WAPELLO COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 73-year-old woman Ottumwa woman suffered a gunshot wound to the back of her head while in her kitchen cleaning her stovetop. She heard a loud noise and felt pain to the back of her head and then discovered she was bleeding. She drove herself to the hospital where doctors removed a bullet. Authorities arrested Lee Joseph Ryals, 34, of Chillicothe. A felon in possession of a firearm, Ryals was drunk when he reportedly fired a shot from a 30-30 rifle at a deer from the front deck of a nearby trailer where he was staying. The round missed the deer, traveled across a field and a street before striking the woman in the head. She’ll be OK. He’s in jail.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Harding Middle School in Des Moines was put on lockdown yesterday after a shooting near the school, according to WHO-TV. Witnesses reported that a man on foot fired several shots at a car. The suspect and the car both fled the scene.
EVANSDALE, IA (IRN) – A woman faces charges related to two incidents just hours before a suspicious fire. According to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Jennifer Dicken faces charges of trespassing and harassment. On Jan. 1, Dickens went to a home in Evansdale where her estranged husband lives. She threatened to take their children and pulled a knife. She then called and threatened him and their children’s lives. Later that evening, his house burned down.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday that the benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will be funded through February. Other USDA programs funded through February include school lunches and WIC — which provides nutritional assistance to pregnant women, mothers and children. KCCI-TV reports there are 335,000 Iowans on SNAP. Polk County food pantries could see 60,000 additional Iowans if the shutdown doesn’t end soon.
IOWA (IRN) – A new phone app will make it easier for truckers who need to pull over to get some sleep. KGAN-TV reports Iowa is one of eight states adopting a smart parking system using sensor technology to detect when overnight parking spots become available at rest stops. The hands-free app called “Trucks Park Here” will be available by the end of January.