DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines police arrested three men minutes after an armed robbery was reported early Wednesday. KCCI-TV reports minutes after workers at the convenience store reported the robbery, two officers in the area spotted an SUV accelerating at a high rate of speed and they followed. Police reported seeing “fear and confusion in the face of both the driver and the front seat passenger,” and the vehicle was pulled over and three men arrested.

THE MIDWEST (IRN) – Gas prices in Iowa and other Midwestern states could spike as much as 30 cents in the next week according to GasBuddy.com. The increase is due to a larger than typical slate of maintenance work at refineries around the Midwest.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The wife of a couple hit by a car late last month near Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City has died. KCRG-TV reports that 49-year-old Peggy Knight, of Iowa City, died Sunday at a hospital, five days after she and her husband were hit while crossing a street near the stadium. The 45-year-old driver of the car might have suffered a medical condition, causing her to crash into the couple.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The former owner of Pipe Dreamz in Iowa City, which was shut down after a raid in 2014, pled guilty Monday in federal court to three counts of manufacturing and distributing illegal synthetic drugs. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports Robert Carl Sharp, 37, of Cedar Rapids, faces up to 20 years on each charge and a $3 million fine.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines 16-year-old is fighting for his life after a crash that one witness says likely could have been prevented. According to WHO-TV, Polk County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Dan Charleston witnessed a sedan t-boned by a pick-up in Des Moines. While helping rescue the unconscious teen driver, Charleston saw a cell phone with a text page open on the boy’s lap. There was a half written text on the phone.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A Marshalltown father is facing several charges after he was arrested in Newton last month for drunk driving while his four children were in the car. KCCI-TV reports 40-year-old Juan Bonilla Barron is charged with OWI and four counts of child endangerment. The children in the car were ages 10, 9, 7 and 1.

ANAMOSA, IA (IRN) – Two former guards at the Anamosa State Penitentiary face federal charges while two others face state charges after an investigation into drug possession and cell phone smuggling.  KWWL-TV reports the various charges include possessing controlled substances and being an unlawful drug user in possession of firearms. One former guard faces one count of Hobbs Act extortion for taking money to smuggle cellphones into prison for prisoner use.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – CF Industries of Sioux City is working on a $2 billion expansion, and Woodbury County is seeing economic and financial benefits. County Supervisors are planning what to do with the windfall. Among proposals on the table are banking some of the money, using some for future economic development, and property tax relief for residents. CF Industries manufactures and distributes fertilizer.