AMES, IA (IRN) – A school principal under fire in the Ames School District has resigned. The Ames Tribune reports the school board approved the resignation of Dan Fox, former Ames Middle School principal after a special closed-session meeting Monday night. Parents had complained about a toxic student to student bullying environment at the school, amid allegations of racism and discrimination against LGBTQ students. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A person was shot in the head with a 9mm handgun in Sioux City yesterday. KCAU-TV reports the victim was taken to the hospital to be treated. It appears to have been an accident. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – If the government shutdown continues, it could impact the Federal Court system in Iowa. WHO-TV reports court employees could be furloughed, and that would impact the 131 federal court hearings scheduled from January 22 to January 31 and after. The judiciary says it has enough reserve money to last until January 18. AMES, IA (IRN) – The ISU Police Department announced the death of one of its police officers Monday. Authorities say that Officer Scott Lindley “unexpectedly passed away” on Jan. 2. A spokesperson wrote, “His heroism in the Army National Guard and as a police officer has extended beyond his time here through organ donation where people will continue to see his positive impact for years to come.” The spokesperson added, “Rest in peace, Officer Lindley; we’ll take it from here.” NORWALK, IA (IRN) – On the heels of “Aquaman” becoming the highest-grossing DC Comics movie ever, Jason Momoa returned to Iowa over the weekend. The Norwalk native grew up splitting his time between Iowa, where his father lived, and Hawaii, where his mother was. Why did he come back? To visit his Grandma. Momoa shared on Instagram that he “Needed to come home to Iowa and give my grams some aloha…Love u forever grandma.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man faces charges after he told a 17-year-old girl he was an undercover cop. KCCI-TV reports Kent A. Smith, 60, is charged with impersonating an officer. According to police, Smith followed a 17-year-old girl to her home and blocked her in her driveway. He allegedly told the girl he was an undercover officer and said he was not going to leave until police arrived. When they did arrive, they placed Smith into custody. He’s in jail. MARION, IA (IRN) – Marion police are investigating a stabbing that sent one person to the hospital Sunday night. KCRG-TV reports 32-year-old Quincy Franklin allegedly stabbed the victim during a fight. He’s in jail. STORM LAKE, IA (IRN) – A man wielding a selfie stick and a “Keep America Great” sign was arrested Saturday in Storm Lake for allegedly becoming aggressive with attendees at a political rally for Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Randal James Thom, 58, of Lakefield, Minnesota, was charged with disorderly conduct. ELDRIDGE, IA (IRN) – A gun-making group moving to eastern Iowa is bringing with it a $25 million contract to make rifles for a European nation’s military. The Quad-City Times reports that Lewis Machine & Tool is relocating from Milan, Illinois, to its new and much larger plant in Eldridge, Iowa, where it will supply the Estonian Defence Forces with 16,000 rifles. Estonia borders Russia and the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Female wrestlers in Iowa will get a chance to win a state title later this month. The Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association announced on Friday plans to host a high school girls’ wrestling state tournament. The competition is set for Jan. 19 at Waverly-Shell Rock High School. Over 16,000 girls are wrestling in high schools across the country.

CLINTON, IA (IRN) – An eastern Iowa firefighter died Saturday morning after an explosion at a grain processing facility, according to KWQC-TV. A fire at the ADM Grains facility in Clinton led to an explosion. The incident resulted in the death of 33-year-old Lt. Eric Hosette. Hosette was with the fire department for 12 years and has a wife and young daughter. LAKE RED ROCK (IRN) – A kayaker drowned in the Des Moines River at Lake Red Rock yesterday, according to KNIA/KRLS radio. One kayaker went too close to the eddies at the foot of the dam was sucked in. The other kayaker followed in an attempt to rescue his friend. The second kayaker drowned in his rescue attempt. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One was hurt after a truck smacked into a Cedar Rapids home, Saturday afternoon, according to KCRG-TV. The driver of the truck was hurt and taken to an area hospital. Neighbors say the vehicle apparently rolled down a hill, hit a mailbox and crashed into the house’s front exterior wall, creating a small hole to the inside. AMES, IA (IRN) – Marial Shayok scored 24 points, and Iowa State routed No. 5 Kansas 77-60 on Saturday in men’s basketball for its fifth straight win.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Clive man was charged with kidnapping Friday after he took his niece from a daycare, according to the Des Moines Register. James Davies, 29, took the child without consent after several people tried to stop him. He then drove the child to his residence and refused to give her back to her family. He drove the girl, unrestrained in the front seat, to Prospect Park and handed her to the first person he saw. After Davies drove away, the girl was “passed off” to other people at the park until they tracked down her family and returned her. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Surveillance video at a convenience store caught someone stealing money from a jar that was full of donations for a little girl battling a rare disease. KCRG-TV reports the money was for 15-month-old Tobin Rockwell of Cedar Rapids. She’s battling a rare disease that causes the brain to deteriorate. She has less than 10 years to live. Her parents have been raising money to get Tobin a gene therapy that insurance doesn’t cover. ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – A fire at the Altoona Burger King Friday has forced it to close indefinitely. It’s only the latest. In 2018, four Burger King establishments in Iowa caught fire. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Grand View men’s wrestling program has won seven straight national titles. Coming soon: women’s wrestling. Grand View Athletic Director Troy Plummer announced on Thursday they would be adding women’s wrestling to Viking athletics. Plummer says the program will start in the fall of 2019 or 2020. Women’s wrestling programs are growing nationwide.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Fire crews were still at the scene of an early morning fire in Altoona hours after it started. KCCI-TV reports it happened at the Burger King near Adventureland around 3:30 this morning. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A man was found dead Thursday afternoon after an apparent suicide in Ankeny. The Des Moines Register reports the man, in his mid-40s, killed himself in a room of a business after he was fired earlier in the day. He has not been identified. CLINTON, IA (IRN) – A Clinton man is facing 47 felony sex offenses and 121 counts of invasion of privacy. The Clinton Herald reports that officers arrested Timothy Geerts Wednesday. A woman who lived with Geerts brought a memory card from his cell phone to police. Recordings allegedly show him sexually assaulting her while she was passed out – 39 times. Geerts also admitted to putting a camera by the toilet in his bathroom and a crack in the shower wall. There were also videos that included three minors performing sex acts. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man turned himself in to West Des Moines police Thursday after he beat up what he thought was an Uber driver following a night of New Year’s celebrations. KCCI-TV reports West Des Moines police used Facebook to help catch 23-year-old Patrick Kilmer. Kilmer and his girlfriend got into a car that they had mistaken for their Uber. The driver told the couple to get out and Kilmer attacked the driver. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Two Iowa women joined a record number of women in Congress on Thursday. U.S. Representative Cindy Axne, a West Des Moines Democrat in the Third Congressional District, and U.S. Representative Abby Finkenauer, a Dubuque Democrat in the First Congressional District, got sworn in as the first Iowa women to serve in the U.S. House.