IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s maximum-security prison for male offenders will have the first female warden in its 178-year history, according to KCCI-TV. The Board of Corrections approved the appointment of department veteran Patti Wachtendorf as warden of Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. Wachtendorf has been warden at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville, the state’s prison for female offenders, since 2009.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Flames spread from the kitchen of a Council Bluffs restaurant to the roof Friday morning, according to KETV. Smoke and flames caused considerable damage at the Salty Dog Bar and Grill shortly before 5 a.m. No injuries were reported.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A microwave gets the blame for a Thursday morning apartment fire that sent two Ottumwa residents to the hospital. KTVO-TV reports two residents in the apartment complex were sleeping at the time and suffered smoke inhalation. They were treated at a local hospital and released.

OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – A four-month-long investigation of an Osceola Ford dealer has led to charges of theft. WHO-TV reports 61-year-old Will Reisinger of Anchor Motors was arrested last week. State investigators say he was caught trying to steal more than $16,000 by making fraudulent claims of warranty work to the Ford Motor Company.

NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – Three Kmart stores in Iowa will be closing, according to KCRG-TV. They are in Waterloo, Sioux City, and Dubuque. Competition from online businesses has decreased profitability.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Legislature will consider voter ID this session. Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate announced the voter ID legislation yesterday. The bill calls for all registered Iowans to have a voter ID in order to cast a ballot at polling sites. A driver’s license, passport, or military ID would work. For voters without those, the state will issue a free voter ID card. Pate says voter fraud isn’t a problem in Iowa, but he doesn’t want it to be a problem in the future.