark brings her Indiana Fever to Iowa City to face the Brazilian National team in a celebration and thank you from the state she gave so much to.

Clark became a household name what seemed like overnight after that Michigan game. The Hawkeyes recorded three sellouts in 2022, including when they hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament in Iowa City.

By the time Clark’s junior year came around, she was a household name. The curtains, which blocked out unsold seats at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, were permanently up. Fans came from near and far to see the Hawkeye sensation, who was on her way to becoming the undisputed National Player of the Year.

“It was even international, like people were coming from other countries to watch her,” Bluder said. “There were newspaper reporters from France coming to interview and talk about her. It wasn’t an Iowa thing, it wasn’t a Big Ten thing, it wasn’t a Midwest thing. It really was a national phenomenon. It’s fun to be a part of something like that, right? I mean, you know, it can be tiring, it can be pressure-filled, but it’s also a lot of fun.”

It was something special with Clark, too. Not many players, in the men’s and women’s game, had the amount of juice she did. Not many players could garner those constant sold-out crowds, home and away, as a college player, and help set higher and higher viewership records.

It had to do with her game, of course — her long-range 3-pointers and crafty, no-look passes drew a lot of people in. But what made people stick around, Bluder said, was the type of person Clark is off the court.

“I think it’s her style of play, and I think it’s her relatability,” Bluder said. “I think people can really relate to her, just because she is so honest and she’s humble. People really can relate to that, and they want to get behind that. I think we’ve had great role models for women, but I think Caitlin’s popularity took it to a whole other level.”

It also had to do with her loyalty to her hometown team. Clark, who grew up in Des Moines, chose Iowa over other potential college destinations, including Notre Dame (which she originally committed to).

She played in the time of name, image, and likeness and in an era where players could transfer freely as many times as they wanted. Surely, Clark had interest from some of the women’s basketball blue bloods. Through all the fame and sponsorship deals, that was never something she considered. She wanted to be successful, but not without her hometown Hawkeyes.

“That’s not Caitlin,” Bluder said. “Caitlin is a loyal Iowan, and it never entered my mind that she would leave, never. And we never had that discussion. I just don’t even think it was on the radar. I just think that would have hurt her brand a little bit, but I don’t think that’s why she did what she did (in staying). She really enjoyed playing in Carver, being a Hawkeye, and representing our state.”

Now, Hawkeye fans are rewarding the loyal Iowan and two-time National Player of the Year with a sold-out WNBA game at her alma mater.

Bluder, who is returning from an international vacation on Saturday, is making sure she gets back in time to see her, too.

“I mean, it sold out in 45 minutes,” Bluder said. “That’s how much enthusiasm there is to watch Caitlin playing again in Carver.”

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Iowa

Iowa House OKs ‘3 strikes’ bill with 20-year prison terms. What to know

Published

9 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Iowa House OKs ‘3 strikes’ bill with 20-year prison terms. What to know

Iowans who commit multiple serious crimes would face a mandatory 20-year prison sentence under a “three strikes” bill passed by House lawmakers.
Republicans said the bill would keep Iowans safe and “prioritize victims and public safety over criminals.”
A nonpartisan state agency says the bill would disproportionately impact Black Iowans and could require the state to spend millions to build a new prison.

Repeat offenders convicted of multiple serious crimes would receive a mandatory 20-year prison sentence under a bill passed by House lawmakers.

House lawmakers debated for more than an hour about high costs, lack of prison space and the bill’s impact on Black Iowans before voting 68-23 to pass House File 2542, sending it to the Iowa Senate.

Seven Democrats, including Minority Leader Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines, joined Republicans in voting in favor of the bill.

“It will put public safety first,” said the bill’s floor manager, Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison. “It will ensure that the debt to victims and society is paid. It will prioritize victims and public safety over criminals. It will establish real and effective deterrence that is nonexistent in our current system. It will reduce chaos and violence in our society.”

Here’s what to know about the bill.

What would the House Republican three strikes bill do?

Iowans who accumulate three strikes would face a mandatory 20-year prison sentence, with no parole, under the bill.

That would replace Iowa’s current law that says habitual offenders must serve a minimum three-year prison sentence before they are eligible for parole.

All felonies, as well as aggravated misdemeanors involving sexual abuse, domestic abuse, assault and organized retail theft would be considered level-one offenses that are worth one full strike.

Other aggravated misdemeanors, as well as serious misdemeanors involving assault, domestic abuse and criminal mischief would be considered level-two offenses worth half a strike each.

Lawmakers amended the bill to remove theft, harassment and possession of a controlled substance from the crimes that would count toward a person’s strikes.

And the amendment specifies that the bill would only apply to convictions that occur beginning July 1, 2026.

If someone is arrested and convicted of multiple offenses, only the most serious charge would count towards the defendant’s strikes.

Convictions would not count toward someone’s total if more than 20 years passes between a prior conviction and their current conviction.

Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to say that only a violent crime would qualify as someone’s third strike, but Republicans rejected the amendment.

“The bill still scores murder, felony embezzlement and felony theft the same, even though they are very different crimes,” Wilburn said. “One point is one point and three gets you 20 years with no ability for parole or judicial discretion.”

Holt said the legislation leaves room for judicial and prosecutorial discretion.

“There are deferred sentences, there are plea bargains,” he said. “There is plenty of opportunity for grace and judicial discretion in the legislation that we are proposing.”

Bill could cost millions, require Iowa to build a new prison, agency says

A fiscal analysis of the bill by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency said it could cost Iowa nearly $165 million more per year by 2031 based on the cost of housing inmates for longer prison stays.

FY 2027: $33 million
FY 2028: $66 million
FY 2029: $99 million
FY 2030: $132 million
FY 2031: $164.9 million

The agency said if the bill had been in effect between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2025, there would have been 5,373 people who qualified for the 20-year mandatory minimum sentence.

“An increase in the prison population due to increased (length of stay) will require the DOC to build additional prison(s),” the agency states. “The size, security and other features that a future prison may require cannot be determined, but costs would be significant.”

The analysis noted that South Dakota appropriated $650 million last fall to build a 1,500-bed prison.

As of March 1, the Iowa Department of Corrections’ website describes the state’s prison system as being overcrowded by 25%, with 8,705 inmates compared to a capacity of 6,990.

The Office of the State Public Defender could see a projected cost increase of $1.6 million due to an increased number of trials resulting from the legislation.

But the agency’s estimates come with a caveat — the Department of Corrections did not respond to its requests for data.

“The LSA has not received a response to multiple requests for information from the DOC,” the note states. “Without additional information, the LSA cannot estimate the total fiscal impact of the bill.”

Holt called the fiscal note “an embarrassment to the Department of Corrections” and “an agenda masquerading as math.”

“It is clear, in my judgment, that because they did not like the legislation they went all out and extreme to create a fiscal note that cannot be taken seriously in its assumptions,” he said. “It assumes that nothing will change, that there will be no deterrent factor and that the numbers will continue as usual.”

Black Iowans would be disproportionately impacted by the law

The Legislative Services Agency analysis says the bill “may disproportionately impact Black individuals if trends remain constant.”

Of the 29,438 people convicted in fiscal year 2025 of felonies and aggravated misdemeanors that constitute a level one offense under the bill, the agency said about 70% were White, 22% were Black and 9% were other races.

Iowa’s overall population is 83% White, 4% Black and 13% other races, the agency said.

It’s not clear how the bill’s impact would change to account for the House amendment removing some crimes from counting towards the three strikes.

“Expanding three-strike laws will intensify disparities — and that’s what this statement shows — by mandating longer sentences, limiting judicial discretion,” Wilburn said. “We already have a habitual offender statute. We already have one in place. We have a 10-year low in recidivism in our correctional system.”

Rep. Angel Ramirez, D-Cedar Rapids, said California’s three strikes law, passed in the 1990s, worsened racial disparities, and “Iowa is about to repeat the same mistake.”

“I urge every member here, do not pass legislation that our own minority impact statement tells us will deepen inequality in our state,” Ramirez said.

Holt said minority communities in Iowa are impacted by crime and that the legislation “will make citizens of all colors safer.”

And he said the minority impact statement “tells only one side of the story, doesn’t it? It tells the criminal’s story. What about the victim’s story?”

“What about the mother who will continue to tuck her kids in at night and read them Bible stories because she never became the next victim of a violent career criminal?” he said. “Where is that data point in the minority impact statement?”

House lawmakers also approved separate legislation that would increase Iowa’s statewide bond schedule, Senate File 2399.

That bill passed on a vote of 74-19.

Iowans could see more information on judges’ rulings

Iowans would have access to more information about judges’ rulings ahead of the state’s judicial retention elections under a separate measure, House File 2719, which passed on a 73-19 vote.

The Iowa secretary of state’s office would be required to publish information including:

The percentage of cases in which the judge set a bond amount lower than the state’s bond schedule
The frequency that the judge releases someone on their own recognizance for a violent offense compared to a nonviolent offense
The frequency that the judge’s final sentence is lower than statutory recommendations or a prosecutor’s recommendations
The number of times the judge issues a deferred judgement, deferred sentence or suspended sentence
The number of times the judge’s rulings are reversed on appeal due to abuse of discretion or error of law
The average time it takes the judge to rule on a motion or case
The number of cases the judge has resolved compared to the number of cases on the judge’s docket

The data would have to be displayed with a five-year trend line beginning five years after the bill takes effect.

The Secretary of State’s Office would also be required to maintain a searchable database of all judicial opinions and orders for the judge’s current term and the preceding six years. The decisions would be redacted when appropriate.

And judges would have the opportunity to write a 2,000-word personal statement on their judicial philosophy or data trends present in their rulings.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.

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Iowa

Man sentenced for killing 4 people appeals his sentence to the Iowa Supreme Court

Published

21 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Man sentenced for killing 4 people appeals his sentence to the Iowa Supreme Court

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Luke Truesdell’s attorney has filed as of Sunday to appeal his sentence to the Iowa Supreme Court.

Truesdell was sentenced last week to three consecutive life sentences plus 50 years for the deaths of four people killed in rural Linn County.

A jury convicted Luke Truesdell, 36, in November on the first-degree murder of Brent Brown, 34; his girlfriend, Keonna Ryan, 26, of Cedar Rapids; and Amanda Parker, 33, of Vinton. They also found him guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Romondus Cooper, 44, of Cedar Rapids.

His attorneys previously argued multiple reasons for a retrial that could potentially be brought up again.

They said that one juror was overheard talking about news on the case.

They also said the prosecutors inflamed the jury, rather than focusing on the facts.

His lawyers said there is no direct evidence that Truesdell committed the murders.

Truesdell’s defense also pointed to Truesdell’s father, Larry Tuesdell, who was found covered in blood at the scene but never fully investigated. Authorities have not been able to locate Larry.

The state disagreed, citing overwhelming evidence including DNA on the murder weapon, eyewitness testimony and video of Truesdell entering the garage where the four people were found dead.

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Iowa

2026 Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

2026 Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

The Iowa high school boys state basketball tournament is just around the corner and the full field has now been set.

By March 13, four teams will be crowned state champions and there are plenty of worthy squads vying for the title. On Tuesday, the final brackets were released and we now have a clear picture of the eight teams in each class hoping to take home the trophy.

Here’s a look at the first-round pairings and the full state tournament schedule for next week’s IHSAA action.