ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny family and their pets are safe following an early morning house fire Saturday. WHO-TV reports shortly after 1 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to the home for an attic fire. Authorities say the fire likely began in the back of the home and then reached the attic space, making it difficult for firefighters to reach and extinguish the flames. DURANGO, IA (IA) – A Durango, Iowa woman found guilty in April of stealing more than $400,000 from an aunt who suffered from dementia has been sentenced to five years’ probation. The Telegraph Herald reports that 45-year-old Molly Bodish was sentenced Friday in Dubuque County. She was also ordered to pay restitution and court costs. CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – Police have made an arrest in Charles City after discovering what they call a “marijuana growing operation.” 28-year-old Joseph Jordan has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, failure to affix a drug tax stamp, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Additional charges against multiple subjects are pending. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Anonymous donors paid $4,000 to the Waterloo Police Department so an officer can keep a police dog after he leaves the force due to health reasons. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the Waterloo City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to give officer Tyler Brownell ownership of K-9 Jason, a Belgian Malinois who’s been with the police force since 2014. Jason will now act as a service dog for Brownell.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Ottumwa fire crews were called to another vacant house fire Thursday night, according to KTVO-TV. Fire Chief Tony Miller says it is the third time the house has been set on fire since April. An adjacent home was set on fire last month. Police are investigating. LANSING, IA (IRN) – One man was killed and another injured in northeast Iowa when they were caught in a piece of farm equipment. KGAN-TV reports the accident occurred Thursday in Allamakee County near Lansing. The two men were working on a forage wagon. One of them was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was hospitalized. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 16-year-old Des Moines boy has been arrested on suspicion of shooting another 16-year-old boy Wednesday night, according to the Des Moines Register. Donald Kern has been charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon and willful injury causing serious injury. Kern will be charged as an adult. Detectives believe the shooting occurred during an argument over an illegal drug transaction. The victim is recovering. WINTHROP, IA (IRN) – An Iowa grain storage facility has been fined $4,000 following the death of a worker. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports that the Iowa Occupational Health and Safety Administration cited the Viafield co-op facility in Winthrop, saying employees weren’t properly trained in safety procedures for clearing jammed spouts. The fine came after 74-year-old James Schweitzer was buried while moving soybeans in May. IOWA (IRN) – Last week President Trump named Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey to serve a role in his administration, and now he wants another Iowan. The White House has named former Iowa DOT director Paul Trombino to serve as the administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Trombino is currently working for a Wisconsin engineering company.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – The Mahaska County employee involved in a Tuesday tractor accident has died. KTVO-TV reports 54-year-old Jerry Barrickman was employed with the Mahaska County Secondary Roads Department. Barrickman was operating a county owned tractor near Beacon when he struck a farm building. He apparently suffered a brain aneurysm. CRESTON, IA (IRN) – School administrators in southern Iowa have added additional punishment for five Creston high school students who appeared in a photo wearing white hoods and waving a Confederate flag next to a burning cross. The Creston News Advertiser reports that the five students were football players. Head coach Brian Morrison says the boys are off the team. KEOKUK, IA (IRN) – The former owner of an Iowa-based boarding school has been arrested on sex and child abuse charges. KCRG-TV reports former Midwest Academy owner Benjamin Trane was booked Thursday at the Lee County Jail. Investigators raided the school’s Keokuk campus in January 2016 to investigate complaints that students faced physical, mental and sexual abuse. The school abruptly closed, sending nearly 100 students home and laying off 60 workers. MASON CITY, IOWA (IRN) – Two people were killed in a Mason City crash Thursday, according to KIMT-TV. Police initiated a traffic stop, and a short high-speed chase followed. The driver of the vehicle lost control and struck a tree. Jerrick Rinnels was driving the vehicle when it crashed into the tree killing him and passenger, Jessica Herker. Both are from Mason City. LITTLE WALL LAKE, IA (IRN) – A body has been recovered from Little Wall Lake in Hamilton County, according to KCCI-TV. The name of the victim has not yet been released. It’s unclear how the person died. AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa students are well below the national average when learning a foreign language. According to a recent study published by The American Councils for International Education, only 15 percent of K-12 graders in Iowa take a foreign language. The national average is 20 percent.

IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The name of the victim has been released in the murder of a man at a truck stop on I-80 near Victor in the early morning hours Wednesday. KCII-radio reports 60-year-old Earnest Kummer from Monroe was found deceased from gunshot wounds in his semi. Authorities took 43-year-old Mariana Lesnic into custody. She’s been charged with murder in the first degree. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A 67-year-old woman has been hospitalized after being struck by a train in Waterloo Wednesday, according to KGAN-TV. The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment of severe leg injuries. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a possible attempted abduction of a 15-year-old West Des Moines girl who was walking home from Valley High School. KCCI-TV reports a man driving a black Cadillac Escalade pickup truck tried to force the girl into his car. After a brief struggle, she was able to get away and run to a nearby apartment building for help. CRESTON, IA (IRN) – A group of Creston High School students will be disciplined for posting a photo on social media depicting them burning a cross while wearing white hoods. The Creston News Advertiser reports the photo shows five students wearing KKK-style white hoods while burning a cross and holding a Confederate flag. One of the boys in the photo is also holding a rifle. JASPER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A case of road rage led to a threat with a gun on Interstate 80 near Newton this week. WHO-TV reports Jasper County dispatch received a call Tuesday from a driver on I-80 saying a passenger in another vehicle pointed a gun at them after a road rage incident. Authorities pulled over the offending vehicle, which held three adults and three children. A woman who was a passenger in the back seat was arrested. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Twelve years after the death of Saint John Paul the second, an official first class relic of his blood is here in Iowa, according to KCRG-TV. A first class relic is the physical remains of a saint, such as bone, hair, or blood. On Wednesday the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary brought the relic to Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids. The relic will now go to Des Moines. It’ll be at the Saint Anthony Church today and then Saint Joseph Chapel at Dowling High School on Friday.

IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man was shot and killed at a rest stop on Interstate 80 in Iowa County early this morning. KGAN-TV reports preliminary information suggests the homicide involved one male and one female driver. The female driver became upset with the male driver and shot and killed him. The FBI is investigating. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Police say an Ottumwa woman is responsible for a drunken hit-and-run early Sunday. KTVO-TV reports 24-year-old Morgan Houk was charged with Serious Injury by Vehicle and Operating While Intoxicated. Witnesses at a Hy-Vee gas station told police Houk appeared to be drunk when she allegedly ran over someone who attempted to stop her. Houk kept driving. The victim was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals with serious injuries. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A district court judge says Des Moines should pay back hundreds of dollars to drivers who received a speeding ticket. WHO-TV reports a lawsuit against the city claims drivers were denied due-process and alleges the city’s speed enforcement camera ordinance didn’t mention the option to contest violations. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Equipment manufacturer John Deere has hired about 250 workers in Dubuque since last fall thanks to surging demand for new products. The Telegraph Herald reports the John Deere Dubuque Works facility now employs 1,300 production workers, its highest total since 2000. There are another 1,300 employees at the plant who work in other capacities such as engineering, sales and marketing. The company plans to hire another 50 workers by October. CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A proposed smoking ban in Clear Lake could soon become a reality, according to KIMT-TV. The city council voted unanimously Tuesday to draft an ordinance that would prohibit smoking at city parks and beaches. The council conducted a survey, and approximately 1,000 respondents favor the ban, with 20 opposing it. JACKSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The votes are in, and Maquoketa Caves State Park is the 2017 Readers’ Choice for Best Iowa Attractions, according to USA Today. More than 150 thousand people go to the park every year. Rounding out the top five are the Surf Ballroom and Museum in Clear Lake, the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum in Walcott, the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque and the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend.