IOWA (IRN) – Iowa is among the best places for teachers to work in the nation, according to a new ranking by WalletHub.com. The Hawkeye State ranked sixth when considering job opportunities and teacher salaries, plus academic and work environment.
DENVER, IA (IRN) – Authorities say they don’t suspect foul play in the case of a man who was found dead inside a mobile home over the weekend in the northeastern Iowa town of Denver. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports the man hasn’t been positively identified, and the cause of death is unknown.
IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A Springville man faces numerous charges after being taken into custody for drugged driving and attempting to flee from custody in Iowa City. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports 22-year-old Alen Hokic was seen driving with no headlights or taillights on Friday. Police searched the vehicle and found a marijuana “shake” on the passenger seat. Hokic fled after being handcuffed, but was captured shortly afterward.
BENTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Benton County sheriff’s office is investigating the vandalism of nearly 50 mailboxes near Vinton. KCRG-TV reports investigators suspect five juveniles are responsible for the damage, which ranged from a few dents to having the box separated from the post. One homeowner whose mailbox was vandalized said he saw people inside a pickup truck flying a Confederate flag hitting the mailbox while using racial slurs.
JACKSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The rider of a motorcycle died after a crash with an SUV Sunday afternoon near Maquoketa Caves State Park. The Iowa State Patrol reports 51-year-old Marcia Atchison of Alpha, Illinois was traveling a county road when her motorcycle crossed the centerline and was hit head-on by a Ford Excursion.
DES MOINES (IRN) – A Des Moines man was arrested on drug charges after he was seen driving erratically on a downtown sidewalk Saturday afternoon, according to KCCI-TV. An officer observed 29-year-old Marcell Wiggins drive through stoplights and onto a downtown sidewalk. When the officer pulled Wiggins over, he ran from his vehicle. After a short foot chase, Wiggins was arrested. He was in possession of crack cocaine at the time of his arrest.
IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The state treasurer has blocked a proposal by Gov. Terry Branstad to finance Iowa’s $68 million communications system for emergency responders through a lease-purchase agreement with Motorola. KIMT-TV reports Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald refused to approve the deal because it adds $9 million in interest payments when the project could be paid for now with the state’s budget surplus or with a lower interest rate loan that would save $2 million.
BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – An Iowa couple got married in a hospital chapel this weekend after the bride broke her leg on their wedding day, according to KWWL-TV. Melissa Eisenbacher slipped on gravel after getting her hair done Saturday morning and fell. But Eisenbacher wasn’t about to let surgery and a wheelchair stop the wedding. The groom, Rex Grebner, says his wife wanted to get married Saturday, so they did. At the hospital.