CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A federal judge says a man who lived in Cedar Rapids as a refugee from Rwanda was an active participant in the Rwandan genocide. KGAN-TV reports Gervais Ngombwa was a member of the MPD-Power party, an anti-Tutsi political party that was responsible for killing 500,000 to 1 million Tutsis in 1994. Witnesses say they saw Ngombwa kill numerous Tutsis, loot Tutsi property and lead attacks on groups of Tutsis seeking refuge at churches. He’ll serve eight to ten years in prison here before being deported.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Police have made an arrest in connection to an armed robbery that happened in Davenport last month. KWQC-TV reports two victims were approached by 23-year-old Dayvon Freeman in the parking lot of a bar after closing time. Freeman had a gun and ordered them into one of the victim’s vehicles. He told them to drive to an ATM machine to withdraw money from their accounts, and threatened to kill them and their families. He’s in jail.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A high school football coach has been charged with simple assault in Marshalltown. KCCI-TV reports a student says Head Football Coach and physical education teacher, 62-year-old Donald August Knock, grabbed and pushed him at school, but caused no injury. The student’s parents were notified, and the school district isn’t commenting.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The debate continues over collective bargaining at the Iowa Capitol. WHO-TV reports Republican legislators have proposed changes that would take away several issues state workers can now bargain collectively for, such as holidays, overtime and health insurance. Jody Butler, Governor Branstad’s former education advisor during the 1990’s, says the change would be a setback for Iowa’s public schools.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Students and faculty at the University of Iowa walked out of the classroom yesterday to protest the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. KCRG-TV reports protesters say DeVos isn’t qualified for the job, and are concerned about the future of public education. DeVos is the first Secretary of Education who has never been a teacher, never attended a public school, or never had a child who attended a public school.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – The Davenport City Council gave the greenlight to “urban chickens” Wednesday. Thomas Rutherford brought the idea to the city council eight years ago, and they said no. Not yesterday. The vote in favor of urban chickens was 8-1. Single-family homes in Davenport can now keep up to six hens. Rutherford’s four year-old already has a name picked out for his chicken to-be: “Licorice.”