Iowa
Pro-Palestine activists protest outside of House Speaker Johnson visit to Iowa City
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Protests in support of Palestine are unfolding at a number of college campuses across the country.
Sunday, people gathered in Iowa City to protest an event hosting House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has condemned the student protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Health officials have reported tens of thousands dead in the Gaza Strip, following the October 7th Hamas attack which killed hundreds of Israelis.
The protestors in Iowa City on Sunday said they wanted the U.S. to have no part in any deaths.
“We want our President and our Congress to take concrete steps to stop sending weapons to Israel,” said Newman Abuissa, one of the protestors.
Abuissa said he does not support violence or Hamas.
“We condemn Hamas’ killing of civilians,” he said.
Spencer Morton, another protestor, said he was there to “protest Speaker Mike Johnson, who has categorized these crowds as anti-Semitic and disruptive.”
Johnson made those remarks Wednesday as he called for the resignation of the President of Columbia University, the site of a major Free Palestine protest.
“This is threats and intimidation of violence against Jewish students for who they are,” he said.
Johnson oversaw the passage of a foreign aid package in the House, which was signed by President Biden last week. The bill provides a total of $26 billion for Israel, which does include funding for humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip.
Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who spoke with Johnson at an event in Iowa City Sunday, said it was imperative to continue to support America’s ally, Israel.
“Hamas is a proxy for Iran,” she said. “When America is weak, and we allow a vacuum to exist, we see foreign aggression.”
TV9 asked if she believed the U.S. should support Israel no matter what.
“I am saying that we will continue to push Israel to make sure that they limit any harm to civilians,” said Miller-Meeks. “The IDF is doing all that they can, but even our troops, even American troops, even the United States—when you’re doing urban warfare, it is extraordinarily difficult.”
Like Johnson, Miller-Meeks also voiced opposition to the pro-Palestinian protests.
She said she believed the protestors “don’t even know what the words they espouse mean. It’s one thing to protest, to exercise your right to free speech in support. It’s another thing to espouse hatred and killing of Jews.”
These protestors said killing was the very thing they were fighting against.
“It’s important to support life,” said Morton.
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A train struck a semi-truck in eastern Iowa on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring another, authorities said.
The crash occurred at the crossing of a state highway and the Iowa Interstate Railroad in a rural area about 70 miles (113 kilometers) east of Des Moines, according to Poweshiek County Sheriff Matt Maschmann.
One person in the semi-truck died and another was transported with “serious injuries,” Maschmann said in a statement.
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Seventeen train cars and two power engines derailed after the crash and caused “significant damage” to the railroad, he said. Images of the scene showed a massive heap of railcars with billowing smoke.
No hazardous material was spilled, according to Iowa State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Alex Dinkla.
Tate Schendel on Waukee Northwest boys soccer’s win over Urbandale
Hear from Waukee Northwest goalkeeper Tate Schendel after the Wolves beat Urbandale in the Class 4A boys soccer state semifinals.
It took two overtimes and six penalty kicks to decide a winner in Waukee Northwest’s Iowa high school boys soccer state quarterfinal matchup against Johnston on Monday.
And it looked like the semifinal would go the same way, that is, until Eman Alicic came up big on a penalty kick in the final minutes of the No. 2 Wolves’ state semifinal game against No. 3 Urbandale on Wednesday, June 3.
“It was too long of a game last time,” joked Northwest goaltender Tate Schendel postgame. “From now on, we’re just going to try to close things out, get it done and keep moving on.”
It took more than 10 minutes for either team to record a shot, and even longer for an attempt to go on goal.
The Wolves hammered a dozen shots in the direction of Urbandale’s goal in the opening 40 minutes, but only a couple came close to going in – including a shot from Alicic that bounced out after hitting the corner of the crossbar.
The J-Hawks had fewer chances at the net, but more attempts hit the target. Of Urbandale’s seven first-half chances, four were on goal – and Schendel stopped all of them.
With one defense keeping shots on goal away from their keeper and the other team’s goalie stepping up to make risky saves, Northwest and Urbandale headed to the locker room tied, 0-0, at halftime.
“He’s been with us now for three years as a starter, and each year he’s come up big and done great things,” Waukee Northwest head coach Carlos Acebey said about Schendel. “I don’t think he gets a lot of credit for how well he plays between the goalposts, and he’s a solid player for us.”
The Wolves took control in the second half, firing off 12 more shots – including seven on goal – to Urbandale’s three shots, only one of which made its way into Schendel’s hands. But despite Northwest’s ability to keep much of the pressure on the J-Hawks’ end of the field, the game remained scoreless deep into the second half.
With just under four minutes remaining in regulation, Eddie Mihura won the ball around midfield, and then Alicic sent a cross-field pass that was misplayed by one of Urbandale’s players and made its way to Sully Ervin.
He took the ball downfield on a breakaway, but didn’t get a chance at the net, as a J-Hawks player took him down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick.
“He’s just a little buzz saw,” Acebey said about Ervin. “He creates a lot of problems just because he’s annoying, but he’s a great annoying for us. I love it.”
Alicic – the sophomore star and leading goal scorer on Northwest’s roster – lined up for the penalty kick and nailed it, sending the ball left as Urbandale’s goalie dove to the right.
“He’s really wiser than people give him credit for,” Acebey said. “He’s a sophomore, but he’s very intelligent. His soccer IQ is off the charts. He’s a player that gives us a lot of confidence…and the last three teams that we played have tried to double team, triple team him, and he still is going to get the ball.”
The J-Hawks attempted to get another chance at a goal in the final minutes of the game, but Northwest had an answer for everything Urbandale tried. The final horn bellowed, and the Wolves celebrated their first trip to the championship game since the program’s inaugural season in 2022.
Northwest will face off against No. 1 Ankeny Centennial – still undefeated – at 2:30 p.m. on June 5 at Mediacom Stadium.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
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