Iowa
State Historical Museum of Iowa unveils new signs to improve accessibility
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – A new feature at the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines debuted this weekend.
NaviLens launched on Saturday after two years of planning.
More than 500 codes are spread across the museum’s first floor. It’s designed to make exhibits more accessible for Iowans.
One version of the app is for those who have low vision or are blind.
It’s easy to use. The app is constantly scanning for codes
The idea of NaviLens started in Lindsay Keast’s kitchen when she saw a colorful code on a cereal box.
”I thought, why not bring that into a museum so that people can navigate the space?” said Keast, with the State Historical Museum of Iowa.
”I can sum that up just in one word, which would be independence. By having the NaviLens tags throughout the exhibits means that I can come to the historical society and go through an exhibit on my own,” said Bettina Dolinsek, State Historical Museum of Iowa Accessibility Consultant.
The app also includes descriptions of objects around the museum, things like stairs and elevators.
Museum staff hope to expand NaviLens to the entire space. It’s also a yearly subscription for the service and they’re already fundraising for those efforts.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Arrests made in SD in Iowa courthouse incident
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Two suspects in the incident at the Lyon County, Iowa, courthouse were arrested in Spearfish, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post earlier Saturday.
The sheriff’s office identified two suspects as Brandon Lyle High Pipe, 39, and Luciano Eliseo Sanchez, 18, in a social media post on Thursday. Nationwide warrants were issued for the two suspects.
The sheriff’s office said on Tuesday the courthouse had burglarized overnight. The damage inside includes writing on walls, broken glass, tipped-over Christmas trees and other items tossed around.
The incident caused the courthouse to be closed for at least one day.
The sheriff’s office said on Saturday morning that more information should be released later.
Iowa
Iowa City West sweeps City High in a pair of close contests
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Grace Fincham led the West High girls to a second-half comeback in a 60-51 win over City High, giving the Trojans a win on their rival’s home floor.
The Trojans improve to 6-2 with the win. The Little Hawks drop to 6-2.
In the boys’ nightcap, the Little Hawks’ comeback attempt fell short, as the Trojans held on for a 53-51 win.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Iowa football dissects LeVar Woods succession plan
The loss of LeVar Woods, the Iowa Hawkeyes’ long-time, elite special teams coordinator, cannot be dismissed. The Hawkeyes have consistently been among the nation’s best special teams units, from punting to kicking to owning the return and field position battle.
With LeVar Woods departing Iowa for Big Ten foe, the Michigan State Spartans, the Hawkeyes have a big hole to fill, and head coach Kirk Ferentz spoke to the media this week on what that succession plan may look like.
“Yeah, it’s not a light decision. The trick will be to find the next LeVar Woods. He’s done a fantastic job. He didn’t have the profile necessarily maybe at that point to predict what he was going to do, but he’s done all the work. It’s like a good player; players do the work. LeVar has done a great job immersing himself and learning every aspect and then growing with each and every turn. So I guess I’m describing what we’re looking for, a guy who’s a good coach, who’s eager to take a challenge on, and immerse themselves in that world.
“Special teams is a unique niche, if you will. I’m sure we’ll have good candidates. It’s not pressing right now in my mind. What is pressing is the next two weeks getting ready for the game, and then after that we’ll have eight plus weeks or eight plus months actually to get it right. I don’t plan on waiting until August to fill it, but we’ll figure that out when we get in the new year,” Ferentz said about LeVar Woods.
The past few seasons, Iowa has been elite on special teams with kicker Drew Stevens being incredibly consistent, the punting game flipping fields, and the run of returners consisting of Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Charlie Jones, Cooper DeJean, and Kaden Wetjen.
The Hawkeyes have won more than their fair share of games relying on this unit, and to continue that success, Ferentz needs to hit on this hire.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
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