PLEASANT HILL, IA (IRN) – A man accused of starving his son with special needs has pleaded not guilty. Jennifer Marie Ryan, 48, and Richard Joe Ryan, 47, are charged with first-degree kidnapping and neglecting a dependent person. Jennifer Ryan brought her son to work with her in Pleasant Hill on Feb. 22, where she zip-tied him to a chair by his left ankle and pants belt loop by her desk during her eight-hour shift. She is set to be arraigned today. The teen weighed 78 pounds when he arrived at the hospital.

MONTEZUMA, IA (IRN) – Neighbors say there were weekly “screaming matches” between missing 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson and his mother, Sarah, in their home. The home was searched with K9 units along with the entire trailer park on Tuesday. Xavior was reported missing six days ago. Neighbors and family members said Xavior acted as a caretaker for his mother, who is an amputee.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man accused of a hatchet attack has been booked in the Polk County Jail. An employee of the apartment complex said a man attacked them with a hatchet. The suspect tried to go after an officer with a stun gun before running into an apartment. A standoff then ensued. Officers used pepper spray to get the man in custody.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – President Joe Biden will talk with Russia’s president Putin about the cyberattack at the meat processing company JBS. The FBI released a statement naming the Russian-linked group known as both REvil and Sodinokibi as being behind the attack. Facilities in Marshalltown and Ottumwa canceled some work shifts Wednesday. Shifts will be back to normal at the JBS pork plant in Marshalltown today.

MOUNT VERNON, IA (IRN) – Dozens of goats are doing their part to help get rid of invasive plants and overgrown weeds at Cornell College in Mount Vernon. The goats were out grazing Wednesday evening, providing an eco-friendly solution to the problem. Campus officials say Goats on the Go Cedar Valley is providing the service.