DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gunshots were reported near East High School in Des Moines Wednesday, although police could find no suspects or evidence of any crime. The Des Moines Register reports the shots triggered a lockdown at the high school for about seven minutes. Police scanner traffic indicated that a fight had broken out in an alleyway near the school.
FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A board that oversees the Webster County assessor has voted to fire her. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports the county Conference Board voted Tuesday evening to dismiss Jeanette Thanupakorn. Her firing comes in the wake of the state’s order for a 16 percent increase in county commercial property valuations. The state had ordered a 38 percent increase, but Thanupakorn didn’t appeal the amount, so the county board had to.
DES MOINES (IRN) – Two Des Moines women have filed a lawsuit against the Iowa cosmetology board, seeking to start a hair braiding business without acquiring state licenses. The Des Moines Register reports the women filed the lawsuit against the Iowa Board of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences on Tuesday. They say they don’t want to spend up to $22,000 and 2,100 hours in cosmetology school to attain licenses to braid hair.
IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man is accused of punching his 2-year-old son, sending the boy to the hospital. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports the boy was not doing what he was told and the father, 21-year-old Tyshaun Harris, was yelling at him. When the boy started to cry, Harris punched him in the chest. The child suffered a “fist-shaped” bruise on his rib cage and was taken to the hospital via ambulance. Harris was arrested and faces up to five years in prison.
CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A 22-year-old Cedar Falls woman delivered a baby unexpectedly Tuesday morning, saying she didn’t know she was pregnant. KWWL-TV reports paramedics found the newborn in his mother’s arms, wrapped in towels. The woman’s roommate is a nurse who helped the new mother and baby, while waiting for paramedics to arrive. It’s called “cryptic pregnancy” and about one in every 2,500 women don’t know they’re pregnant, until they’re in labor.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man has been charged after robbing a pizza delivery man in September. WHO-TV reports 34-year old Anzie Bester approached the Pizza Hut delivery driver as he delivered pizza to a home. Bester held the driver at gunpoint and took $60 as well as two pizzas. Bester is charged with first-degree robbery, third-degree burglary and fifth-degree theft.
ANKENY, IA (IRN) – Three days after being shot in an Ankeny McDonald’s parking lot, 18-year-old Justin Phongsavanh (FONG-sav-uhn) is still in the hospital surrounded by family and friends. They say he may never walk again. KCCI-TV reports 36-year-old Gabriel Coco, a complete stranger, shot Phongsavanh (FONG-sav-uhn) and his friend Nickolas Culver after witnessing their “poor behavior” in the restaurant Saturday night. The bullet is lodged in Phongsavanh’s (FONG-sav-uhn’s) spine, and it may cause more damage if removed.
CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Elementary school student Avalon Burns loves everything about Halloween, especially the costume parade at Lincoln Elementary in Cedar Falls. KWWL-TV reports she noticed last year not everyone had a Halloween costume. She also noticed the big price tags at stores, so she came up with a solution. She started a costume drive where kids can bring in costumes that have been used before so other kids can wear them. All the costumes in the drive are free.