WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Buildings damaged and destroyed in recent Des Moines Metro fires didn’t have sprinkler systems, according to KCCI-TV. Neither the Valley West Inn in West Des Moines or the Plumwood Terrace Condos in Urbandale had sprinkler systems. The buildings were built before fire codes mandated sprinkler systems in new construction. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Just minutes after the Bridal Cottage in downtown Ottumwa closed Saturday, crews arrived on scene to put out a fire. KTVO-TV reports the shop was fully engulfed within the hour and is now considered a total loss. No one was inside the shop when the fire began, and the cause has yet to be determined. FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – No children were hurt when a window of their moving school bus was shot out. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the incident happened in Forest City on Friday morning, when the window shattered after being hit by a shot from a pellet gun. Police say they know who is responsible and believe it was an isolated incident. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A car crashed through a fence and into the backyard of a Davenport woman early Saturday morning. KWQC-TV reports Jessica Cisneros woke when she heard the crash. She went to the vehicle and found a man drunk and asleep in the car. When she grabbed the keys he woke up and struggled with her for them before running away. Police are investigating.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A northwest Iowa mother had a scary start to her Friday morning, according to WHO-TV. The Sioux City woman loaded her four-year old in her running SUV and then went back into her home to get her other child. In just the few minutes she was inside, someone stole the car. Police located the abandoned SUV about 15 minutes later. The child was still in the car and was not injured. Officials are still searching for the car thief. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Thirty-six Iowa counties filed federal lawsuits Friday against the manufacturers of pharmaceutical opioid drugs. States across the country have filed similar lawsuits in an attempt to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the nation’s widespread opioid epidemic. It identifies five pharmaceutical companies for allegedly downplaying the risks of opioids. CLIVE, IA (IRN) – A central Iowa man said the cold weather almost kept him at home, but at the last minute, he decided to go out and buy Powerball tickets on New Year’s weekend. That’s how he ended up with a $1 million prize. 57-year-old George Dickerson said the lottery terminal wasn’t working at the first store he stopped at, so he had to drive to another location to buy tickets. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids woman says she’s alive today because of the quick thinking and kindness of a stranger. KCRG-TV reports Vicki Witte was driving on a highway in Linn County when her heart stopped. Witte’s daughter says she managed to stop the car, and Arturo Melendez pulled over to make sure she was O.K. He saw she wasn’t, so he busted out the window, unlocked the door, pulled her out, and started CPR on the highway. Witte is recovering.

IOWA (IRN) – Influenza spread and severity is building in Iowa, as the Iowa Department of Public Health reported four new influenza-related deaths today: an elderly female and older adult female in Southeast Iowa; an elderly female in Northeast Iowa; and an elderly male in Northwest Iowa. Since October 2017, a total of six influenza-related deaths have been reported: IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Police found 40 pounds of marijuana in a truck bed after a truck crashed into a yard in Iowa City in June of last year. KCRG-TV reports 30-year-old Benjamin Brewer of Cedar Rapids was driving at a high speed when he failed to stop at a stop sign. Two people were in the bed of the truck and one was thrown from the bed while Brewer was driving. He then crashed into a yard, tried to run from police, and was then hit by a car. While charged in June, Brewer wasn’t taken into custody until yesterday. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Firefighters in West Des Moines, Clive and Urbandale battled an early morning fire at the Valley West Inn near the Valley West Mall this morning. KCCI-TV reports the motel was evacuated safely, and no one was injured. The fire started in a second floor unit. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa will lose two Kmart stores and one Sears store this year, according to the Des Moines Register. The Kmarts in Urbandale and Red Oak will close in April. The Sears department store in Waterloo’s Crossroads Mall will also close in April. It’s one of the mall’s largest anchor stores. The closures are part of a previously announced effort by the struggling retailer to shutter more than 100 underperforming stores nationally. The once mighty retail giants are failing due to competition from online sales. AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University researchers are developing a vaccine that could protect the world from the flu. WHO-TV reports the nanovaccine is made of nanoparticles three to five hundred times thinner than a human hair. The particles go inside the body and release proteins that will help the immune system recognize the flu pathogen and neutralize it. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa has the best drivers in the country. That’s what the website Car Insurance Comparison dot com reports. The website takes a look at how many fatalities there were last year per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. It also looks at traffic violations, drunk driving, speeding, and careless driving. Iowa ranked number one and Minnesota ranked second. The nation’s worst drivers? They are in Montana.

IOWA (IRN) – Wednesday was a fatal day on Iowa roads. The Iowa State Patrol says ice played a role in a Johnson County crash near North Liberty. A car hit an icy patch and landed upside down. The driver, 65-year-old Randall Martin, was pronounced dead at the scene. In Des Moines County a car driven by 32-year-old Timothy Boyd crossed the center line and struck another car head on. Boyd was killed in the crash. In Marshall County, 67-year-old Mark Haunsperger was pronounced dead at the scene after his car went into a ditch, rolled and landed on its roof. CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A Chevy Avalanche collided with a train near Clear Lake this morning. KIMT-TV reports the car was dragged down the tracks before coming to rest after striking a power pole. The driver wasn’t hurt. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City police suspect dangerously cold weather played a part in the death of a man whose body was found Tuesday. KCCI-TV reports 24-year-old Paul Biagas was found dead in the snow. Investigators believe Biagas may have been walking home on New Year’s Eve to his apartment near downtown Iowa City. Biagas was not appropriately dressed for the extreme cold. An autopsy has been ordered. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man found guilty of first degree murder in December was sentenced Tuesday, according to WHO-TV. Twenty-six-year-old Larry Ratliff Jr. was given a mandatory life sentence in the 2017 murder of Antonio Quinn. Quinn was shot to death during a botched drug deal. JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A cardboard ban is now in effect at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center. KGAN-TV reports the ban is an attempt to cut waste in Johnson County by requesting residents recycle cardboard. Pizza boxes are one exception. Cardboard stained by food cannot be recycled. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City couple lost a collective 200 pounds last year after batriatic surgery. KCRG-TV reports the procedure is done through tiny incisions, removing part of the stomach with hunger cells, while also making the stomach smaller in the process. Cory and Diane Berwald had the surgery done for health reasons. Diane says the best part is, “my kids can now put their arms all the way around me and touch.”

DES MOINES, IA – Frigid conditions are contributing to a spike in car thefts in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. Des Moines Police say 10 cars were reported stolen Monday, and that seven of them had been left running and unlocked to warm up. Police say that unless cars have an automatic start option with an anti-theft system drivers are rolling the dice on whether or not their cars will be stolen. JESUP, IA (IRN) – A car went off the roadway this morning and landed upside down in a creek near Jesup. KCRG-TV reports first responders were able to free the driver, and transport them to the hospital with apparent non-life threatening injuries. OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – A body has been found in the wreckage of a house fire that took place in Osceola over the weekend. KCCI-TV reports fire destroyed the home Sunday. The cause is under investigation. MITCHELL COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City man claims to have found fish hooks in lettuce he bought from a big-box store. KIMT-TV reports the man says he found seven fish hooks after inspecting the lettuce. Police are investigating. UNITED STATES (IRN) – The longest-serving Republican in the Senate has announced he is not running for an eighth term. Utah Senator Orrin Hatch has served in the Senate for 42 years and will retire at the end of 2018. Once Hatch retires, Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran will become third in line for the presidency. However, Cochran is expected to announce his own retirement this month because of health concerns. If Cochran resigns, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley will be third in line for the presidency. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Quick thinking by a University of Dubuque women’s basketball coach may have saved players from injury or death. KWWL-TV reports the team was returning home from a trip to Nashville when the bus driver slumped in his seat unconscious, and the bus veered from guardrail to guardrail. Assistant coach Justin Smith jumped to his feet, grabbed the steering wheel, and brought the bus to a safe stop. The driver will be OK.