DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The company building an oil pipeline across four Midwestern states says it is halting land restoration work in Iowa until spring. KGAN-TV reports Dakota Access says it had hoped to be finished with land restoration over the completed pipeline in Iowa by Dec. 31 but a regulatory delay this spring and “several incidents of trespassers interfering with construction work” prevented it from finishing land restoration.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A longtime treasurer for the Unity Lutheran Church in Des Moines has been charged with seven felony counts of theft, according to KCCI-TV. 69-year-old Carol Jean Padgett is accused of stealing up to $70,000 from the church over seven years. She allegedly hid bank statements and told board members the church had to close due to insufficient funds. Church officials grew suspicious and checked, and found many small ATM withdrawals.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Firefighters responded to a duplex fire in Dubuque yesterday, according to KWWL-TV. One man was inside the apartment at the time. He hurt his foot going down the stairs evacuating. Authorities say it started in the kitchen, and no one else was injured.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Ottumwa firefighters worked quickly Thursday afternoon to rescue a stranded dog from the Des Moines River. KBIZ-radio reports the dog ran off the edge of a levee, falling an estimated 30 feet to the icy river below. His owner hung over the side of the river wall trying to calm the scared pooch while police and firefighters planned and executed the rescue. The dog is OK.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the number of hogs and pigs on Iowa farms has reached a new record high. As of Dec. 1 Iowa had 22.4 million hogs and pigs, the largest inventory ever reported. Iowa is the nation’s leading hog producer by far. North Carolina is in second place, with less than half our numbers. We have more than seven times the number of hogs as we do people.