WALCOTT, IA (IRN) – Parents from Walcott, Blue Grass, and Buffalo want to form a new school district and leave the Davenport district, according to KWQC-TV. Parents say the idea has been in the talks for a long time. They say their biggest motivation is to keep the students together due to these rural towns being far from Davenport. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Police are investigating a stabbing that left a woman with serious injuries. KCCI-TV reports police found Donna Williams outside with multiple stab wounds. She jumped off the second story deck to escape attacker, who is a male that lives with her. He ran as police arrived. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The city of Des Moines has been ordered to pay nearly $1 million in damages to a contractor it blacklisted after numerous unexpected delays. KCCI-TV reports the city hired Jenco Construction for a $3.3 million Grand Avenue Bridge reconstruction project, but banned the company from bidding on city projects for three years after the company failed to deliver the project in a timely manner. A jury awarded the company over $989,000 after the construction company sued. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was killed Wednesday night in a crash near the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, according to the Des Moines Register. The car crashed into a pillar of brick. A nurse was passing by, and found the man unresponsive, but his heart was still beating. She was unable to resuscitate him. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A mobile home fire in Dubuque was caused by lint in a dryer exhaust, according KGAN-TV. The home owner woke up to smoke detectors going off and was able to wake his family. Everyone escaped uninjured. USA (IRN) – USA Today has released its list of the drunkest cities in the country. Three Iowa cities made the top 20. Ames ranked number 19, Dubuque 14th, and Iowa City topped the Iowa list at number 13. The drunkest city in America? Green Bay, Wisconsin.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines woman faces 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing from her sister who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease. KCCI-TV reports 79-year-old Jewell Davis used her power of attorney over her sister’s assets to write herself $346,000 in checks to buy homes. ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Police in Altoona have charged a Des Moines man with human trafficking. WHO-TV reports the suspect is accused of trying to force a woman into prostitution at an Altoona truck stop. 32-year-old Michael Nelson allegedly fired a round in the air from a handgun when the victim told him she didn’t want to solicit sex. After the gunshot, the woman got in the car and the suspect took her to the Flying J in Altoona. The two approached someone at the Flying J to solicit sex, and it was the prospective John who called police. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – Authorities are asking community members for help Tuesday after finding a deceased person in a Fort Dodge home. KCCI-TV reports Fort Dodge police received a call from a neighbor who located the deceased person after checking on a suspicious odor. IOWA (IRN) – Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have arrested 78 people in a five-state immigration sweep in the Midwest. KGAN-TV reports Iowa had 25 arrests. Sixty-two of the people arrested had prior criminal convictions; 31 had illegally re-entered the United States after having been previously deported. Most of the people arrested are from Mexico. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, a leading supporter of corn-based ethanol, says he’ll call for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s resignation if Pruitt doesn’t work to fulfill federal ethanol mandates. WQAD-TV reports Grassley is showing frustration with Pruitt’s lack of action to uphold the Renewable Fuel Standards law. Grassley says, “I’m done playing around with this.”

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Davenport man was robbed, brutally beaten and left unconscious while walking home Friday night, according to WQAD-TV. His fiance says he is heavily sedated, with multiple injuries. He underwent surgery on his throat, and will have additional surgery for facial injuries. She says, ” it looks like someone stomped on his neck. There’s a shoe print on his neck. His face needs reconstruction. It’s animalistic, it’s brutal, it’s violent.” The two were to be married this weekend. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Tenants of an apartment building in Dubuque recently found a letter stating minorities are not welcome, according to KCRG-TV. The letter was posted inside the doorway of the apartment, and said it was from the manager of the apartment building. Management denies the allegation, saying it has no tolerance for racism, and believes the letter was from a disgruntled tenant who didn’t have their lease renewed. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The victim of a 911 hoax in West Des Moines says she has no idea who would impersonate her and report a fake shooting. KCCI-TV reports the 911 dispatcher received a call from someone claiming to be the woman. The caller claimed that her son shot his father. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Legislators and lobbyists who support expanding gambling to include sports betting in Iowa said a 6-3 ruling from the high court is all they needed to advance a sports betting bill in the 2019 legislative session. WHO-TV reports Representative Jake Highfill, a Republican from Johnston, said sports betting in Iowa would go through the casinos and have both in-person and online options that will be taxed to benefit the state.

BRANDON, IA (IRN) – A woman and her children escaped a fire that killed her husband in eastern Iowa. KCCI-TV reports firefighters found the body of 37-year-old Chauncey Raue on Friday inside his heavily damaged two-story home in Brandon. His wife, Brittany, and their three sons fled the home, but one of the boys was burned. He was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. ELDORA, IA (IRN) – Another state worker has been severely beaten by a resident of the Eldora Boys State Training School. The unidentified staff member had numerous teeth smashed out and suffered broken bones in his face. Six weeks ago four residents beat up another staff member during an escape attempt. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Most Iowans can expect to see savings from $2.8 billion income tax cuts awaiting Iowa Gov. Kim Reynold’s signature. KCCI-TV reports a typical family of four will save about $7 per paycheck. About 40 percent of the tax cuts will benefit the top 4 percent of Iowa taxpayers. The bottom half of Iowans will receive about 7 percent of the overall savings. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Davenport man on parole after an earlier conviction for manufacturing methamphetamine at a home with a daycare is facing new meth-related charges. The Quad City Times reports Dale Blumer, 40, made meth at a home daycare operated by his girlfriend. At least one of the children tested positive for methamphetamine exposure. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman is in custody after she rolled her car in Des Moines on Sunday evening. WHO-TV reports the vehicle landed on its side and trapped the woman, and patrons from a nearby bar helped get her out. Police conducted a field sobriety test and determined the woman was impaired, so she was taken into custody. CLARKSVILLE, IA (IRN) – Iowan Maddie Poppe advanced to the finals of “American Idol,” marking the first time a Hawkeye has ever gone this far on the reality singing show. The Des Moines Register reports in addition to making it to the Top 3 show next Sunday, Poppe’s entry into the finals means that she will host a hometown hero celebration, rally and concert in Clarksville Tuesday evening.

KEOKUK, IA (IRN) – A former Iowa boarding school director convicted of abusing students has been sentenced to nine years in prison. The Hawk Eye reports that 40-year-old Benjamin Trane was sentenced Thursday over defense objections that he didn’t get a fair trial. A jury in December convicted Trane of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a child by a counselor and child endangerment at the now-defunct Midwest Academy in Keokuk. MARION, IA (IRN) – A Marion family had to find another place to sleep last night after a house fire Saturday. KCRG-TV reports when fire crews arrived, the home had smoke and flames showing from the roof. Everyone got out safely, and officials believe the cause was a chimney fire. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – First responders in Davenport had to ditch their vehicles and break out the boats to help a man in need of medical attention. KCCI-TV reports floodwaters in the city made it impossible to get to the man’s house by vehicle. First responders were able to bring him back to higher ground–and to an ambulance. Many roads in the city have been closed until floodwaters recede. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Drake University softball team won its fourth Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title with a 4-1 victory over Southern Illinois in the title game Saturday. Drake (43-10) earned the conference’s automatic berth to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, its third NCAA appearance in school history and first since 2008. The Bulldogs also won the 2018 regular season title after going 24-1 in league play.