MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – Two bodies were found this morning in Mason City and a person is wanted as a material witness. KIMT-TV reports police are looking for 25-year-old Codie Matz in connection to the investigation. Matz may be armed and suicidal.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Authorities say an inmate has been listed as escaped from the work release facility in Des Moines. The Iowa Corrections Department says 30-year-old Samuel Washington Jr., didn’t return to the facility as required Monday night. The department says Washington is serving time for domestic abuse assault, third or subsequent offense, in Polk County.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A gas station employee was injured during a robbery in Davenport, according to WQAD-TV. The robbery was reported at the Mt. Joy BP/Amoco gas station at around 9 p.m. There have been no arrests.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – One person has died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a Marshalltown church, according to WHO-TV. Fourteen others were inside the church when they too suffered carbon monoxide poisoning and were hospitalized. A gasoline generator was being used inside the confined space. The Marshalltown Fire Department deemed the building unsafe in 2011, and neighbors were surprised to hear people were congregating inside.

INWOOD, IA (IRN) – Two people are in the hospital with serious injuries following a helicopter crash in northwest Iowa. KSFY-TV reports the helicopter went down Monday afternoon in a field near West Lyon High School in Inwood. The helicopter was helping search for 300 head of cattle when it hit a power line and crashed.

INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – Simpson College announced a new initiative Monday that will offer free tuition to incoming freshmen next fall. KCCI-TV reports “The Simpson Promise” will cover the full cost of tuition for students with families who have a 2016 adjusted gross income at or below $60,000. To qualify, students must be from Iowa and must be 2018 graduates from Iowa high schools.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Just because you don’t have sight, doesn’t mean you can’t have vision.
KWWL-TV reports Dubuque third grader Ryder Drapeau proved that recently, when his art piece, “Blue Dog Blue,” won first place in a national art competition. Ryder says art is his favorite subject at school. While his classmates might draw a scene, Ryder cuts foam and paper to make his three-dimensional works of art. His teacher says, “ he really is amazing, it’s amazing what he comes up with.”

PLEASANT HILL, IA (IRN) – A Pleasant Hill man has been charged with first-degree murder after he got in a fight with his girlfriend’s father and killed him early Sunday. The Des Moines Register reports 26-year-old Ricky St. John is being held without bond at the Polk County Jail. 46-year-old Timothy Neal was pronounced dead at Iowa Lutheran Hospital. No weapons were involved.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Johnston mother accused of leaving her four children home alone while she traveled to Europe has pled not guilty. KGAN-TV reports Erin Macke tried but failed to make child care arrangements for her children — two age 12, one 7, one 6 — before leaving Sept. 20 for a vacation in Germany. Police say the father of one of the children was called by his child the next day, and he called police.

DELAWARE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A landowner in Delaware County found more than a dozen dead rabbits at the base of a wind turbine on his property Wednesday. KWWL-TV reports the black and white domestic rabbits had their necks snapped, and were scattered under the propellers of a wind turbine. The Sheriff’s office suspects the rabbits were likely placed under the turbine to attract eagles and other birds into the path of the propellers by anti-wind activists.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A judge has ruled that a man accused in a deadly shooting on Iowa City’s pedestrian mall cannot avoid trial using Iowa’s new “stand your ground” law as a defense. The Press-Citizen reports the judge ruled that 23-year-old Lamar Wilson’s case must first be heard by a jury. Wilson is charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with an Aug. 27 shooting that killed one man and injured two others. He has pled not guilty.

OELWEIN, IA (IRN) – Someone shot and killed a zebra in Oelwein, according to KCRG-TV. The zebra’s owner says he knows who did it after receiving online threats for months. The accused man says he has mental health issues, and made the threats, but didn’t kill the zebra.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – What began as a community service project has become a tradition for a group of hair stylists in Des Moines. WHO-TV reports a few times a year, Salon Spa W hair stylists visit the Central Iowa Shelter and Services to give free haircuts and manicures. On Sunday, they cut hair for about 75 people. Salon owner China Wong says,”You hear a lot of life stories. Sometimes they’re sad stories of loss and hardship, but I also hear a lot of stories that are very empowering and are of hope.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Postal workers will protest in Des Moines next week according to WHO-TV. The demonstrations are in response to the U.S. Postal Service’s decision to cut jobs in Des Moines. Critics say it will lead to mail service delays. The postal service plans to cut more than 20% of the Des Moines postal workforce, and half of the cuts have already been made. Postal workers and supporters will protest on Wednesday outside the downtown Des Moines office.

WEST BRANCH, IA (IRN) – A substitute teacher who pled guilty to being drunk at an eastern Iowa school has lost her state license. The Des Moines Register reports that the Iowa Board of Education Examiners suspended the teaching license of 60-year-old Kiaya Rickard-Urban for a minimum of two years. Students at West Branch High School reported that Rickard-Urban smelled of alcohol and wasn’t acting right during class.

MORGANTOWN, W.V. (IRN) – West Virginia held on for a 20-16 victory over No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday at home. West Virginia became bowl eligible and knocked the Cyclones out of a four-way tie for first place.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Nate Stanley threw for 226 yards and five touchdowns, and Iowa throttled sixth-ranked Ohio State 55-24 on Saturday, dealing what’s likely to be a fatal blow to the Buckeyes’ playoff hopes. With the win, the Hawkeyes beat their fourth top-5 opponent in their last five tries at home.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Corrections is looking for an escaped inmate after he failed to report back to Fort Des Moines Correctional Facility, Friday night. Authorities are looking for 31-year-old David Michael Evans. Evans is convicted of assault, multiple drug-related charges, and escape while on work release in Polk County.

KEOKUK, IA (IRN) – A man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a gender-fluid Iowa teenager. The Des Moines Register reports that a jury Friday found 23-year-old Jorge Sanders-Galvez guilty in the death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson. At trial, prosecutors described Johnson as a high school student who sometimes dressed as a girl. Investigators say a struggle ensued during a sexual encounter, and Sanders-Galvez and his cousin suffocated and shot Johnson and dumped the teen’s body in an alley.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was sent to the hospital Friday night after an RV caught fire in a parking lot in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports a man, woman, two dogs and two cats were inside when the fire started. The man suffered minor injuries in the blaze. One dog was able to escape the fire, but the other three animals died. The fire started in the engine compartment when trying to start it up.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – Six people were rescued from a suspicious fire in Newton Friday morning. WHO-TV reports the fire was at the front entrance and the stairway of the building. Six people were rescued with ladders from second and third floor windows, and nobody was injured. Firefighters say it appears the fire was set intentionally.

JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two men have been charged after a deputy found more than 82 pounds of marijuana in their car during a traffic stop in Johnson County. KCRG-TV reports the driver of the car, 24-year-old Juan Salcedo, of New York City, said they were taking the marijuana to New York.