MARBLE ROCK, IA (IRN) – A 56-year-old Dougherty man died Sunday in a tractor accident east of Marble Rock in northeast Iowa, according to KCCI-TV. Gary Ewen was mowing ditches with a tractor and sickle mower when he struck a tree stump, causing the tractor to roll into the ditch and pinning him underneath. Ewen was pronounced dead at the scene. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley and the Black Hawk County YMCA say that individuals may be selling items such as cookies and candy bars outside of local Wal-Mart stores, stating that the proceeds will benefit the local organizations.  According to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, the clubs are not involved, and say others may be using their names to mislead people into giving them money. FORT MADISON, IA (IRN) – A robbery suspect was captured hours after police say she held up a restaurant with a knife, according to KWQC-TV. On Monday the Fort Madison Police were called to the La Casa Salsa Restaurant by the manager who reported the robbery. Police located the suspect, 25-year-old Patricia LeAnn Martin, at a nearby apartment where she was hiding under a bed. DES MOINES (IRN) – Iowa whiskey maker Templeton Rye has settled three class-action lawsuits accusing the company of intentionally misleading imbibers with claims about the homegrown origins of its spirit. The Des Moines Register reports the settlement agreement requires the company to change labeling on its bottles and the language on its website. The agreement needs approval from a judge. SIBLEY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the death of a man who was run over by a train near the northwest Iowa town of Sibley. Monday morning, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office received a call about some suspicious items on the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Investigators found the remains of a man who had been run over by a train. His identity has not been released. DES MOINES (IRN) – The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union Iowa Council 61 and 20 legislators have filed suit in the Iowa District Court for Polk County regarding Governor Branstad’s closure of the Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda Mental Health Institutes. The lawsuit alleges Branstad’s closure violates Iowa law. DES MOINES (IRN) – A Des Moines man is charged with kidnapping, robbery and drug charges after an incident Sunday.  KCCI-TV reports a woman was confronted by Dillen Roberts, 23, asking for money for meth. When she refused, Roberts pushed her inside of an SUV. At an intersection she jumped out of the car as Roberts grabbed her shirt, tearing it off.  She said Roberts then chased her and forced her back into the SUV. She was later able to escape. VAN METER, IA (IRN) – Three young men were honored in Van Meter for saving a child from drowning over the weekend.  WHO-TV reports Austin Rice, Thomas Rice and Austin Matter saved the 6-year-old after he was hung up on some debris while tubing with his family on the Raccoon River Sunday. Police say the three heard the child screaming for help and jumped into the water to save him.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A former Newton day care owner was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison in connection with a fatal dog attack on a 4-year-old girl.  KCCI-TV reports Jordyn Arndt, 4, died from injuries suffered in the dog attack in April 2013. Jena Wright, 26, was convicted of child endangerment causing serious injury, neglect of a dependent person, assault on a police officer and interference with official acts. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A motorcyclist had to be airlifted from the Cedar Valley to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Sunday night. According to KWWL-TV, Paul Brase, 42, was on Highway 218 heading towards Waterloo when he crashed. The 42-year-old from Shell Rock remains in the hospital. His condition is not known. DES MOINES (IRN) – Gov. Terry Branstad announced today that six communities are in the second round of sites to achieve certification through the Iowa Economic Development Authority certified site program. These six sites are located in the communities of Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Norwalk, Marion, Mason City and Perry.  Branstad says certified sites are better able to compete for large-scale economic development projects. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Some residents in Sioux City may have gotten an early wake up call with a thunderstorm that went through the area Monday morning. KTIV-TV reports high winds took down trees in the community, and 600 people were without power. Much of the state faces either a heat advisory or an excessive heat warning through early evening. DICKINSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Women are closing the gap with men in binge drinking, according to the Des Moines Register. In 85 of 99 Iowa counties, the rate of increase in binge drinking from 2002 to 2012 was larger among females than males. The largest increase was in northwest Iowa’s Dickinson County, home to the Iowa Great Lakes. More than 1 in 4 women in the county are binge drinkers. DES MOINES (IRN) – Recent rainfall has resulted in 100 percent drought-free conditions for the first time in Iowa since November last year. The Iowa DNR reports streamflow remains normal to above normal for most of the state, while groundwater in one small area of northwest Iowa is slightly below normal. AMES, IA (IRN) – Researchers at the Critical Materials Institute in Ames have developed a new method for re-using rare-earth materials: by collecting the waste left over from creating magnets. The Ames Tribune reports by recovering some of the metal, researchers hope to decrease the high demand for rare-earth materials commonly used in high-tech products. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A mid-year tuition hike could be a reality for students attending Iowa’s three public universities. KCRG-TV reports the Iowa Board of Regents approved a freeze on tuition rates for the third consecutive year late in 2014. But according to Board of Regents staff, a state funding shortfall means the freeze could end in January.  

BLOOMFIELD, IA (IRN) – Five members of an Amish family were injured in a Friday afternoon crash near Bloomfield. KTVO-TV reports the driver of a pickup truck traveling westbound failed to see the buggy and hit it from behind. The four children and one adult in the buggy were transported to Davis County Hospital. Names and conditions have not been released. MARION, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Marion on Saturday. KCRG-TV reports the woman was driving east on Highway 100 when she lost control and crossed the median into the westbound lanes. A pickup then hit the car. The pickup driver suffered non-life threatening injuries. The woman’s name has not been released. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A fish kill taking place Saturday in a pond at a Mason City park was likely caused by low oxygen levels, says the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Officials investigated the kill at Black Pit, a 16-acre pond in Lester Milligan Park. Water samples indicated low oxygen levels were likely caused by an algae bloom in the lake. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – An excavating company claims the City of Dubuque owes it just shy of $1 million for work city officials requested it perform in 2010 on the Waste Pollution Control Plant. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports Mark Fondell Excavating is suing the city. The city denies the claim.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police have identified the individuals involved in a motorcycle crash Thursday night in Waterloo. KXEL-radio reports the motorcycle hit two parked cars. Officers say 54-year-old Kari Scribner and 54-year-old Michael Kielty are in critical condition. Police used her fingerprints to identify her. Alcohol is suspected to have been involved in the crash. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – An eight-month-old baby was hospitalized with a skull fracture after a domestic disturbance in Burlington, according to WQAD-TV. The baby was seated in a stroller when a woman and 25-year-old David Lee Miller were arguing on the front porch of a home. Miller kicked the stroller sending it down a flight of stairs. He is charged with one felony count of child endangerment. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Officials at Fort Hood in Texas say a soldier from Waterloo has died from an apparent gunshot wound.  KCCI-TV reports that 35-year-old Warrant Officer Sean Michael Young died July 5 from an apparent gunshot wound at his off-post home. The shooting is under investigation. DENISON, IA (IRN) – An Iowa company will be keeping a Confederate flag on its logo. The Des Moines Register reports Walmart recently asked the Crawford Ice Co. of Denison to change its packaging, which includes a rebel soldier holding the Confederate flag. The company is currently using plain blue bags for Walmart, but other customers will still be able to purchase ice with the old design. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man was rushed to the University of Iowa Hospital after he was injured in a garage fire Friday afternoon, according to the Iowa City Press Citizen. Firefighters were dispatched after receiving a report of a man caught inside a burning garage. Crews were able to put out the fire quickly. The man’s name and condition have not been released.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s residence and threatening her with a pair of scissors on Thursday. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports 30-year-old Kendall C. Johnson kicked in a door, threatened her, and held her against her will for an hour. The woman was not injured. Johnson faces charges of first-degree burglary, false imprisonment, and assault with a weapon. STORM LAKE, IA (IRN) – A Storm Lake man has been charged with a second case of sexually assaulting a minor, according to KCAU-TV.  Ricardo Juarez, 21, turned himself into police for the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old female. Police had charged him previously for sexually engaging with a 15-year-old between February and March of 2015. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man fired his gun twice at a father, hitting the family’s car during a road rage incident in Des Moines Thursday, according to KCCI-TV. The family reports a driver cut them off narrowly missing a crash. The father told police he yelled at the driver, who then followed and confronted them, and fired two shots, hitting the vehicle. No one was injured. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – Waukee Schools Superintendent David Wilkerson has a message for Governor Branstad. WHO-TV reports Wilkerson says the Governor should stop looking at education as just a cost, and start looking at education as the investment that it is. He says Waukee school classroom sizes are already large, and that they will be larger this fall. Governor Branstad recently vetoed over $55 million in one-time state funding for schools. BEDFORD, IA (IRN) – A Bedford man has been charged with murder in the death of his three-year-old daughter. In May the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call for a child not breathing. Deputies found Janyiah King unresponsive. Charles Hall, 25, was charged with murder Thursday as a result of the investigation. Hall’s girlfriend, April Clair, 25, has been charged with child endangerment. DES MOINES (IRN) – A report released by the State Auditor’s Office on Thursday shows a University of Iowa doctor improperly diverted more than $1.8 million into his personal bank accounts.  KCCI-TV reports the investigation was requested after university officials raised concerns about Dr. Brian Adams improperly billing insurance companies and law firms for services he performed. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A safe filled with cash was found Tuesday morning in a field in Ankeny, according to the Des Moines Register. The safe and its contents were turned over to police. Police are not identifying how much money is in the safe, nor what the safe looks like. If the owner does not come forward, the safe and its contents could be claimed by the city. DES MOINES (IRN) – The State Office of Media Production announced Thursday a feature film from award-winning British Director Andrea Arnold and starring Shia LaBeouf recently finished filming in western Iowa and three other Midwest states. “American Honey” focuses on a teenage girl with nothing to lose who joins a traveling magazine sales crew.