The Des Moines Register
Des Moines increases ambulance fees 20%
From treatment to transport, the Des Moines Fire Department is increasing its fees for ambulance services to align with other regional departments. The new costs for emergency medical services and fire prevention services will be increased effective...
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EDUCAT SAVIN ACCOU Immigration status costs Iowa family ESA funding
For two years, a northwest Iowa couple applied for and received an education savings account to send their two children to private school. The couple, who are legal Iowa residents but not U.S. citizens, used the taxpayer-funded program to help pay to...
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Libertarian hopefuls kicked off the ballot
A state panel voted to remove Libertarian candidates for governor and Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District from the Nov. 3 general election ballot — and the candidates are vowing to appeal the decision in court. Republican voters, strategists and...
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DMPS gives families assurances on FOCUS
For decades, Des Moines Public Schools families have seen the FOCUS program as a lifeline to ensure their children with disabilities receive a quality education and help them navigate sometimes complicated mental health conditions. Landon Wheeler, a...
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GOAL! Des Moines fans cheer U.S. opening win
The U.S. Men's National Team opened their World Cup bid outside of Los Angeles on June 12 against Paraguay, winning their first game in Group D by a final score of 4-1. The United States next plays in Group D action on June 19 against Australia. That...
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Documents outline Trump arch planning
The Trump administration aims to finish the “Triumphal Arch” within the next two to three years, according to National Park Service documents. The “Arc de Trump,” as it has been dubbed, is a 250foot structure similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris....
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THE FIFTH: CASE CLOSED
The city of Des Moines owes the developers of a failed skyscraper project nearly $6 million, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled, while mostly upholding a lower court’s verdict. The Friday, June 12, decision finally resolves the yearslong litigation over The...
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Who has the edge in Iowa governor’s race?
Iowa politicos are resetting their expectations for a governor’s race they say will remain highly competitive, even as the contours shift significantly in the wake of Republican Zach Lahn’s upset primary victory over Randy Feenstra. Lahn rode a wave...
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VA employees: Vets wait months for care
When Daphne Quinn, a registered nurse at the Des Moines VA Medical Center, recounts a story of a veteran leaving the hospital against medical advice, she has to pause several times to compose herself. “He checked himself out because within a few hours...
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Family’s futile fight ends in separation
When the Beamans bottomed out: Third in a series MENLO – The long haul began in January 2025 when, early each weekday, Todd and Bonnie Beaman drove two of their adult children from their home in Menlo, picked up two more and a sonin-law 45 minutes...
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Consequences mount for family amid ebbing help
When the Beamans bottomed out: Second in a series. AUDUBON – Todd and Bonnie Beaman settled into the courtroom, anxious to tell the judge their side of the story. Despite what others would say in judgment of what the Beamans had done, the Menlo couple...
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Study: Mosquitoes can outsmart key repellent
The world’s deadliest animal could be outsmarting people. In a new study, researchers discovered mosquitoes can learn to associate the smell of DEET with food − potentially weakening the world’s most widely used insect repellent. “If mosquitoes are...
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Nebraska chain buys 21 Fast & Fresh stores
Hy-Vee is selling its 21 standalone Fast & Fresh-branded convenience stores, opening the door for a 78-yearold family-owned, Nebraska company to expand to Iowa. Bosselman Enterprises, which operates six brands in the travel-service sector, will...
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LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
Lying on their stomachs on Moulton Elementary School’s grassy lawn, two students grappled in a friendly arm wrestling competition to the cheers of other students before the morning bell rings one last time. Surrounding the competitors, other students...
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Lahn vs. Sand for governor
Republican businessman Zach Lahn, who entered the Iowa primary race for governor as a virtual unknown, has stunned presumed favorite U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra to win the party’s nomination. Although Republican President Donald Trump endorsed Feenstra...
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Abuse, wait times both up amid dire caregiver crisis
Iowa has a caregiver crisis that is escalating even faster than its population is graying: Cases of dependent adult abuse, increasing for decades, have skyrocketed in the last five years, with a growing number of people found by the state to be abusive...
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Des Moines Register’s voters’ primary guide
Iowa’s Primary Election Day has arrived, and we’re here to help you vote. Iowa voters can cast their ballots for a host of federal, state and local primary races that will determine who can be on the Nov. 3 general election. Don’t know what’s on your...
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Breaking down Iowa’s $9.6 billion state budget
Iowa’s state spending will increase slightly in the coming year as revenues remain low because of GOPbacked tax cuts – leaving a $1.2 billion gap that lawmakers plan to fill using the state’s budget surplus and the Taxpayer Relief Fund. The state’s...
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IF IT’S LOCAL YOU WANT, WE’VE GOT IT.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives.
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American Equity’s new HQ boosts DM
Downtown Des Moines is taking another step toward recovery from its post-pandemic funk as American Equity Life Insurance Co. dedicates its new headquarters in the Western Gateway. One of Iowa’s largest life insurance companies, American Equity cut the...
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State Dems don’t rule out a break with DNC
Iowa Democrats said they plan to “work in good faith” with the national party as it sets its 2028 presidential primary calendar, but they didn’t rule out holding a rogue first-in-the-nation caucus if Iowa gets squeezed out of a top spot. “Iowa law...
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Neighbors’ opposition stalls townhome plan
In less than a decade, the median home price in the Des Moines metro has shot up more than $100,000 to $315,000, a surge that’s made finding starter homes increasingly difficult. But in Valley Junction, a historic enclave of homes, shops, small...
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IOWA’S HEALTH HITS GOP RACE
Climbing cancer rates, renewed water quality concerns and an ascendant Make America Healthy Again movement have collided in Iowa — a unique confluence of factors spilling into the Republican campaign trail for governor this year. Iowa’s GOP voters...
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515 Walnut reshapes downtown skyline
A strong breeze gusts through the chain-link barrier enclosing the 28th floor of what will soon be Iowa’s tallest residential building. It’s a reminder of how far above the building-buffered streets of downtown Des Moines 515 Walnut will soon...
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Rural hospitals close in increasing numbers
Some Pennsylvania hospitals are being pushed beyond the brink of closure. Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park closed in April 2025, Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland closed in May 2025, and Heritage Valley Kennedy Hospital, formerly the Ohio Valley...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you.
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Council Bluffs man gets 50 years for cold-case murder
Almost 40 years after the disappearance of a west Iowa woman, her exboyfriend has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for her murder. Barbara Lenz, 31, of Woodbine, Iowa, was last seen alive on May 6, 1989. Her remains have never been found. She left...
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Raising a glass to grunts like Madsen
History doesn’t lack for revered figures of war. Emperors. Conquistadors. Four-star generals. The sort that wear racks of medals and tassels and epaulettes — bravery and import stitched in the language of fashion. They have genius (sometimes). They...
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Reynolds signs Iowa ‘MAHA’ law
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Gov. Kim Reynolds as she signed a law reshaping food assistance, school meals, screen time and ivermectin access in Iowa — embracing Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again”...
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Automotive survivors set to be auctioned off
Nearly a century’s worth of automotive history will soon go to the auction block in Greenfield. More than 30 cars ranging from a 1902 curved-dash Oldsmobile Runabout to a 2000 Corvette roadster are heading to auction Saturday, June 13. The Schildberg...
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Special stories from 12 outstanding grads
This month, thousands of Iowa high school students are switching their mortarboard tassels from right to left and officially stepping into adulthood. h The Des Moines Register asked staff at 15 metro-area schools to each nominate a standout graduate...
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Bill to improve towing protections awaiting signature
A bill the Iowa Legislature passed will add several new consumer protections for the owners of towed vehicles, require a tighter deadline for tow notices to be sent to owners and lien holders and give them more time to reclaim their wheels before they...
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Primary primer
One of Iowa’s most eagerly anticipated midterm primaries in a decade features open seats for Iowa governor and U.S. Senate as well as races for U.S. House seats, statewide offices and the Legislature. Find out what you need to know before you vote.
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$10M gift boosts new Field of Dreams park
If you build it, they will come – so goes a cliched adaptation of the most famous line from the 1989 film “Field of Dreams.” On Thursday, May 14, as part of a Bring it Home campaign to ensure that dream comes true, the nonprofit Field of Dreams Movie...
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U.S. HOUSE CLEARS YEAR-ROUND E15
After months of uncertainty, yearround access to E15, gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, has cleared the U.S. House. But it still faces an uphill battle to become law. The House’s Wednesday, May 13, vote to allow year-round E15 is a significant win...
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Early voting begins in Iowa
May 13 marked the start of early voting, when Iowans can cast their ballots in key races ahead of the June 2 primary. Voters will be making choices in statewide, congressional and many legislative or local races. 2A
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Grassley renews request for FTC probe of wedding site The Knot
An email from an Iowa vendor to wedding planning website The Knot is both succinct and expressive. “I don’t want a phone call. I don’t want to talk through it. I’m drowning in bills from your company for leads that were promised but never received....
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Honey Creek Resort set to reopen in June
The kitchen appliances are polished and gleaming. The guest rooms have been meticulously prepared. The golf course is groomed to a green luster under blue spring skies. The only thing missing at Honey Creek Resort is the guests. But Mark Campbell,...
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Federal water aid request sparks Dallas Center rift
On the heels of its mayor’s abrupt resignation, Dallas Center leaders say the city is at a crossroads, grappling with internal conflict stymieing progress and risking spiraling out of control – as it has in other central Iowa towns. The issues center...
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German town braces for U.S. troop pullout
VILSECK, Germany – The picturesque Bavarian town of Vilseck has hosted U.S. forces since the end of World War II and could bear the brunt of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw at least 5,000 troops from Germany. Although details of the units...
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Fuzzy white bison calf charms Iowa visitors
Baby fever has brought a stampede of interest to a quiet stretch of prairie east of Des Moines. What’s causing the surge? A fuzzy, “one-in-amillion” white bison calf born at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. The rare calf is drawing droves to...
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Charting his own path
It’s been nearly 1,000 years since King Henry IV stood barefoot in the Italian snow to beg forgiveness after clashes with Pope Gregory VII, and over two centuries since Napoleon imprisoned Pope Pius VII in France. Now, a battle is underway between a...
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Dem candidates spar on immigration, campaigns
Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidates in a closely watched primary race sparred over outside spending and immigration policy during the first televised debate of the election. Josh Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs, and Zach Wahls,...
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RUNNING UP FEES
Anthony Arroyo, 27, had just started to walk again after rupturing his Achilles tendon in fall 2021 when his friend, Nico Robinson, suggested they should train for the Des Moines Marathon. The following summer, Arroyo found himself trotting...
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Lawmakers pass key items, stall on pipeline
The contours of Iowa’s 2026 legislative session were clear from the outset. Property tax cuts would be lawmakers’ top priority, while eminent domain, the state budget, immigration and criminal justice would occupy significant legislative time. But...
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Some DMPS schools to share or lose teachers
Moore Elementary on April 30 in Des Moines. For more than a month, Cameron Cooley’s music teacher at Moore Elementary has spent 15 minutes before school each Tuesday showing the fifth-grader where to place his hands on the keyboard and other beginner...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Reynolds announces water funding revamp
Iowa will direct $25 million to Central Iowa Water Works to upgrade its nitrate removal facilities as part of a statewide overhaul of Iowa’s water quality funding. The funding package will also boost the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ water...
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$22M Des Moines rec center officially opens
The new northside Des Moines recreation center has been years in the making. But, finally, on Wednesday, April 29, hundreds of community members, business leaders and local elected officials gathered at the Reichardt Community Recreation Center for a...
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GOP governor debate shaped by absence
Three Republican candidates for Iowa governor sparred April 28 at a televised forum, and much of the debate quickly turned to a candidate who didn’t show up. The Iowa PBS debate was one of the few statewide televised forums ahead of the June 2...
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Audit lists Roberts’ conflicts of interest
The Des Moines School Board failed to catch former Superintendent Ian Roberts’ conflicts of interest concerning a contract even though the district’s chief financial officer had learned of the issue three months before the contract was awarded, a state...
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Man charged in DC media gala shooting
WASHINGTON – The suspect accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend is being charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is also charged...
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Iowa’s first agrihood key to Cumming’s growth
With more than 58,000 square feet of newly constructed residential and commercial space, an expanded main street in Cumming is close to completion seven years after the rural community was named as the site of Iowa’s first agrihood. Cumming’s new...
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Park service accused of violating free speech
The American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington, DC, chapter sued the National Park Service on April 23, alleging the agency violated the First Amendment by threatening to revoke a protest permit over signs critical of President Donald Trump. The ACLU...
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116TH DRAKE RELAYS
College athletes compete in the Drake Relays women’s 5,000-meter race April 23 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. Alea Hardie of Nebraska won in 16 minutes, 54.69 seconds. The Drake Relays conclude with a full day of competition April 25. Coverage in...
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Area police praise aid of license plate cams
At busy intersections, entrances to cities and high traffic roads in the Des Moines metro, cameras are watching cars drive by, taking photos and collecting information. All that data aids police investigations on the local, state and national levels...
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BLURRY CONNECTIONS
CLEAR LAKE — At a recent candidate forum filled with excited chatter, the aroma of pancakes and the kind of Republicans who love to knock doors and vote in primaries, it was hard to find voters excited about Iowa’s leading GOP gubernatorial...
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A power plant practice place
With screaming alarms and tableshaking vibrations, a 615-megawatt nuclear power plant in eastern Iowa suffers a serious mechanical issue. It’s just a simulation. But it’s designed to model what would happen if the Duane Arnold Energy Center outside...
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Iowa pushes hard for new Corteva seed HQ
State and city leaders along with other officials are lobbying hard for Iowa to become the headquarters for Corteva Agriscience’s new seed spinoff, to be launched later this year. They’ve created an online site devoted to the effort, gotten the...
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Slain mother ‘lives in all our hearts’
Lindsy Baumgart wore jeans, a T-shirt and the cowboy boots she calls her “Barbaras” when she saw – for the first time since she was 3 years old – the man who killed her mother. h It was the signature look of her mother, Barbara Lenz. Baumgart, now 40,...
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FLAG ON THE PLAY
Renate Rice helps grow girls flag football at Des Moines East
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Strait of Hormuz open to shipping
Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” to commercial vessels April 17 – then threatened to again close the global shipping lane if the United States did not end its blockade on Iranian ports and ships. It was the latest back-and-forth...
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Iowa State adds women’s wrestling to varsity lineup
AMES – Iowa State University is making massive changes to the structure of its wrestling program. In one fell swoop, the Cyclones has added a women’s wrestling program as the school’s 18th varsity sport, hired Alli St. John as head coach of the...
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Clive crisis team at risk as funds dwindle
No two days are the same for the crisis intervention team in the Clive Police Department. Some calls last a matter of minutes, others a full day. Clive police officer Andrew Faulkner and crisis intervention specialist Sarah Cunday have worked together...
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Graduation rates get better in Des Moines
Des Moines Public Schools officials are celebrating a 5 percentage point increase in the schools’ 2025 graduation rates. The twist? Officials don’t know what led to the bump, which followed several years of graduation rates holding steady at around...
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More cities in Iowa give up local police
Across Iowa, small cities are concluding that running a local police department is too expensive, too unstable or both, and they are turning to county sheriffs’ offices to fill the gap. That change has accelerated in recent years. In 2021, six...
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Farmers talk climate change and rising insurance rates
Farmers, business owners and homeowners shared stories about climate change and its impact on their insurance prices at a roundtable with Democratic elected officials in Des Moines. The event was hosted by state Rep. Josh Turek, DCouncil Bluffs, who...
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Casey’s elevated to S&P 500 stock index
Casey’s General Stores has joined the S&P 500 stock index, made up of some of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. It’s a major milestone for the Ankenybased convenience store chain. Dow Jones added the company to the...
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CAN AI HELP FIND CUTS?
Can artificial intelligence save Iowa taxpayers money? Iowa House Republicans are considering spending $1.4 million to give it a try. The money would pay a private technology company to study school and county government budgets across Iowa and find...
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Getting impatient on eminent domain
As Iowa’s legislative session enters what could be its final weeks, landowners are putting pressure on Senate Republican leaders to hold a vote on legislation restricting eminent domain for carbon pipelines. Several dozen Iowa landowners stood outside...
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Caregivers may get child care support
Republicans and Democrats in the Iowa Legislature may not agree on much, but they concur when it comes to the importance of child care availability for keeping parents in the state’s workforce. Approved unanimously in the Iowa Senate after clearing...
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Summit redirects CO2 pipeline for oil output
For four years, battles over private property rights have gridlocked state legislatures across the Midwest and stalled plans for a pipeline to transport liquefied carbon dioxide from ethanol plants in the region. In the background of this eminent...
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2 U.S. fighter jets downed over Iran
Two days after President Donald Trump vowed in an address to hit Iran “extremely hard,” two U.S. fighter jets went down over Iran, according to the White House and media reports. One crew member was rescued from a two-seated F-15E fighter jet that was...
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