FROM KCCI: Ames police investigate after vehicles vandalized with swastikas and racial slurs. The Ames Police Department is investigating multiple reports of vandalism involving spray-painted swastikas and racial slurs on vehicles over the past few weeks. Officials said the incidents appear to be random. The vehicles were parked in poorly lit areas and the vandalism was not targeted at their owners, according to Ames police. ... READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Iowa State Patrol enhances OWI investigations with new mobile testing unit. The Iowa State Patrol has a new tool to help law enforcement officers across the state investigate drivers who may be impaired on the roads. Thanks to a federal grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the ISP recently purchased a Mobile Breath Alcohol Testing truck. ... READ MORE

FROM WOI: Waukee sports complex owner wins property tax lawsuit against Dallas County. A Dallas County judge ruled Kettlestone Central Sports Complex in Waukee is exempt from property taxes after the owner sued county officials over the summer. "There is no genuine dispute of fact that the Kettlestone Complex is exempt from property taxation," Dallas County Judge Stacy Ritchie said in a ruling on Monday, meaning the Iowa Youth Athletic Foundation won its lawsuit against the Dallas County Board of Review. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Ceasefire in the Iran war teeters in the face of disagreements over Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz. A tentative ceasefire in the Iran war staggered Thursday under the weight of Israel’s intense bombardment of Beirut, Tehran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and uncertainty over whether negotiators can find common ground on a range of other differences. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE NATION: Takeaways from the Gilgo Beach case as Rex Heuermann pleads guilty to 7 murders and admits to an 8th. A Long Island man who carried out a series of murders known as the Gilgo Beach killings pleaded guilty to murder charges this week, bringing finality to the long-unsolved case more than 30 years after the first killing. Rex Heuermann, an architect who led a secret life as a serial killer, pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of intentional murder in the killings of seven women between 1993 and 2010. ... READ MORE

FROM AROUND THE STATE: Iowa City Schools told to close buildings or face repeat budget crisis. Iowa City Schools is facing a financial crisis that has led consultants to recommend closing buildings to prevent the district from returning to the same situation within three to five years. The district is in a financial crisis, partly due to lower student enrollment. The district has also not been keeping accurate financial records for years. ... READ MORE

Fareway broke ground on a 105,000 square-foot expansion of its freezer building at the company’s distribution center on the east side of Boone. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2027 and will increase distribution capabilities to accommodate up to 200 additional stores as the chain grows.

Cambodian New Year will be celebrated Saturday, 5-11 p.m. in Scottish Rite Consistory, adults $25, kids $5.
 
Deals today
• The Waveland (4708 University Ave., Des Moines) has Texas toast bacon cheeseburgerson special today.
 
• B&B (S.E. Sixth and Hartford, Des Moines) has a Thursday special Killer's double hot Polish with fries and a soda for $12.95.
 
• Thursdays are triple decker Reuben day at Graziano Brothers (1601 S. Union St., Des Moines).
 
• Quarter pound cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches are $3.39 each on Thursdays at Kwik Star.
 
• Striking Sparrow (1930 S.E. Sixth St., Des Moines) has a Thursday special breaded pork tenderloin with fries and soda for $12.
 
• Bennigan's (4800 Merle Hay Road, Urbandale) has a $10.99 burger, fries and a pint deal on Thursdays.
 
• Taco pizzas are the Thursday special at Walker's Place (475 N.E. Broadway Ave., Des Moines).
 
• Sale Barn Cafe (Lamoni) is offering meat loaf mac and cheese specials today.
 
• Swiss steak is today's special at Crouse Cafe (115 E. Salem, Indianola).
 
•  AJ's (Prairie Meadows) has an early bird menu on Wednesday and Thursday from 4-6 p.m. Half pound burgers with frites, $15; pasta and chicken dinners, $20-22; seafood and steak dinners, $27-30. Prime rib dinners for $30 all night.
 
• Guesthouse Tavern and Oyster (9500 University, West Des Moine) offers spaghetti dinners with 8-ounce meatballs and salad for $22 on Wednesdays.
 
• Chelsea's Courtyard (100 MLK, Des Moines) has buck burgers Thursdays. $1!
 
• Istanbul Grill Cafe & Bakery (3281 100th St., Urbandale) has a Thursday special of $11.99 for a döner wrap with fries as well as $5 off döner plate which comes with Turkish salad and your choice of rice or bulgur. 
 
•  Hot beef sandwiches are a Thursday special at Club 2000. 
 
• Maxie's (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines) Thursday special for $20.95 is half a fried chicken with potato, side of spaghetti, and a salad. Lunch and dinner.
 
• Mullets Norwalk offers two, two-topping pizzas for $20 on Thursdays, 4 p.m. to close.
 
• Buzzard Billy's (615 Third St., Des Moines) has $2 off appetizers on Thursdays.
 
• Whatcha Smokin? (Highway 17, Luther) has a pork belly burnt ends special on Thursdays.
 
• Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines) offers $10 country fried breakfasts and $9 tenderloins or shrimp/fish tacos on Thursdays.
 
• Ruth's Chris (Ashworth Road at Jordan Creek Parkway) has a Thursday special with their decadent RBAR burgers and fries going for $16.
 
• Steak Nights: Sirloin steak dinners are featured specials today at Johnny's Italian Steakhouses (before 4 p.m.), Sully's Irish Pub (860 First St., West Des Moines); Front Row (9956 Swanson Blvd., Clive); Winn’s Pizza and Steakhouse (122 W. Ashland Ave., Indianola); and Hy-Vee Market Grilles. The Station on Ingersoll (3120 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines) has a $12 ribeye sandwich special on Thursdays. Gilroy's (1238 Eighth St., West Des Moines) offers ribeyes and sirloins only on Thursdays after 5 p.m.
 
• Mullets has a Thursday pizza special — buy one large specialty pizza and get a free 14-inch two-topping pizza.
 
• ShortE's BBQ (8505 Chambery Blvd., Johnston) has $1 smoked wings Thursdays.
 
• Jethro's Thursday special is a pound of boneless "wings" for $8.
 
• Bevy’s Tavern (1300 50th St., West Des Moines) has a special of beef stew and cornbread Thursdays for $13.
 
• Destination Grille (2491 E. First St., Grimes) has a "Comfort Thursday" special chicken fried De Burgo, a gluten free spin on DSM's classic. $16
 
• The Dam Pub (2710 Beaver Ave., Des Moines) has a throwback Thursday special goulash with garlic toast.
 
• The Continental (407 E. Fifth St., Des Moines) has $7 loaded fries on Thursdays.
 
• G Mig 's (128 Fifth St., Valley Junction) hosts taco night tonight.
 

• Aldi stores have sales through Tuesday on cantaloupes at $1.99, boneless chicken thighs at $2.49/pound, and mandarins $2.89/3-pound bag.

• Fresh Thyme (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) is running a sale through Sunday on snow crab clusters at $11.99/pound and boneless ribeyes at $11.99/pound and through Tuesday on Coho salmon fillets at $5.99/pound.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

1865: Robert E. Lee surrenders. In the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrenders his 28,000 Confederate troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War. Forced to abandon the Confederate capital of Richmond, blocked from joining the surviving Confederate force in North Carolina, and harassed constantly by Union cavalry, Lee had no other option. … READ MORE

1939: Marian Anderson sings on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. After being denied the opportunity to sing in a famous Washington, D.C.. concert hall due to the color of her skin, opera star Marian Anderson takes an even bigger—and more symbolic—stage: the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. … READ MORE

1959: NASA introduces America’s first astronauts. On April 9, 1959, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduces America’s first astronauts to the press: Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr., Alan Shepard Jr. and Donald Slayton. The seven men, all military test pilots, were carefully selected from a group of 32 candidates to take part in Project Mercury, America’s first manned space program. NASA planned to begin manned orbital flights in 1961. … READ MORE

www.history.com