MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A man accused of killing a woman and then setting her body on fire is pleading not guilty. Dominick Daniel Degner, 28 of Mason City, is now scheduled to stand trial beginning April 19 on charges of first-degree murder and first-degree arson. Court documents state Degner beat Tonette Wolfe, 24, to death and then used gasoline to set fire to Wolfe’s body.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man who was sentenced to 25 years in prison after rigging a lottery game in his favor will be released from prison early. Eddie Tipton, 58, has been serving the sentence for a charge of ongoing criminal conduct. He pleaded guilty to the charge in 2017. Tipton was accused of rigging a computer program while employed at the Multi-State Lottery Association to enable him to pick winning numbers in several lottery games over six years.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines city leaders heard from community members about the city’s budget and how to spend millions of dollars in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) on Saturday morning. The city received $94.8 million in ARPA funding. City leaders plan to organize several public meetings at different locations to hear the community’s input on how to use the ARPA funding.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Amazon plans to hire more than 200 people through full-time and contract positions for its new delivery station in Dubuque. The center opened this month with 30 employees in the warehouse and management. Officials say they hope to add 100 to 150 warehouse workers. Once production ramps up, the facility is expected to process approximately 25,000 packages per day.