CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Mason City man is facing a federal drug charge according to KIMT-TV. 56-year-old Mark Monroe Hoffman was arrested on November 21 after the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office says it found him with both methamphetamine and marijuana. He’s been indicted for possession with intent to distribute meth. MOUNT VERNON, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after a crash involving a straight truck and a motorcycle along Highway 30 in Mount Vernon. KCRG-TV reports the head-on crash took place Friday morning. The truck was in the correct lane when it was hit head-on by the motorcycle. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Polk County judge has granted a protective order to prevent law enforcement agencies involved in Scott Greene’s case from leaking information, according to KCCI-TV. Attorneys for Greene say they believe there has been a leak of confidential information in the murder case. Greene is charged with the murders of Des Moines Police Sgt. Anthony Beminio and Urbandale Officer Justin Martin. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – The American Civil Liberties Union said it will defend a transgender student at Newton High School who was asked to wipe off a political statement he wrote on his arm. KCRG-TV reports the student wrote “love trumps hate” on his arm in November, and a gym teacher told him to wipe it off while also calling him a girl. The student was told to wash it off or go home. The ACLU says it is a violation of his fundamental right to free speech. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – In front of the largest crowd to ever see a women’s game at the Knapp Center, the Drake women beat in-state rival UNI on Friday 70-57 to win the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title. WHO-TV reports it’s the first outright title for Drake in 17 years. The Bulldogs are now 16-0 in the MVC with just 2 games left in the regular season.

LONE TREE, IA (IRN) – A 12-year-old boy from Lone Tree had to be airlifted from an ATV wreck Thursday afternoon. KCII-radio reports the unnamed 12-year-old was attempting to cross a road from a field on the ATV when it was struck by a truck driven by 55-year-old Kurt Stewart of Ainsworth. The condition of the boy has not been released. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The DNR reports it has found the man who took the talons from a dead bald eagle at a Polk County Park but they’re still looking for the person who shot and killed the bird. The decapitated and mutilated eagle was found at Yellow Banks County Park. 27-year old Mitchell Hoyt of Runnells was cited for illegal possession of a protected nongame animal, but don’t believe that Hoyt killed the eagle. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque man who claims to be the city’s biggest drug dealer will spend 18 years in prison, according to KCRG-TV. A federal judge on Thursday sentenced 26-year-old Mark Lembo for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Police found 62 grams of meth, bullets, and more than $5,000 in Lembo’s car. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Anyone in Iowa could use deadly force anywhere if they believe such force is necessary to avoid injury or risk to one’s life or safety under a bill under consideration at the statehouse. Opponents say it’s a license to kill. The bill would also allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit, prohibit colleges from banning weapons, allow firearm permits to last a lifetime, prohibit local governments from passing gun restrictions, allow children under age 14 to use guns with supervision, and allow guns on the Capitol grounds. WALCOTT, IA (IRN) – Firefighters worked to clean up a diesel spill on Mud Creek in eastern Iowa yesterday. The DNR says a sheen on Mud Creek near Walcott led to a leaking pipe from an above-ground diesel tank. Approximately 500 gallons spilled from the tank on a farm. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A man was rescued from his mobile home after it caught on fire this morning in Davenport. Two men were in the area to repossess a car, and saw the home on fire and a man inside. They entered the flaming building and pulled the man out. His condition is unknown.

MANLY, IA (IRN) – A woman has been accused of stealing more than $9,300 from a northern Iowa high school athletics booster club when she was treasurer. KCCI-TV reports 37-year-old Autumn Dillavou is charged with theft. Authorities say she took the money from the Central Springs High School Athletic Booster Club in Manly. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Nearly 2,500 students at the University of Iowa will be receiving a letter informing them that scholarships they previously were expecting to be granted will not be available for the 2017-18 academic year. The Iowa City Press Citizen reports the cuts are due to the Iowa Legislature decreasing funding to the university by eight million dollars. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A police search of an Ottumwa home revealed over a dozen animals living in unclean, unsanitary conditions. KTVO-TV reports officers found at least 13 cats and five dogs in the debris-filled home. The animals were in very poor condition. In a small bit of good news, no dead animals were found. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Uber, the rideshare program that allows users to set up rides through a smartphone app, has announced they will begin operating in Dubuque, Waterloo-Cedar Falls and Sioux City beginning March 31. Uber already operates in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Ames, Des Moines and the Quad Cities. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld the use of automated speed cameras in Iowa, rejecting challenges in two separate court cases filed by citizens claiming Cedar Rapids cameras violated their constitutional rights. The court claims federal courts have already declared the cameras constitutional. A bill to ban them is being considered in the Iowa Legislature. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Iowa House subcommittee approved a bill that would legalize medical marijuana oil and create a state-run program to grow and dispense the product, according to KCCI-TV. The legislation doesn’t legalize recreational marijuana and only allows cannabis oil for medical treatment. 28 states have passed similar bills.

CRESCENT, IA (IRN) – A motorcyclist lost control of his bike and crashed in an interstate ditch Tuesday night on Interstate 29 in western Iowa. KETV reports 43-year-old Doyle Lacefield of Council Bluffs was taken to an Omaha hospital. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A religious icon was found smashed in Dubuque early Tuesday morning, according to KWWL-TV. Staff from the Dubuque Rescue Mission say they noticed the statue of the Virgin Mary was in pieces when they arrived. The staff says they think someone tried to take the statue, as they found it about a block away from the gardens. At 150 pounds it may have been too heavy for the thief or thieves to carry for long. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police used a stun gun Tuesday to stop a hammer-swinging man bent on destroying sculptures at the Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens downtown. KCCI-TV reports the man was using a hammer to destroy the sculptures. Witnesses say he shouted the phrase “one good and one no good,” but it’s unclear what he meant. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – It’s been five days since Governor Terry Branstad signed the new collective bargaining bill for public workers into law. WHO-TV reports Joe Brown Sr., the Superintendent of the Fairmont School District in Minnesota says Iowa teachers will feel a warm embrace in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” He says he’s already received seven applications from Iowa teachers who want to move to Minnesota. There is no question about it, he says. “We are going to gain teachers and Iowa is going to lose them.” MAQUOKETA, Iowa – U.S Senator Joni Ernst held a roundtable discussion at Maquoketa’s city hall to talk about veteran care, but the hundreds that packed inside had their own agenda. WQAD-TV reports it was not a friendly reception. Like others around the nation it brought out members of the community angry about the Republican agenda. Ernst took it in stride. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Constant police calls from two feuding Cedar Rapids businesses prompted police to cite both as public nuisances. KCRG-TV reports a feud between Jerseys Downtown and Harold’s Chicken has to stop. Employees at both businesses have called so many times to report complaints against each other it’s cost the city about 150 man hours to investigate. From now on they will be charged $94.00 per officer hour to investigate a complaint.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The entire West Des Moines Wells Fargo campus was closed this morning as crews dealt with a 3-alarm fire. KCCI-TV reports crews used fans to remove the smoke from the building. A security guard reported heavy, black smoke. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa has cut nearly 2,100 full-time state government jobs since Terry Branstad was re-elected in 2011. The departments cut most deeply have been publicly scrutinized for their handling of high-profile cases involving child neglect, and prison security that has resulted in injured guards. Also contributing to the job cuts were the closure of 36 unemployment offices, two mental health facilities, and the Iowa juvenile home in Toledo. LETTS, IA (IRN) – A motorcyclist died from injuries he sustained in a crash near the eastern Iowa town of Letts, according to WQAD-TV. 58-year-old Charlie Chelf from Grandview was airlifted but later died from his injuries. Eight months ago another motorcyclist was injured in a crash at that same location. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Union members have filed a lawsuit against a new law that drastically changes collective bargaining rules in Iowa, affecting more than 180,000 public employees. KCCI-TV reports the lawsuit claims the law establishes two classes of public employee bargaining units, thus denying equality to citizens. The bill signing was not a public event because of concerns of protests. The Governor signed it in front of staff and lobbyists. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque will not force landlords to lease to people who get federal rental assistance, or Section Eight vouchers, according to KCRG-TV. The discussion comes at a time when there’s a high demand for the low-income units. The city currently has more than 900 people using the vouchers. More than 600 people are on the voucher waitlist. FORT MADISON, IA (IRN) – The new warden at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison believes she was destined to run a prison, according to KGAN-TV. Patti Wachtendorf says, “Since junior high, I’ve just been obsessed with prisons — I love prisons.” She began taking tours of correctional institutions while still in high school. As the first female warden of Fort Madison, she began serving as a corrections officer there in 1983.