ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A Polk City man is charged with sexually exploiting children. Ankeny police say they found child pornography in Daniel Little’s home. Police said a cyber tip through Iowa Crimes Against Children led to his arrest.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The number of people shot in Des Moines jumped significantly in 2021, but fewer people were killed by gunfire. The number of people shot in the city, as of Dec. 28, sits at 86, compared to the 49 people shot in 2020. However, those dying in shootings have declined. In 2020, 17 people were shot and killed; that number is 11 in 2021.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for conspiring with his daughter in a conspiracy that involved around 1,000 drug-related transactions over an eight-month period. 47-year-old Kendell Lamont Thomas of Dubuque pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A convicted felon who possessed a gun and drugs he intended to distribute inside a Cedar Rapids Wal-Mart was sentenced to seven years in federal prison on Tuesday. 41-year-old Sylvester Cunningham received the prison term after a guilty verdict at a two-day trial in July. Cunningham, who was in a wheelchair, was selling powder and crack cocaine.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City Catholic Worker has opened up a second location to serve immigrants and refugees. The group closed on the 6 bedroom, 7 bathroom house known as the Burford House Inn on Monday. The downtown home is larger than their first and is already welcoming refugees who are seeking asylum.