IOWA (IRN) – The sky will have a spectacular show tonight into Saturday morning with the full snow moon, an eclipse, and a comet. NASA reports the eclipse will be visible for most of North America. Also, Comet 45P will be its closest to Earth at 7.4 million miles away. The bright blue-green head with a tail will be visible around 3 a.m. Saturday in the constellation Hercules. Binoculars or a telescope will be helpful. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa no longer services or tracks the more than 700 self-help computer kiosk locations it installed to replace dozens of unemployment offices Gov. Terry Branstad closed in 2011, according to the Des Moines Register. The Iowa Workforce Development so far has been unable to say when the department discontinued the program. No public announcement was made, and board minutes do not reflect the issue was publicly discussed in the past two years. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City man has been sentenced to life in prison for the stabbing death of a 43-year-old woman. KCRG-TV reports Isack Abdinur stabbed Cornelia Stead 23 times in her Sioux City apartment, killing her. The two were romantically involved. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A former eastern Iowa police chief has pled guilty to charges of stealing a police weapon and lying to a federal agent. Multiple other charges were dropped. 47-year-old Jeffrey Filloon stole at least three firearms and four vehicles from the Tama Police Department while chief. He sold the guns to a pawn shop and the vehicles to a salvage yard. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One of the companies involved in Iowa’s new privately managed Medicaid system intends to reduce payments to agencies that serve people with disabilities. The Des Moines Register reports AmeriHealth Caritas plans to cut rates to the minimum. The cuts could drive some of the organizations that help tens of thousands of Iowans with disabilities out of business. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill advancing through the Iowa House would take away a county’s ability to set its own minimum wage. KCCI-TV reports the Republican bill would undo a year of study and debate by the Polk County Board of Supervisors after they decided to raise the county minimum wage, along with other counties. The bill would also reset the state minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A federal judge says a man who lived in Cedar Rapids as a refugee from Rwanda was an active participant in the Rwandan genocide. KGAN-TV reports Gervais Ngombwa was a member of the MPD-Power party, an anti-Tutsi political party that was responsible for killing 500,000 to 1 million Tutsis in 1994. Witnesses say they saw Ngombwa kill numerous Tutsis, loot Tutsi property and lead attacks on groups of Tutsis seeking refuge at churches. He’ll serve eight to ten years in prison here before being deported. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Police have made an arrest in connection to an armed robbery that happened in Davenport last month. KWQC-TV reports two victims were approached by 23-year-old Dayvon Freeman in the parking lot of a bar after closing time. Freeman had a gun and ordered them into one of the victim’s vehicles. He told them to drive to an ATM machine to withdraw money from their accounts, and threatened to kill them and their families. He’s in jail. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A high school football coach has been charged with simple assault in Marshalltown. KCCI-TV reports a student says Head Football Coach and physical education teacher, 62-year-old Donald August Knock, grabbed and pushed him at school, but caused no injury. The student’s parents were notified, and the school district isn’t commenting. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The debate continues over collective bargaining at the Iowa Capitol. WHO-TV reports Republican legislators have proposed changes that would take away several issues state workers can now bargain collectively for, such as holidays, overtime and health insurance. Jody Butler, Governor Branstad’s former education advisor during the 1990’s, says the change would be a setback for Iowa’s public schools. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Students and faculty at the University of Iowa walked out of the classroom yesterday to protest the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. KCRG-TV reports protesters say DeVos isn’t qualified for the job, and are concerned about the future of public education. DeVos is the first Secretary of Education who has never been a teacher, never attended a public school, or never had a child who attended a public school. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – The Davenport City Council gave the greenlight to “urban chickens” Wednesday. Thomas Rutherford brought the idea to the city council eight years ago, and they said no. Not yesterday. The vote in favor of urban chickens was 8-1. Single-family homes in Davenport can now keep up to six hens. Rutherford’s four year-old already has a name picked out for his chicken to-be: “Licorice.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating the city’s fifth homicide. KCCI-TV reports when officers responded to the call they found a deceased man on the sidewalk in front of a residence. While officers secured this scene for further investigation, a shooting victim arrived at Mercy Hospital. That victim drove himself to the hospital.The two shootings appear to be connected. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A nurse who stole painkillers while working at a Mason City nursing home has been sentenced to three years of probation. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports 28-year-old Briana Hesse was given a deferred judgment. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – Police in Marshalltown are looking for a 14-year-old girl who was reported missing. KCCI-TV reports Gracie Anne Mehl was last seen early Monday afternoon at Marshalltown High School. Computer records indicate she checked into the Marshalltown Y around 2:20 p.m. Her family hasn’t seen her since that morning. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa lawmakers are working on bills to raise the statewide minimum wage. The current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. The Senate has introduced a bill to raise the hourly wage incrementally to $10.75 by January 1, 2019. The House bill would raise the minimum wage in one dollar increments to $11 by January of 2020. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller joined 15 state attorneys general in support of the federal lawsuit against President Trump’s executive order on immigration. Miller says, “The president has broad authority to oversee our nation’s immigration policies and procedures, but not even the president has authority to circumvent our Constitution’s fundamental guarantees of equal protection, religious freedom and due process.” DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two resolutions were unanimously approved at a Des Moines Public Schools board meeting last night. WHO-TV reports the first is a sanctuary resolution that prevents ICE officials from accessing students or staff without processing a request through the superintendent. The second resolution supports nearly 5,500 students in Iowa who have registered under the DACA, or Dreamer program.

DALLAS COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A human error caused 5,842 ballots in the November election not to be counted in Dallas County. Raccoon Valley Radio reports the recount didn’t change the results of any race. The Dallas County Auditor’s office says additional checks are being put in place to ensure they won’t have a future discrepancy in election results. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Lawmakers have passed a $40 million increase in funding for Iowa schools. That’s about 1.1% higher than last year’s budget allocation for education. Democrats were pushing for a 4% increase. The governor is expected to sign the legislation. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A domestic violence situation led to a standoff with Davenport police last night. WQAD-TV reports one person found injured outside the home was transported to the hospital. The suspect, identified as Kraig Korpak, was barricaded inside his home, armed with a knife and refused to come out. Police say they tried to negotiate with Korpak before he came out and threatened them. He was tasered and arrested. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Urbandale police have made an arrest in a bank burglary that happened Friday night. KCCI-TV reports police were dispatched to West Bank for an alarm and found a man hiding under a desk. Samir Rakovic of Urbandale was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary. He’s in jail. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Tonight the Des Moines School Board will act on two resolutions on refugees and immigrants in response to recent executive orders signed by President Trump. WHO-TV reports 250 of the district’s students are from the seven nations under President Trump’s travel ban order. The district will consider a resolution establishing school grounds as “sanctuaries” for those students. The second resolution will require Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to contact the superintendent for permission to enter school grounds. HARPERS FERRY, IA (IRN) – Starting today, people can get their hands on a quarter featuring the Effigy Mounds National Park, according to KCRG-TV. The mounds are north of Marquette along the Mississippi River. They’re sacred to more than a dozen Native American tribes.

AMANA, IA (IRN) – A Casey’s General Store was the site of an armed robbery in Amana Sunday. According to the Iowa City Press Citizen, the lone suspect was wearing a black ski mask when he went in the store at about 7:40 p.m. He demanded cash while displaying a knife. The robber left with a small amount of cash. The suspect is approximately 5’8″ with a skinny build and is believed to be a younger white male. No one was injured. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Firefighters were at the scene of a house fire in Burlington for several hours Sunday. WQAD-TV reports heavy smoke and flames were coming from the home when crews arrived. Police say the fire is considered “suspicious.” No one was home at the time of the fire. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A work-release inmate has escaped from a state facility in Council Bluffs, according to KETV. 26-year-old Colton Benson-Blaine didn’t return as scheduled from his job Sunday. He’s been imprisoned since 2011 following his convictions for voluntary manslaughter and other crimes. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Council Bluffs family is searching for answers after they say their 10-year-old daughter was held down on a school bus while students drew on her with a permanent marker. WOWT-TV reports two girls held her down and wrote on her face, including the word “loser” on her forehead. Her father says she’s a great student, active at school, and that she was “literally shook, and heartbroken” after the incident. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – Grilling on the back deck may have sparked a blaze that displaced a Waukee couple from their home Saturday, according to KCCI-TV. A neighbor says it took less than a minute from when he heard a pop come from the grill until he saw flames racing through the roof. The home was seriously damaged, but no one was hurt. DUBUQUE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Canadian Pacific freight train derailed near the Mississippi River about 10 miles south of Dubuque Sunday morning. KCRG-TV reports 26 empty cars derailed. No one was injured. Kerry Rogers lives right by the train tracks. She said, “I was sound asleep, and I heard a loud crashing noise, and it felt like an earthquake was hitting the house. The whole house shook. The whole house.” WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Authorities are trying to find the owner of a dog that two fishermen pulled from the icy Cedar River in Waterloo Sunday. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that fishermen Chad and Jason Conkling were getting ready to launch their boat when the dog was spotted struggling in the current. The brothers were able to launch their boat and pull the struggling dog from the water. The dog’s OK.