OTTER CREEK, IA (IRN) – Responders from four Jackson County fire departments freed a rural Otter Creek man from a grain bin Monday afternoon. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that the man was engulfed in corn, and that it took approximately 90 minutes to free him with an aerial fire truck using rescue tubes.

Grinnell IA, (IRN) – The Grinnell Regional Medical Center and the local community are working together to prevent head-injuries to young bicyclists. The Toledo Chronicle and Tama News-Herald report that the hospital is giving over 500 new bicycle helmets to third graders in the Grinnell area this year. The program has been ongoing since 1996.

MODALE, IA (IRN) – Two people are in custody after a short pursuit led to gunfire on Interstate 29 in western Iowa yesterday. The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation reports that a Department of Transportation officer was checking on a car parked on the shoulder of the road, when the driver of the vehicle started acting suspicious and drove away.  During the pursuit, at least one round was fired, hitting the law enforcement vehicle. The male driver and female passenger were apprehended when the driver lost control and hit a vehicle at a rest area.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture has announced four new probable cases of avian influenza in Sac and Sioux counties.  Two are turkey farms, one is a backyard chicken flock, and the other a backyard duck flock. Iowa now has 56 cases of the disease. Over 25 million poultry have been impacted, with total economic losses nearing $1 billion in Iowa and Minnesota, the two states hit hardest by the disease.

NEW YORK, NY (IRN) – Des Moines has been named one of the top “business-friendly” cities in the country.  MarketWatch, a Dow Jones and Co. financial reporting website, ranked 100 cities nationwide on business climate, economic outcome, and the performance of companies located in each city. Des Moines ranked fourth, behind Dallas, San Francisco, and Seattle.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Safety announced the formation of a Child Abduction Response Team yesterday. The purpose of the program is to have readily trained experts in the field of child abduction investigations able to respond immediately, assist local law enforcement agencies, and bring additional resources to aid in the recovery effort.

DES  MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Governor Terry Branstad joined U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to urge Iowa landfill operators to take the carcasses of millions of chickens and turkeys that have been destroyed during the bird flu epidemic. Speaking at his weekly news conference, Branstad urged landfill operators to impose reasonable and fair fees for the disposal. 

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The city of West Des Moines and its Police Chief are facing a sexual discrimination lawsuit. The lawsuit claims Chief Shaun LaDue discriminated against female employees and despite their complaints, the city did not investigate. The women say LaDue reduced their duties, kept them from completing professional development their male co-workers were offered, and gave favorable treatment to male officers with less experience and training.