AMANA, IA (IRN) – A Casey’s General Store was the site of an armed robbery in Amana Sunday. According to the Iowa City Press Citizen, the lone suspect was wearing a black ski mask when he went in the store at about 7:40 p.m. He demanded cash while displaying a knife. The robber left with a small amount of cash. The suspect is approximately 5’8″ with a skinny build and is believed to be a younger white male. No one was injured.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Firefighters were at the scene of a house fire in Burlington for several hours Sunday. WQAD-TV reports heavy smoke and flames were coming from the home when crews arrived. Police say the fire is considered “suspicious.” No one was home at the time of the fire.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A work-release inmate has escaped from a state facility in Council Bluffs, according to KETV. 26-year-old Colton Benson-Blaine didn’t return as scheduled from his job Sunday. He’s been imprisoned since 2011 following his convictions for voluntary manslaughter and other crimes.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Council Bluffs family is searching for answers after they say their 10-year-old daughter was held down on a school bus while students drew on her with a permanent marker. WOWT-TV reports two girls held her down and wrote on her face, including the word “loser” on her forehead. Her father says she’s a great student, active at school, and that she was “literally shook, and heartbroken” after the incident.

WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – Grilling on the back deck may have sparked a blaze that displaced a Waukee couple from their home Saturday, according to KCCI-TV. A neighbor says it took less than a minute from when he heard a pop come from the grill until he saw flames racing through the roof. The home was seriously damaged, but no one was hurt.

DUBUQUE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Canadian Pacific freight train derailed near the Mississippi River about 10 miles south of Dubuque Sunday morning. KCRG-TV reports 26 empty cars derailed. No one was injured. Kerry Rogers lives right by the train tracks. She said, “I was sound asleep, and I heard a loud crashing noise, and it felt like an earthquake was hitting the house. The whole house shook. The whole house.”

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Authorities are trying to find the owner of a dog that two fishermen pulled from the icy Cedar River in Waterloo Sunday. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that fishermen Chad and Jason Conkling were getting ready to launch their boat when the dog was spotted struggling in the current. The brothers were able to launch their boat and pull the struggling dog from the water. The dog’s OK.