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Teen accused of killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise taken into custody following adult charges

MIAMI (AP) — A teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship surrendered Monday after a federal judge reversed his decision on pretrial release now that the teen is charged as an adult.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami confirmed that Timothy Hudson is in custody. U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres filed the order to revoke Hudson’s pretrial release last Wednesday, but the order was sealed until Monday afternoon. The order stated that Hudson should surrender to U.S. Marshals at the federal courthouse in Tampa Monday morning.

The judge had ruled in February that the 16-year-old could live with an uncle and be electronically monitored. But after the case was transferred to adult court in April, prosecutors wanted Hudson in custody.

The judge ultimately agreed that the issue of Hudson’s pretrial detention should be treated as if he was an adult, though Hudson will be held in an approved juvenile facility.

“The Government has established, by clear and convincing evidence, that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of the community going forward,” Torres wrote in his order.

Hudson has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of Anna Kepner. His federal public defenders have declined to comment on the charges.

Minors are rarely prosecuted in federal court, and this case landed there because Kepner apparently died in international waters, outside any state’s jurisdiction.

Kepner had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship in November with her family, including Hudson. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with Hudson and another teen, a criminal complaint said.

The cause of Kepner’s Nov. 6 death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.

Attorneys for the prosecution and the defense made arguments for and against Hudson being jailed until his trial during a May 27 hearing, but Torres said he wanted to speak with the Marshals Service about the logistics of detaining Hudson in central Florida, closer to his family, rather than South Florida, where the trial is taking place. Hudson walked out of the courthouse after that hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra Lopez argued at the hearing that the crimes Hudson is accused of are so serious that the court shouldn’t risk another violent attack. An autopsy determined that Kepner had been pinned down and forcibly raped, the prosecutors said. She also noted that it likely took 3-5 minutes for Hudson to allegedly strangle Kepner until she was dead.

The prosecutor also argued that Hudson was a much greater flight risk because he now faces a possible life sentence if convicted of the adult charges. As a juvenile, he would have been released at age 21, regardless of what counts he was found delinquent on.

Evan Kuhl, with the Federal Public Defender’s office, told the judge during the hearing that Hudson has abided by the conditions of his release for months without issue.

Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, previously released a statement, saying the family was placing “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.”

“The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family,” Kepner said.

Anna Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, family members encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of the traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”

Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“Several rounds of severe thunderstorms, including a derecho that crossed parts of Iowa into Illinois last Wednesday, caused damage to crops, farms, homes and communities, particularly across southern and eastern Iowa. Heavy rainfall also flooded some fields and created challenging conditions for farmers, with some crop damage and stress being reported,” said Secretary Naig. “Our thoughts are with those affected as recovery efforts continue. Additional thunderstorms are forecast over the next several days, with severe weather possible again on Wednesday.”

Crop Report

Farmers had 3.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending June 14, 2026, which is 1.9 days less than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 14 percent short, 66 percent adequate, and 19 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 15 percent short, 70 percent adequate, and 13 percent surplus.

Corn emerged reached 97 percent, 1 percentage point ahead of last year. Corn condition rated 79 percent good to excellent. Soybean planting reached 98 percent complete, which is 1 percentage point behind last year. Soybeans emerged reached 95 percent, which is 3 percentage points ahead of last year. Soybean condition rated 77 percent good to excellent. Oats headed reached 78 percent, which is 11 percentage points ahead of last year. Oats condition rated 83 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition rated 77 percent good to excellent.

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at https://www.nass.usda.gov/.

This day in Country Music History

  • Today in 1981, the Oak Ridge Boys’ single, “Elvira,” was certified gold.
  • Today in 1989, Ricky Skaggs topped the country charts with “Lovin’ Only Me.”
  • Today in 1992, Pam Tillis’ “Put Yourself In My Place” album was certified Gold, her first.
  • Today in 1993, the “It’s Your Call” album by Reba McEntire was certified double platinum.
  • Today in 1995, Tracy Lawrence’s “Texas Tornado” topped the charts.
  • Today in 1997, Alan Jackson made a little history by becoming the first artist ever to win six times as Male Vocalist of the Year at the TNN/Music City News Country Awards.
  • Today in 1998, Shania Twain’s “Come On Over” album was certified quadruple platinum.
  • Today in 1999, Travis Tritt, his wife, Theresa, and their 1-year-old daughter, Tyler, welcomed new son, Tristan James into the family at a Nashville hospital.
  • Today in 2000, the Country Music Association announced Charley Pride and Faron Young as the year’s inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame. They were the final members to be installed before the Hall moved into a new building in downtown Nashville.
  • Today in 2000, Lee Ann Womack’s album, “I Hope You Dance,” was certified gold just 3 weeks after its release.
  • Today in 2001, Tim McGraw’s “Grown Men Don’t Cry” moved in to the top spot on the “Billboard” country singles list.
  • Today in 2002, it was confirmed that Tim McGraw had inked a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster for an estimated $1.5-million.
  • Today in 2002, Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow appeared on “CMT Crossroads,” which was taped the previous month on the Sony Pictures lot in Los Angeles. In addition to their own material, they offer a duet on the Johnny Cash & June Carter classic, “Jackson.”
  • Today in 2011, Garth Brooks, Leon Russell, author Allen Toussaint and composer John Bettis are added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
  • Today in 2013, Darius Rucker sang the national anthem at the AT&T Center in San Antonio during the NBA finals. The Spurs defeated the Miami Heat, 114-104.

57th Annual Art on the Square Celebrates Creativity with an “Out of this World” Experience

OSKALOOSA — The Oskaloosa Main Street program welcomed artists, families, and visitors from across the region to the 57th Annual Art on the Square on Saturday, June 13, around Oskaloosa’s beautiful downtown square. This year’s theme, “Out of this World,” inspired a day filled with art, imagination, and community engagement.

The festival featured 29 artists showcasing a variety of artistic mediums, from painting and woodworking to fiber arts and blacksmithing. Visitors also enjoyed numerous children’s activities provided by community partners including Oskaloosa Public Library, Book Vault, Fine Arts and Cultural Events of Mahaska County (FACE), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Mahaska County, and the Uplifting Puppet Company.

One of the highlights of the day was the 2nd Annual Art on the Square Puppet Parade hosted by Uplifting Puppet Co. Due to windy conditions and the threat of rain, the parade was relocated indoors to Penn Central Mall, where participants proudly showcased their creative, space-themed puppet creations along with a 14-foot green space alien and 5-foot-wide spaceship.

Another popular feature of this year’s festival was the Window Art Walk, which included participation from 30 downtown businesses. Coordinated by Amy Brainard of Mahaska Communications Group (MCG), the project invited elementary students from area schools to submit artwork inspired by the “Out of this World” theme. Selected designs were transformed into colorful window displays throughout downtown, creating an interactive art experience for residents and visitors alike.

Art on the Square also recognized outstanding artists through its annual awards program.

Honorable Mention Awards
  • Mike Tygart, Sigourney, Iowa – Woodworking
  • Ron Struve, Oskaloosa, Iowa – Blacksmith Designs
  • Natalia Butler, Keytesville, Missouri – Knitted Fashions
  • Meg Prange, Russell, Iowa – Fabric Art
Second Place Awards
  • Two-Dimensional Category: Tasha King, Iowa City, Iowa – Mixed Media
  • Three-Dimensional Category: Sue Burnham, Oskaloosa, Iowa – Needle Felting and Fabric Art
Best of Show Awards
  • Best of Show – Two-Dimensional Art: Abbi Starcevic for her nature and landscape paintings created with oils and acrylics
  • Best of Show – Three-Dimensional Art: Doug Adams, Fairfield, Iowa, for his hand-twisted wire trees mounted on live-edge wood
  • Best of Show – Emerging Artist: Emily McKeag, Oskaloosa, Iowa – for her acrylic paintings of semi-realistic imagery.

“Oskaloosa Main Street extends its sincere appreciation to the artists, volunteers, sponsors, community organizations, participating businesses, and visitors who helped make the 57th Annual Art on the Square a success,” said Executive Director Angella Foster. “Festivals like Art on the Square showcase the creativity, collaboration, and community spirit that make downtown Oskaloosa such a special place.”

Jelly Roll Files For Divorce From Bunnie XO

Music’s most unlikely marriage is now heading towards its most unexpected breakup. Jelly Roll has reportedly filed for divorce from his wife, Bunnie XO“TMZ” reports that Jelly filed the papers at a Tennessee courthouse last month. It’s reported the divorce was a mutual decision and a “private family matter.” The two have had a tumultuous relationship; they met in 2015 at one of Jelly Roll’s early shows when he was a struggling musician; Bunnie was working as a high-end escort at the time. After a year of dating, they married, though briefly split two years later after the singer had an affair. Jelly Roll has two children from previous relationships: 18 year-old Bailee Ann, for whom Bunnie is a stepmother, and 9 year-old Noah, who still lives with his biological mother though is also close with Bunnie.

“TMZ” also reports that, just as the news has gone public, things are moving quickly. Photographers snapped pics of a huge moving van parked in front of the couple’s Tennessee house yesterday, though it’s not clear who’s leaving and who’s staying. And, just hours before the news broke last night, Bunnie posted a cryptic message about “getting her sparkle back” alongside a lingerie pic on her Instagram Stories.

Oskaloosa City Council Approves New Commercial and Industrial Urban Revitalization Plan

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa City Council held a regular meeting last night and conducted a public hearing for the city’s new Commercial and Industrial Urban Revitalization Plan. City staff said that the plan is intended to encourage rehabilitation, redevelopment, and economic development in designated commercial and industrial areas. It establishes multiple revitalization areas throughout the city, including industrial parks and selected commercial corridors. Property owners within these designated areas may apply for temporary tax abatements on the value added by eligible commercial or industrial improvements, subject to program requirements and limitations. The plan was approved in a 6-0 vote by the council.

The council also swore in two new police officers to the Oskaloosa Police Department: Drake Baarda and Gideon Vande Kieft. 

The next regular meeting for the Oskaloosa city council is scheduled for July 6.

Authorities Won’t Pursue Criminal Charges Following Investigation into Former PCM School Resource Officer

JASPER COUNTY – Authorities have finished an investigation involving a former school resource officer at the Prairie City-Monroe School District and concluded that there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges.

According to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, on April 3, 2026, they were contacted by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office regarding information received concerning alleged inappropriate communications between PCM School Resource Officer (SRO) Carter Reichmann and a former PCM student during the time when Reichmann was employed by the Monroe Police Department and assigned as the SRO for PCM. Investigators subsequently obtained information containing communications that had occurred between March 2024 and June 2024 when the student was 17 years old.

During the course of the investigation, interviews were conducted with the reporting victim, witnesses, and Reichmann. Search warrants were obtained and records were seized from social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, and they were reviewed and analyzed.

The investigation confirmed that Reichmann communicated with the student through various social media applications and that interactions occurred outside of his role as an SRO. Authorities say that evidence reviewed by investigators also identified communications and exchanges that raised concerns regarding professional boundaries between an SRO and a student. Additional witness statements corroborated the existence of communication between Reichmann and the student and described comments and interactions that were perceived as inappropriate.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office says that investigators consulted with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office regarding the facts and evidence developed, and that following their review, it was determined that, while concerns exist regarding the professional conduct, boundaries, and potential violations of school district or law enforcement agency policies, the evidence does not establish probable cause to support criminal charges for grooming, sexual exploitation by a school employee, or any other criminal offense under Iowa Law. As a result, no criminal charges will be filed, and law enforcement considers the investigation to be closed unless additional information or evidence is received.

Oil and gas supplies could take months to return to normal after Iran deal, energy experts say

NEW YORK (AP) — High oil and gasoline prices and energy supply problems won’t be solved overnight, despite an agreement to end the Iran war and open the Strait of Hormuz announced Sunday.

It will likely take months before energy companies can resume operations to the point of meeting the world’s demand, according to energy experts. The slow pace of the process of shipping and refining crude oil, and doubts about the security of traveling through the strait mean the effect won’t be seen immediately, they said.

Ships loaded with crude oil have been stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than three months, unable to safely travel through the waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and gasoline supplies typically traveled before the war began.

“It’s going to take time for people to feel comfortable and for insurance to be in place … particularly to get people on the ground to restart some of these assets,” said Daniel Evans, global head of fuels and refining research at S&P Global Energy.

Still, oil prices slipped early Monday after the deal was announced.

Brent crude, the international standard, was down $3.45 at $83.89 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude oil lost $4.03 to $80.85 per barrel.

Those prices are still well above the roughly $70 per barrel where oil was trading before the war started.

As the higher prices unwind, ships that have been stranded will have to exit the strait, and then new tankers will have to come in to be loaded, Evans said.

“To bring a ship in, you need to be confident that you’ve got a big enough window of safety to bring it in, load it and move it out,” he added.

Oil tankers also move slowly, he explained. It takes months to travel from the strait to distant countries, deliver the crude oil to a refinery for processing and then arrive at its final destination.

In addition, some producers in the Middle East paused extracting oil from the ground, known as a shut-in, when they ran out of storage space. Restarting those operations can be a slow process.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, where there are alternate pipelines or routes besides the Strait of Hormuz to deliver oil, may be among the quickest to resume production, said Alan Gelder, senior vice president of refining, chemicals and oil markets at Wood Mackenzie, an analytics firm.

“But places like Iraq could be much more challenged because they’ve had a much bigger shut-in, their fields are more difficult … it may well take about a year before they get back,” he said.

Investment in the energy system, which can take years to see the results, ground to a halt after the strait’s closure, Gelder said. So it will take time for this capital to restart.

Countries that shut in oil production won’t want to restart until they know there is a stable, durable strait, and that a ceasefire will last more than 30 or 60 days, said Daniel Sternoff, senior fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.

“We don’t know what open means or what the speed of evacuation of trapped material is going to be,” he said.

Iowa Environmental Council says state clean water proposal has ‘no substance’

By Dar Danielson (Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Environmental Council says the clean water proposal approved in the last days of the legislative session does nothing new.

IEC Senior Director of Policy and Programs Kerri Johannsen says the plans touts hundreds of millions of dollars spent on water quality. “This was really a last minute response to a public outcry, but there really was no substance to this proposal,” she says.

Johannsen says the bill did not fund the state-of-the art University of Iowa real time water monitoring system, and instead gives money to the DNR for monthly testing. She says the DNR does not provide clearly understandable data from its testing.

Johannsen says this plan doesn’t get everyone involved. “We’re deploying funding for conservation on a voluntary basis, not targeted on a specific as needed basis,” she says. Johannsen says we need to understand where practices are going to have the most impact to deploy them there. “That targeted sort of conservation approach would really help make a bigger impact with the same amount of dollars potentially than the way that we’re doing it right now,” Johannsen says.

Johannsen says a lot of what’s included in the nutrient reduction strategy are a lot of edge of field practices. “We know that in-field practices have a double benefit, which includes both decreasing the inputs that are going on the land, and by doing that also decreasing the money that farmers are having to spend on those inputs,” she says.

Johannsen made her comments in a conference call with reporters.

Wapello County Announces Disaster Assistance Resources Following Severe Weather on June 11, 2026

WAPELLO COUNTY, IA — Following the severe weather that took place on June 11, 2026, Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for Wapello County as requested by Wapello County Emergency Management of the Wapello County Board of Supervisors. This proclamation activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and the Disaster Case Advocacy Program.

Disaster Assistance for Residents

Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program

  • Grant Amount: Qualifying households may receive up to $7,000.
  • Eligibility: Grants are available to households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Household members are citizens or legally residing in the United States.
  • Covered Expenses: Funds can be used for home or car repairs, replacement of personal property or food, and temporary housing expenses that are not covered by insurance or met by another assistance program.

Disaster Case Advocacy Program

  • Eligibility: There are no income requirements for this program, and no cost.
  • Services: Case advocates work directly with residents to create personalized recovery plans and provide guidance and referrals to necessary services.

How to Apply Online

Residents can find applications for the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and further details on the Disaster Case Advocacy Program by visiting the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management website at homelandsecurity.iowa.gov/assistance.

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