WASHINGTON, D. C. (IRN) – After more than two decades of service, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst has retired from the military. Senator Ernst was a company commander of a unit tasked with running convoys through Kuwait and into southern Iraq in 2003. Ernst was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard when she officially retired Monday.

CARPENTER, IA (IRN) – A 21-year-old Carpenter man was arrested Sunday for assaulting a Mitchell County Sheriff’s deputy. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports Chance Steven Replogle was having an emotional breakdown in the Carpenter Bar and Grill parking lot. When the deputy attempted to speak with him, Replogle charged the deputy in an attempt to assault him. The deputy was able to defend himself and was not injured in the attack. Replogle is in jail.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines police have identified the victims and a person of interest in a double homicide reported Monday. KCCI-TV reports the victims have been identified as 36-year-old Bryon Howard and 31-year-old Heather Belieu. Police identified 39-year-old Michael John Wanchanic as a person of interest in the case. An infant and toddler were taken out of the house to an ambulance in front of the home.  They are believed to be OK.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines teen is accused of making threats against a local school district, according to WHO-TV. Police say the threat was posted on the Urbandale Middle School’s PTO Facebook page Sunday night. Police identified the suspect through that posting and a 15-year-old is in custody, charged with first degree harassment. He is being held at the Polk County Juvenile Detention Center.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – 26-year-old Matthew Anderson is in Cerro Gordo County Jail after allegedly breaking into a home and strangling his ex-girlfriend Saturday, according to KIMT-TV. Anderson is accused of first-degree burglary and domestic abuse assault, both felonies, after allegedly forcing entry into the home where the mother of his children was staying, then physically assaulting her.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Two different Des Moines Git-n-Go convenience stores were robbed Sunday evening, according to the Des Moines Register. At one store a man handed a lottery ticket to a cashier and asked her to explain the rules to him from the back of the ticket. When she looked, there was a message saying, “Give me all the cash in the register, don’t do anything stupid, I have a weapon.” At the second store, a man pointed a handgun at a clerk, demanded money, and then fled.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld is responding after a racist message was found on campus. According to KWWL-TV the message was carved into a bathroom door in Spence Laboratories. The door was sanded down to remove the comment. The university did not release what the message said. Harreld says, “This act is offensive to our community and will not be tolerated.” An investigation is underway.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Carbon monoxide detectors may have saved the lives of a Waterloo family of four. KCRG-TV reports Saturday night, two carbon monoxide alarms went off in the home. At first, the family thought it was failing batteries, but when the alarms wouldn’t quit, they called 9-1-1. They were told to evacuate the home by dispatchers, and firefighters told them it was a good thing they did, as meter readings indicated that they would have been dead by morning. The problem was a rusted furnace exhaust pipe.