SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City teacher accused of sending critical letters to her superintendent and other district leaders has been fired. The Sioux City Journal reports the school board voted to fire middle school teacher Julie Fischer even though a judge cleared her of criminal charges last spring. In March, a judge dismissed six counts of harassment Fischer faced because the letters were deemed free speech, not harassment. She had taught in the district since 1991. OMAHA, NE (IRN) – A former western Iowa pastor charged in Nebraska with sexually assaulting two children has, along with his wife, been charged with an additional count of witness tampering. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 44-year-old Emanuel Rodriguez and 42-year-old Veronica Rodriguez were arrested this week. Police say Emanuel Rodriguez called his wife from jail after his arrest earlier this month on the sexual assault counts and told her to contact the mothers of the two girls to tell them the children were ruining his ministry. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Democratic National Committee will recommend scrapping state plans to offer virtual caucuses in 2020 due to security concerns. Now two early voting states, Iowa and Nevada, and the national party have a short time to fashion an alternative before the February caucuses. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center confirmed it will be closing its kidney and pancreas transplant program as of Oct. 1. MercyOne is collaborating with Iowa Methodist Transplant Center of Des Moines to meet patient needs during this permanent closure. NORTHWOOD, IA – An NFL Hall of Famer has placed the first legal bet on a sports game in Iowa. Hall of Famer and Minnesota sports legend John Randle placed the first bet as part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood. Randle placed a bet on the Minnesota Twins to win for $93 — his former jersey number.

WAUKON, IA (IRN) – A Waukon man is facing charges after investigators in Allamakee County say he climbed a water tower, got naked and refused to come down. KGAN-TV reports Ryan Daniel Peters, 34, was nowhere to be found when his truck caught on fire nearby. Peters was about 65 feet off the ground and refused to come down – then removing all of his clothes. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get Peters to come down from the tower, where he was arrested. IOWA (IRN) – This year continues to be a challenging one for Iowa’s farmers. Tariffs continue to impact the crop markets, and, this week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced 31 waivers for oil refineries exempting them from having to blend ethanol in its product. The Iowa Corn Growers Association made this statement: “Agriculture is in one hell of a bad situation right now. The government put us in this situation, and they need to help us get out of it … it’s beyond the breaking point.” DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Crews officially broke ground on the new federal courthouse in Des Moines on Wednesday. The roughly $137 million federal courthouse will sit where the Riverfront YMCA once stood. Even though crews have already started work, city officials and residents still aren’t happy that the prime real estate won’t be utilized for commercial development. MADISON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Madison County Board of Supervisors heard from supporters and critics of wind turbines during a meeting Tuesday in Winterset. Mid-American Energy says officials should let them build the turbines closer to homes, but the county board of health passed a resolution saying that wind turbines pose a health risk and shouldn’t be any closer than 1.5 miles away from someone’s home. Scientists say there is no health risk. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – Developers are pitching a $100 million entertainment district in Waukee. KCCI-TV reports developers scouted an area of 27 acres for a concert venue, bars and restaurants. The conversation to build an entertainment district is in the early stages, but developers hope to have a site plan approved, possibly by October.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Drake University officials announced Wednesday that US Women’s National Soccer Team Co-Captain Megan Rapinoe will be interviewed in a moderated question and answer session for the 41st installment of the Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series at Drake University in November. The two-time World Cup Champion and Olympic gold medalist is not only a successful women’s soccer player, but an outspoken advocate for equality. SOLON, IA (IRN) – A single-vehicle accident in rural Johnson County near Solon resulted in the death of its driver, according to KCRG-TV. A Chevrolet Silverado crashed and went over the side of a bridge over Rapid Creek. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – At least one person was injured Tuesday following a shooting on Des Moines’ south side. KCCI-TV reports police were called to the Southside Liquor and Tobacco Outlet on Army Post Road. Witnesses reported at least one person was shot and transported to a hospital via ambulance. One witness says he heard five shots from the adjacent Wicked Rabbit bar. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds announced she is planning a series of actions to convince President Donald Trump to alter his administration’s plans to grant more waivers to smaller oil refineries, which hurts the state’s biofuels industry. The governor said she will work to convince the president how that decision harms rural Iowa. Reynolds said that she isn’t sure that the President fully understood the ramifications of the decision. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa High School Athletic Association says the biggest challenge facing high school sports today is not money, not participation, not even safety. It’s parents and adult fans who don’t know how to act. The National Federation of State High School Associations released a study Tuesday that found 62% of high school athletic directors nationwide said their biggest problem was dealing with aggressive parents and adult fans.

OKOBOJI, IA (IRN) – The search for a Fort Dodge man who vanished over the weekend is over. The body of 24-year-old Vincent Harvey was pulled from Lake Okoboji late Monday night. Harvey had been missing since Sunday when his belongings were found on a dock. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines mother has been charged with two counts of child endangerment after leaving her kids at home to go shopping. KCCI-TV reports Rahwa Mussa, 26, left her 5-year-old and 2-year-old at home while she went shopping. Later that day, police found the 2-year-old boy alone outside on a playground. The 2-year-old would have had to cross a city street and parking lot to get to the park. SEATTLE, WA (IRN) – The captain of United Airlines Flight 232, which crash-landed in Sioux City in July of 1989, has died. KTIV reports Captain Al Haynes died Sunday. Haynes was hailed as a hero for his actions in the crash. He and his crew were able to navigate the plane to the Gateway Airport in Sioux City after losing control when a tail fan failed and all of the hydraulic lines were destroyed. A total of 112 people died, while 184 survived. SHENANDOAH, IA (IRN) – Organizers were hoping 50 people would show up for an informational meeting about “Hemp 101” at the Shenandoah American Legion Country Club. More than 150 people showed up. KETV reports the Shenandoah Chamber of Commerce wants the city to be the center of hemp production in the state when it becomes legal. U.S.A. (IRN) – The latest edition of the Farmer’s Almanac is out. For the upcoming year, the Almanac predicts a frigid winter, above normal precipitation, and a late spring for Iowa. The Almanac rebuffs conventional forecasting methods and relies instead on “sunspot activity, tidal action of the Moon, and the position of the planets. Fortunately, a Des Moines Register analysis shows that the almanac is more often wrong than right in its predictions.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman robbed a Des Moines convenience store at gunpoint early this morning. KCCI-TV reports the woman walked into the store, pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded money. She got away with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police caught up with the suspect two miles away from the robbery and 45-year-old Windy Denise Nicodemus, of Pleasant Hill, was arrested without incident. FORT COLLINS, CO (IRN) – A man convicted of second-degree murder for a crash that killed two Iowans has been sentenced to 70 years in prison. The Coloradoan reports 20-year-old Marcos Orozco was sentenced Friday in the deaths of Nicole Nees of Fort Collins and her father, John Nees of Cedar Rapids. The crash occurred last Thanksgiving Day. The victims had been shopping for Thanksgiving dinner and were stopped at a red light when Orozco, driving a stolen pickup, crashed into the rear of their vehicle at 90 mph. Earlier that day, Orozco had used the stolen pickup to crash into a pawn shop and steal firearms. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Three people were assaulted while walking in a group near the University of Northern Iowa campus early Sunday morning, according to KCRG-TV. At around 1:45 a.m., they reported they were assaulted by a group of three white males and three black males. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A house was set on fire after fireworks were discarded in Des Moines on Saturday. Spent fireworks placed in a trash can up against the house caused the fire. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Tana Goertz, a Des Moines metro woman who met Donald Trump as a contestant on his reality TV show, “The Apprentice”– is now part of a national effort to get women more comfortable with publicly supporting President Trump’s re-election. A top surrogate for President Trump, who holds a senior campaign position in Iowa, Goertz says the president has done more for women than anyone else she could think of besides Mother Teresa.