DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting and beating to death a 66-year-old church secretary in Dubuque has pled not guilty. KCCI-TV reports written pleas were entered Friday for Helmon Betwell.  Betwell is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault for the September 1 death of Nancy Krapfl. Police say Betwell attacked Krapfl while she was out walking. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Bettendorf police say they have identified five suspects believed to be responsible for an outbreak of vandalism at a city park and nearby neighborhood early Sunday morning. KWQC-TV reports three of the suspects are juveniles and two are adults. Police attribute tips from the public as leading them to the suspects. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – A 43-year-old Iowa City man has been charged for leaving his 4-month-old baby in a car in Coralville.  KCCI-TV reports Ahmed Jeddah was arrested Monday and charged with child endangerment. According to authorities, the child had been left in a car seat with the windows down for about 35 to 45 minutes. Jeddah came out to the car and said he had left the child in the care of his wife. LIVERMORE, IA (IRN) – The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is now caring for 10 neglected and emaciated dogs that were seized from a property in the northern Iowa town of Livermore. WHO-TV reports the ARL was called in to assist by Humboldt County law enforcement. The dogs are now being treated for medical issues and will be rehabilitated for adoption. The owner faces possible charges. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – One man was injured after someone opened fire on a group of people in front of a home in Waterloo Monday night, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. The gunman came from between nearby houses and opened fire. In addition to hitting the victim, bullets struck a parked car and the house. The victim’s wound is not considered life-threatening. DES MOINES (IRN) – The first license to develop a bird flu vaccine has been awarded by the USDA, a crucial step toward preventing another devastating outbreak like the one that led to the destruction of 48 million chickens and turkeys this spring. The Sioux City Journal reports the license was given to the Ames company Harrisvaccines, and authorizes it to continue testing the vaccine’s effectiveness and stand ready if the USDA gives the order to begin manufacturing. JONES COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A South Dakota man visiting in eastern Iowa is thanking the Jones Regional Medical Center staff in Jones County for helping save his life, according to KWWL-TV. Tom Szalat says it was a cold and snowy night in January, when his car rolled and slid into a creek where the car overturned and trapped him for more than two hours in the freezing cold. Szalat’s core body temperature was well below 80 degrees when rescued. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – There’s a stolen car in Des Moines that is not easy to miss. WOI-TV reports a stock car with a bright paint job and full decals was reported stolen from Tjaden Automotive last Friday. If you spot the number 38 stock car you are asked to contact Des Moines Police. The case is still under investigation.

MISSOURI VALLEY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is looking into a stabbing that occurred Sunday at a Shell gas station in the western Iowa town of Missouri Valley. The victim suffered multiple stab wounds to his torso and is currently in stable condition at a local hospital. The suspect, 30-year-old Tyler Jenkins, surrendered to authorities and was charged with Willful Injury. DES MOINES (IRN) – A state lawmaker says he’ll file legislation to block a Des Moines Water Works’ lawsuit over farm-caused water pollution. The Des Moines Register reports Republican state Senator Randy Feenstra of Hull says he’ll ask lawmakers to step in if a lawsuit against drainage officials in three rural counties isn’t resolved by the time the Legislature convenes. The Des Moines Water Works filed the lawsuit in January over high nitrate levels in the Raccoon River. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A man described by police as a transient faces five charges of arson after he allegedly set several garbage dumpsters and some railroad ties on fire in Sioux City. The Sioux City Journal reports police arrested Jeffrey Lee Rosenbaum, 51, on Tuesday after he was found near railroad ties that were burning. Rosenbaum admitted to starting several fires, but didn’t remember if he started others. Police say he apparently doesn’t have a motive. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police officers found an explosive device at a Waterloo home early this morning. KWWL-TV reports the bomb unit was called in to remove and disarm the device, which turned out to be a CO2 cartridge with a fuse. According to police, a man was walking home when he came across a group of people who had the device. The man took it, walked to his home, and called police. FORT MADISON, IA (IRN) – One person is dead and another injured in a traffic accident in Fort Madison. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver of a 1992 Geo Prizm entered a ditch on a curve, and over corrected the vehicle causing it to slide into a utility pole. Names have not been released. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Two men have been taken to the hospital in Cedar Rapids as the result of a Sunday night stabbing, according to KWWL-TV. Police have detained one person of interest, but an arrest has not yet been made. DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines police were called to the Des Moines International Airport Sunday night after a man was caught trespassing, according to KCCI-TV. Police said the man punched an airport officer after he was confronted. The man – whose name has not yet been released – was taken into custody. MCINTIRE, IA (IRN) – An Iowan running for a school board seat in Riceville didn’t receive a single vote during the recent election–including his own. The Des Moines Register reports that on election day 42-year old Randy Richardson left his full-time maintenance job to go back to his farm in rural McIntire to bale hay. He says he didn’t have time to vote after work because everyone knows you have to “make hay while the sun shines.”  

EDGEWOOD, IA (IRN) – A man from the northeastern Iowa town of Garber has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide and operating while intoxicated. KWWL-TV reports Kyle Sear, 21, was sentenced for his role in a March 29 crash that killed Zachary Lee, 22, of Elkport. Sear was northbound on Glacier Road when he lost control of his vehicle and drove into a ditch. Lee, his passenger, was partially ejected and died of his injuries. RAYMOND, IA (IRN) – Authorities have released the names of a motorcyclist and a car driver who were killed in a collision in Black Hawk County. KGAN-TV reports a car crossed the centerline and collided with the motorcycle between Jesup and Raymond. The motorcycle driver was identified as 60-year-old Dale Weber, of Jesup. The car driver was identified as 62-year-old Bill Price, of Waterloo. TAMA, IA (IRN) – The new beef processing facility in Tama has changed its name from Iowa Premium Beef to Iowa Premium. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports the company’s direction, ownership, and executive leadership team have not changed during this transition. The plant employs about 600. MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – Want to have chickens in your backyard? A Muscatine woman does. KWWL-TV reports Alyce Spoto has gathered hundreds of signatures in a petition effort to get an ordinance allowing city residents to keep chickens in their backyards. Spoto began the effort after tiring of traveling outside of town to tend her own chickens and gather eggs. Many other cities in Iowa allow backyard chickens.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A north Iowa man on trial for stealing money from a Mason City Subway store before setting it on fire was found guilty on all counts Friday. KIMT-TV reports 23-year-old Ethan Miller was found guilty of first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, second-degree theft and possession of a controlled substance. Miller was an employee of sandwich shop when the incident occurred. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – Law enforcement officials executed a search of the American Legion Golf Course’s property in Marshalltown Wednesday, according to KCCI-TV. Sheriff’s deputies obtained bank envelopes, payroll files, a list of payment earnings for employees, a hard drive and two laptop computers. A financial audit uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in missing payroll taxes. The IRS is reviewing the golf course’s finances. NEWTON, IA (IRN) –  Burglars broke into several homes in the same neighborhood in Newton this week. WHO-TV reports witnesses saw two men going from house to house, but didn’t recognize that they were burglars because they were disguised as door to door salesmen. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A University of Iowa student got his wish Thursday night when he climbed into the back of a police squad car and asked for a ride. Well, sort of. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports an officer was in traffic when 18-year-old John Chapman approached and asked for a ride to his dorm. The officer told him to get out of the street and onto the sidewalk, but instead Chapman opened the back door of the squad car and got in. Chapman appeared to be intoxicated, tested to nearly three times the legal limit, and was driven to jail. DES MOINES (IRN) – A new exhibit featuring the Iowa caucuses will open Oct. 2 at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines. The exhibit, titled “First in the Nation: Shaping Presidential Politics Since 1972,” will feature images and artifacts from throughout Iowa.  

DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines police have arrested two more people in connection to a September 11 double homicide. 20-year-old Shamair Gainey and 18-year-old Roberto Baez-Alvarez, both of Des Moines, are charged with first-degree robbery. Already charged in the case is 20-year-old Albert Jeffrey Garcia. He faces two counts of first-degree murder. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – An Iowa Medical and Classification Center inmate is accused of assaulting a correctional officer with a boombox, according to KCRG-TV. The officer requested that 23-year-old Devontae Sawyers approach the desk inside one of the living units. The officer told Sawyers he was being placed on a “time out” for disruptive behavior. Sawyers allegedly responded by shouting at the officer, charging the desk, picking up a boombox, and hurling it at the officer. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Two 12-year-old girls in Dubuque are facing juvenile charges after getting into a fight at school, during which one of them used a stun gun on the other.  KCCI-TV reports the girls got into a fight at a bus stop Wednesday. The girl who used the stun gun has been charged with assault with a weapon and carrying weapons, while the other girl is charged with disorderly conduct. DES MOINES (IRN) – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased slightly to 3.7 percent in August from 3.8 percent in July, according to the Iowa Workforce Development office.  The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 5.1 percent in August.    CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A 17-year-old has been arrested in connection with a Cedar Falls robbery according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Isaiah Jackson, of Waterloo, has been charged with one count of second-degree robbery, and faces up to 10 years in prison. Jackson allegedly hit the victim with a golf club and robbed him. DES MOINES (IRN) – A Des Moines woman working on a computer in her bedroom was pinned against an inside wall after a car crashed into her home near the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Thursday.  KCCI-TV reports a neighbor was learning how to drive when she crashed into the house. The injured woman’s condition is unknown. PLAINFIELD, IA – (IRN) – Nearly half the student population at one Eastern Iowa school is home sick. KWWL-TV reports 60 middle school students at Plainfield Intermediate School were sent home following stomach bug-like symptoms, including vomiting. School officials are scrubbing the building from top to bottom, giving students bottled water, and taking other precautions while they await test results that will hopefully indicate the cause of the illness. ELDRIDGE, IA (IRN) – Police officers from the eastern Iowa town of Eldridge are getting body cameras–but not through the normal process.  KWQC-TV reports for many small town departments, body cameras are not in the budget. Grants and donations help, but are often not enough. Some Eldridge officers are buying body cameras on their own.