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.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Two people have been arrested and charged with an aggravated misdemeanor after a child was found hurt in Waterloo. KWWL-TV reports an investigation began on Oct. 10 for a 19-month-old child who had different stages of bruising on his head and body. Police say the toddler, and three other siblings, were removed from the residence. Officers have arrested John Mercurio and Nevena Soknia.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A dog was killed in a house fire in Ottumwa early this morning, according to KTVO-TV. Crews responding to the scene found the house fully engulfed. Only one man lived in the house and he was not home at the time. Unfortunately, his dog was.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A Republican power couple who work in Iowa’s executive branch are facing scrutiny after moonlighting as agents of Saudi Arabia to oppose a new law allowing victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to sue the kingdom. KGAN-TV reports Connie and Kim Schmett are facing accusations that they were part of an effort that misled veterans by concealing who was funding their advocacy work. The Schmetts say it’s an “oversight” that they didn’t file papers on their consulting for the Saudis.

NEW LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – New Liberty and Durant fire crews responded to an animal feed farm in New Liberty early this morning. KGAN-TV reports the fire started from spontaneous combustion of feed. No one was hurt.

NEVADA, IA (IRN) – Dow-DuPont is trying to find a buyer for the 225 million-dollar cellulosic ethanol facility in Nevada, Iowa. WHO-TV reports Dow-DuPont says they’ll keep the lights on using a skeleton crew until they find a buyer, but did not say how many of the 90 or so employees would get to keep their job. Officials say uncertainty in the biofuels market contributed to the decision to sell.

STORM LAKE, IA (IRN) – A college cheerleader quit the team after her institution mandated that athletes stand during the national anthem. Her decision comes after Buena Vista University in Storm Lake came under scrutiny following several football players and cheerleaders choosing to kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” BVU student Alyssa Parker, who is African-American, sent an email to her coach Monday, saying that ignoring her personal strong beliefs on social injustice is “problematic.”