DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines was forced to close today after a water main break. Water flooded the area beneath Flix Brewhouse inside the mall, known as Flix Court, according to KCCI-TV. Individual department stores will be able to open if they have an outside entrance and don’t need access to the mall’s water supply. Visitors won’t be able to walk through the mall. When the mall will reopen is yet to be determined.

ALDEN, IA (IRN) – An Alden man who admitted to molesting his granddaughter may end up getting probation instead of prison time. WHO-TV reports 61-year-old Dean Hilpipre faces as many as 50 years behind bars if convicted. But as part of a plea deal, prosecutors will recommend a suspended sentence and probation at his sentencing. The mother of the girl is outraged, and is asking the public to attend sentencing on February 23 at 10 am at the Hardin County Courthouse to help convince the judge to reject the plea.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Meredith Corporation will cut about 600 jobs at a Time Inc. customer service center in Florida in its first major move to consolidate the two businesses. The jobs will move to Des Moines. Des Moines-based Meredith completed its $2.8 billion acquisition of Time on Feb. 1.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City may soon change its definition of gender identity. Right now, it’s only male or female. KCRG-TV reports the City council voted Tuesday night 7-0 to change that. The new ordinance will allow people to identify as “non-binary” on documentation if they don’t feel they fall into the category of male or female.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines mother said she learned her lesson after police found her 3-year-old son wandering a south side neighborhood in subfreezing temperatures without a coat. KCCI-TV reports the mother had left the boy to be watched by her fiance. The boy was sleeping when the fiance decided he would take a nap too. A neighbor found the boy. The boy’s OK, the fiance feels terrible, and mom says that it won’t happen again. No charges will be filed. The boy left the home because he decided it was time for a trip to McDonalds.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Hundreds of workers in Iowa City will lose their jobs as a major employer shifts production out of state. The Gazette reports Procter & Gamble will move production of hair care and body washes out of Iowa City by late 2020. Those products will be made in a new plant in West Virginia. 500 Iowa City Procter & Gamble employees will lose their jobs.

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A deputy and a wanted man collided head-on after a chase in Pottawattamie County Tuesday. KETV reports when a Pottawattamie County deputy spotted a speeding Porche, the deputy tried to initiate a traffic stop. The driver, 26-year-old Dylan Hoffman, took off. Speeds approached 130mph during the chase. The chase ended near Macedonia when Hoffman pulled a “U-turn” and the deputy pulled in front of the Porsche to stop it.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A mother could spend up to 10 years in prison for leaving her children home alone in filthy conditions. WHO-TV reports 27-year-old Destinee Miller entered a guilty plea Thursday in Polk County to one count of Neglect or Abandonment of a Dependent Person. Miller was arrested after her children, ages one, two and four, were found home alone and covered in filth. She left the children so she could take one of her seven dogs to a veterinarian.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two bills that would make it easier for Iowans to purchase and carry handguns are being considered at the Statehouse. KCCI-TV reports the Constitutional Carry bill would remove the requirement for a permit to carry for a law-abiding citizen. Opponents say the measures would escalate gun violence.

IOWA (IRN) – Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans to return and sell health insurance policies compliant with the Affordable Care Act in Iowa next year. The company announced plans to offer policies as long as there aren’t any significant changes to the 2010 law also known as Obamacare. The company said it believes the individual market can be functional again. Minnesota-based Medica is the only company selling ACA-compliant policies statewide this year.

VINTON, IA (IRN) – Several businesses in downtown Vinton sustained damage from a fire last night. KCRG-TV reports the fire started at a furniture store, and quickly spread to a pharmacy next door. Multiple fire departments were on the scene for several hours, hampered by falling snow and cold temperatures. Neighbors brought doughnuts and hot coffee for the firefighters.

NEVADA, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man charged in the death of his 2-month-old daughter allegedly killed the baby by placing pillows on her face. 29-year-old Calvin Curtis White, of Nevada, has been charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death after his daughter was found not breathing Jan. 29 and later died. Police say they found a recorded message on White’s phone in which he said he killed the infant by placing pillows on her face to keep from hearing her cry.

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Investigators have released new information in the case where a bus caught fire killing two people in western Iowa last year. According to the Des Moines Register, mechanical repair records for the Riverside Community School District bus were changed a week after the fatal fire. Following an inspection which occurred six days before the fire, the bus was ordered to stop transporting students. An exit lock signal and outside warning light were both not working at the time of the inspection.

PULASKI, IA (IRN) – The body of a woman found in a burned-out car late last month in Davis County has been identified. The Department of Public Safety says the body of 63-year-old Sharon Mortiz, of Northwood, was found by a farmer on Jan. 27 near the small community of Pulaski. Officials haven’t released how she died.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque business was destroyed by fire this morning. KCRG-TV reports around 4:15 a.m., crews responded to a fire at Link Hydraulic. The building and all inside are a total loss. No one was injurd.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa House Republicans have advanced a bill that would outlaw “sanctuary cities” and withhold state funds for any city or county that doesn’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The Des Moines Register reports that many law enforcement officials are against the bill, saying it’s a waste of resources, addresses a problem that doesn’t exist, and that it would make our communities less safe. There are no sanctuary cities in Iowa, and officials say it would drive hard-working, law-abiding immigrants back into the shadows.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Iowa-based retailer announced Wednesday that it plans to build a new two-level store at Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines, an expansion that goes against a nationwide trend of department stores closing. KCCI-TV reports Von Maur is expanding in spite of a declining market. General Manager Randy Tennison says, “you can’t just be a normal, everyday retail center anymore — you have to make sure it’s an entire experience for customers.”

ATHENS COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A trip into “dark web” drug deals has resulted in the arrest of an Iowa man for allegedly selling thousands of dollars in narcotics to college students in Ohio using bitcoin. ABC News reports 42-year old Anthony Scott Boeckholt of Forest City was arrested on Jan. 29 for allegedly selling drugs including fentanyl to two students in Athens, Ohio. Two drug overdose deaths in 2017 at Ohio University in Athens have been linked to the investigation surrounding Boeckholt.

GEORGE, IA (IRN) – A 10-year-old girl has died in a house fire. The Sioux City Journal reports that Riley Meyer, a third grader at Central Lyon Elementary School, died when her family’s house in George burned early Sunday. The blaze took several hours to extinguish and the effort was complicated by cold temperatures that caused water from the trucks to repeatedly freeze. George is a town of about 1,000 people, located about 40 miles north of Le Mars.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo School District bus was involved in an accident with four other vehicles this morning in Waterloo. KWWL-TV reports no students were on board the time of the accident. Three people, including the bus driver, suffered minor injuries.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 23-year-old man is behind bars Tuesday in connection with a brutal 2017 sexual assault. KCCI-TV reports Ames police arrested Devontez Voigts for allegedly kidnapping and sexually abusing a woman at an Ames Park last January. Voigts allegedly dragged the victim from her car into the park while covering her mouth so she couldn’t scream. Police say she was sexually assaulted at length, and that the attack was “random.”

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old man is facing a criminal charge for sexual acts with a 13-year-old girl. KCRG-TV reports the charge against Noah Neyens is third degree sexual abuse. Police say it happened at a house in Dubuque last May. Officers arrested him Tuesday after confirming his DNA matched that found in a sexual assault kit taken from the girl.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Transportation reports it had 285 trucks on roadways on Tuesday, but their plows weren’t alone. County and city plows across the state were also in operation, and countless private plows worked to push snow as well. Officials say drivers working 12-14 hour days may lead to fatigue that could either impact safety or travel conditions.

IOWA (IRN) – If the election for Iowa governor were held today, incumbent Republican Kim Reynolds would likely defeat all five of the leading Democrats trying to succeed her as the state’s chief executive. The new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll suggests two of those would-be challengers, state Sen. Nate Boulton and retired businessman Fred Hubbell, are more competitive with Reynolds than other Democrats in the race. While that’s good news for Reynolds, she doesn’t garner more than 44% of the vote in any matchup, as 22% of those polled are unsure who they would vote for.