IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s maximum-security prison for male offenders will have the first female warden in its 178-year history, according to KCCI-TV. The Board of Corrections approved the appointment of department veteran Patti Wachtendorf as warden of Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. Wachtendorf has been warden at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville, the state’s prison for female offenders, since 2009. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Flames spread from the kitchen of a Council Bluffs restaurant to the roof Friday morning, according to KETV. Smoke and flames caused considerable damage at the Salty Dog Bar and Grill shortly before 5 a.m. No injuries were reported. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A microwave gets the blame for a Thursday morning apartment fire that sent two Ottumwa residents to the hospital. KTVO-TV reports two residents in the apartment complex were sleeping at the time and suffered smoke inhalation. They were treated at a local hospital and released. OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – A four-month-long investigation of an Osceola Ford dealer has led to charges of theft. WHO-TV reports 61-year-old Will Reisinger of Anchor Motors was arrested last week. State investigators say he was caught trying to steal more than $16,000 by making fraudulent claims of warranty work to the Ford Motor Company. NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – Three Kmart stores in Iowa will be closing, according to KCRG-TV. They are in Waterloo, Sioux City, and Dubuque. Competition from online businesses has decreased profitability. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Legislature will consider voter ID this session. Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate announced the voter ID legislation yesterday. The bill calls for all registered Iowans to have a voter ID in order to cast a ballot at polling sites. A driver’s license, passport, or military ID would work. For voters without those, the state will issue a free voter ID card. Pate says voter fraud isn’t a problem in Iowa, but he doesn’t want it to be a problem in the future.

PRINCETON, IA (IRN) – A driver has been taken to a hospital after the front of his vehicle was struck by a train. WQAD-TV reports the accident happened in Princeton in Scott County. A person driving a Dodge Journey attempted to cross the railroad tracks from a private drive when the train struck the front of the vehicle. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines daycare provider faces child endangerment charges after two children in her care were attacked by dogs. KCCI-TV reports 33-year-old Melissa Anderson is charged with two counts of child endangerment with bodily injury. Court documents indicate twin children were attacked by a dog, or more than one dog, in her home while under her care. CLARION, IA (IRN) – A Clarion man has been charged with sexual exploitation of a child, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography related to incidents with a minor Mason City female. KIMT-TV reports the charges allege that between 2012 and 2016, 24-year-old Jonathan Sebert produced, received and possessed child pornography. GLENWOOD, IA (IRN) – Six workers were fired and another six resigned from a state home for those with intellectual disabilities after an investigation. The investigation found seven residents at Glenwood were physically abused and another 13 were abused verbally or neglected. The DHS says the abuse included hitting residents, denying them personal care, allowing peers to be aggressive with them, teasing them and speaking to them abusively. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids based manufacturer announced it’s eliminating some employee positions as part of a restructuring. KCRG-TV reports Tom Pientok, the president and CEO of Apache, Inc. says the cuts are necessary because of a downturn in agriculture and industrial business. Apache makes hose, belting, cut and molded rubber, and industrial consumer products. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Democrat Rich Leopold, an ecologist and former director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says he plans to run for governor in 2018. The 52-year-old Leopold holds degrees in animal ecology, biology and natural resources technology. Declaring himself a political outsider tired of divisive partisan politics, he says Iowans deserve a governor who has backbone and character and who will be candid, transparent and fair.

COLFAX, IA (IRN) – Multiple fire departments were called to a house fire in Colfax this morning. KCCI-TV reports fire crews had to fight the fire and severe cold, with temperatures in the single digits. No injuries were reported. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Massachusetts-based company says it hopes to build a manufacturing and distribution center in Davenport that eventually will employ 500 people. KWQC-TV reports the plastic-container company Sterilite wants to build a $73 million facility on 160 acres of land. It would be the largest building in Davenport. MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A Muscatine man was sentenced Tuesday in a deadly hit and run that killed a couple on their motorcycle near Illinois City in 2015. WQAD-TV reports Robert Darrow was driving drunk, crossed the centerline, hit the couple, then fled the scene. He asked the judge for mercy before he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. BOONE, IA (IRN) – Authorities have identified the 63-year-old Ames man who died after falling at Ledges State Park in Boone Sunday. The DNR says Danny Carlile fell approximately 60 feet from an overlook. He left the trail to take photos at Solstice Rock and lost his footing, falling to the riverbank below. Carlile was one of about 100 people participating in a “First Day Hike” at the park. The hike takes place in state parks across the country. MARION, IA (IRN) – A popular Marion restaurant is closing its doors, according to KCRG-TV. The Marion Maid Rite will be gone by the end of the month. The restaurant downtown has been open for 31 years, but the owner says it’s time to move on. Ellie Riley says “I compare it to Peyton Manning. He won the SuperBowl and then retired. We’re busy, customers are very sad, but it’s time.” WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Actor Mark Wahlberg’s new film opens later this month, and he plans to promote it in Iowa, according to WHO-TV. Wahlberg is starring in the movie Patriots Day, which documents the stories of first responders following the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. Wahlberg will appear at a private event for Hy-Vee in West Des Moines to raise money for local fire and police departments.

DURANGO, IA (IRN) – One man was killed and another injured while repairing a tractor in Dubuque County. KWWL-TV reports the accident occurred around 2 p.m. Monday at a farm in rural Durango. The tractor slipped into gear during the repairs and ran over the two men. One man was pronounced dead at the scene, the other was hospitalized. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Rescue crews were called to a stabbing in Des Moines Monday afternoon, according to KCCI-TV. A 55-year-old male victim suffered serious stab wounds and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance with life-threatening injuries. He later died. Police have a suspect. TAMPA, FL (IRN) – The 20th-ranked Florida Gators thumped the 21st-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida yesterday 30-3. It’s the fifth bowl loss in a row for the Kirk Ferentz led Hawkeyes. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Nebraska man accused of threatening to stab someone with a syringe that he said held HIV-tainted blood has pled guilty to a reduced robbery charge. KCRG-TV reports 35-year-old Jeshua Divis, who lives in Omaha, was sentenced to time served. Prosecutors say Divis told a woman at the Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs that he’d inject her with the tainted blood if she didn’t hand over her money. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A charity controlled by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has missed a legal deadline for disclosing the names of donors who paid for his inaugural celebration two years ago. KCCI-TV reports the lack of disclosure could result in IRS penalties. It also means the public doesn’t know the identities of individuals and corporations who wrote checks totaling $1 million toward Branstad’s inauguration. DES MOINES, IA – A Des Moines woman’s effort to get rid of bugs in her home ended in a fire, according to WHO-TV. Firefighters found a woman on her porch wrapped in a blanket, and flames in the living room. She was hospitalized with burns. Firefighters say the woman was spraying a home remedy bug spray in the room when she went to light a cigarette and the fire erupted.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A man whose first job as a kid was selling pop at Hawkeye football games announced a $5 million gift to help renovate Kinnick Stadium’s north end zone, according to KCRG-TV. Ted Pach says “my passion for Iowa athletics started as a child, and it has never left.” Ted Pacha and his wife Deb’s contribution was announced on January 1st during the Outback Bowl festivities in Tampa, Florida. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City may has been arrested for violating a no contact order among other charges. KIMT-TV reports 25-year-old Montez Guise allegedly kicked in the door of a home and then prevented someone inside from getting to the door for help. He’s charged with 2nd degree burglary, false imprisonment and violation of a no contact order. JOHNSON COUNTY, IL (IRN) – Federal investigators are at the scene of plane crash in southern Illinois that killed four people from Iowa. WSIL-TV reports the victims are two adult men and two adult women. Their names and ages have not been released. The plane is registered to an individual in Iowa. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 63-year-old Ames man died Sunday after a fall at Ledges State Park. The DNR reports he fell approximately 60 feet from an overlook off the Lost Lake Trail. The man was part of an annual group hike at the park. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines firefighters are investigating a possible explosion and fire at a home overnight. KCCI-TV reports firefighters found a woman with burns outside the home near Lincoln High School. They say the interior of the home sustained significant damage due to fire and smoke. VATICAN CITY (IRN) – Pope Francis held a New Year’s Day mass at the Vatican, and an Iowa man was part of the service. WHO-TV reports Maxwell Carson, a 2012 Dowling Catholic High School grad, gave a scripture reading in English before the Pope delivered his message. Carson is studying to be a priest.