BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A man is under arrest after police say he beat another man with a brick last month in Burlington. KWQC-TV reports the victim and 44-year-old Clyde Mack Stewart got into an argument which resulted in Stewart assaulting the victim with a brick. When officers arrived, they found the 20-year-old victim with significant head and facial injuries.
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A 33-year-old Marion man has been given over two years in prison and told to repay more than $187,000 to his former employer’s insurance companies. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports Jeremy Murphy pled guilty to wire fraud. Murphy admitted that while working for Crossroads Mobile Maintenance in Williamsburg, he made fraudulent charges on a company credit card.
IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – 50 cases of mumps have been reported in Iowa this year–30 of them on the University of Iowa campus. The Iowa Department of Public Health reports the state usually has 10 to 20 reported cases a year, but there have been outbreaks, including hundreds of cases in 2006. Doctors say most of the current cases involve students who had met the university’s vaccination requirements.
THORNTON, IA (IRN) – A boa constrictor that escaped its cage and slithered down the block in the northern Iowa town of Thornton cost its owner a $50 fine. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports a retired Iowa DNR officer saw the snake, grabbed it, put it in his pickup and called the Sheriff’s Office. The snake is 7 to 9 feet long, and boas can grow to be about 10 feet long. They are not venomous, but instead suffocate prey by squeezing it to death.
DELAWARE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – 32 students who were riding on a bus that rolled over near Manchester Thursday afternoon were taken to the hospital. KCRG-TV reports students received minor injuries. The bus collided with another vehicle in the accident, causing it to roll over.
RIVERSIDE, IA (IRN) – A shot was fired in Riverside when authorities apprehended three people related to a case in Cedar Rapids. KCII Radio reports the Iowa State Patrol was notified of a suspicious vehicle involved in retail thefts. Authorities located the vehicle and attempted to stop it. A chase ensued, and when the vehicle pulled into a gas station the suspects failed to comply with commands given by officers. One shot was fired by a trooper before the suspects were taken into custody. No one was injured.
DES MOINES (IRN) – Hundreds of guests at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott Hotel were evacuated just before midnight Thursday because of a possible gas leak. KCCI-TV reports several hotel guests and staff reported an odor, so firefighters, police and hazmat crews investigated. Fire officials estimate it took about 10 minutes to evacuate the approximately 400 hotel guests. No leak was found.
OMAHA, NE (IRN) – The FBI’s Omaha office is warning Iowans and Nebraskans about a new phone scam, according to KMEG-TV. The scam begins with the caller claiming to be from the FBI’s Omaha field office. The caller then says the recipient is eligible to receive a grant from the Federal government and asks for credit card or bank account information. The FBI says this is not a legitimate call and if you receive it you should report it to police.
ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – The City of Altoona is on the rise and a new initiative hopes to continue the forward momentum, according to WHO-TV. Thursday night city officials launched #AltoonaNow. The economic initiative is aimed to promote the city and attract future residents and businesses to the area. Altoona Mayor Skip Conkling says the city is expanding and “we`re just going to toot our own horn because if you don`t no one else will.”