CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is facing charges after a criminal complaint shows he threatened and forced a woman to watch the miniseries ‘Roots’ so she could ‘better understand her racism.’ KCRG-TV reports Robert Noye, 52, is charged with first-degree harassment and false imprisonment. The woman told police that when she tried to move, Noye threatened her to stay seated or he would ‘kill her and spread her body parts across I-380 on the way to Chicago.’ The miniseries is based on Alex Haley’s 1976 novel ‘Roots.’

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a report of shots fired near East High School during the lunch hour yesterday. The school was put under lookdown, but police were unable to find a shooting scene or a suspect. There were no reports of injuries.

DES MOINES, IA – Two bills in the Iowa legislature are seeking to expand Iowa’s medical cannabis program. The bills, one in the Senate and one in the House, seek to raise the current cap on THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana that causes a high. While THC can help with a variety of medical conditions, critics of the bill worry about the drug falling into the hands of teenagers.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Food Bank of Iowa recently received a $30,000 dollar donation from Tyson Foods that will support its BackPack program which sends food home with kids weekly all across Iowa. WHO-TV reports the Food Bank of Iowa provides items to more than 100 pantries in schools across the state and sends 5,400 bags of food home in backpacks every Friday.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Animal lovers had the chance to find their purrrr-fect match over the Valentine’s Day weekend. WQAD-TV reports the Humane Society of Scott County hosted their third annual “Speed Dating” Adoption event Saturday. Shelter volunteers played match-maker to pair an owner’s personality and lifestyle with a pet they would fit with. From cats and dogs to a little hedgehog, 20 pets in total were adopted through the event.