COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Authorities have charged a Council Bluffs man accused of spanking his 2-year-old so hard she was left with bruises. 25-year-old Ryan Rapier is charged with felony child endangerment resulting in injury. The Daily Nonpareil reports Rapier told investigators that he’d spanked the girl twice Monday because she kept getting out of her crib and throwing things around the bedroom. He said he lost his temper and didn’t mean to hurt the child. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – An Iowa prosecutor said the motel clerk was a bad actor, and the jury agreed, convicting the man of theft and other crimes during a staged robbery. The Hawk Eye reports that 28-year-old Charles Smith and an accomplice faked a struggle during the fairytale robbery at a Burlington motel. The two “struggled,” and the other man fled with a wad of cash in one hand and a pistol in the other. Investigators found the performance unconvincing. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Board of Regents has approved a tuition increase at Iowa’s three public universities, starting in the fall. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports the board voted Thursday to approve an across-the-board $216 tuition hike. Regents say increases are needed because the Iowa Legislature has reduced state funding to the institutions by nearly $30 million. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Hospital Association is opposing the Republican proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, according to KCRG-TV. The association says under the Act, fewer are using charity care, and that more than 150,000 Iowans gained access to health care because of the medicaid expansion back in 2014. They will lose coverage under the proposed plan. AMES, IA (IRN) – Experts at ISU and the DNR say a common chemical used by farmers is sickening oak leaves, leaving them deformed as if they’ve been eaten by insects. The condition is known as oak tatters, and scientists say the chemical acetochlor (ass-UH-toe-cluhr) is to blame. So far, the DNR has received more than 1,000 reports of oak tatters this spring — most of which are from the eastern half of the state where white oaks are most prevalent. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – After more than two months without a winner, the Powerball jackpot has grown to $435 million. The jackpot for Saturday night’s drawing will tie for the nation’s 10th largest lottery prize. No one has matched all the balls drawn in the game since April 1, when a player in Arizona won $60 million. The chance of winning the jackpot? About one in three million.

FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – The mayor of a northern Iowa community has been fined for illegally selling fireworks out of his van. KCCI-TV reports George Andersen pled guilty and was fined $250. He’s mayor of Nora Springs. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Council Bluffs mother who admitted to police that she shoved her 1-year-old child’s arm into hot coffee, causing severe burns, has pled guilty and been sentenced to five years in prison. The Daily Nonpareil reports that 36-year-old Rebecca Brahier told officers the baby kept reaching for her coffee cup, so she intentionally submerged the baby’s arm in the hot coffee to “teach him a lesson.” CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Falls Police are trying to identify a man caught on security video taking photos up a woman’s skirt. KCRG-TV reports the man followed the woman, pretending to be shopping behind her. When her back was to him, he used his cellphone to take photos up her skirt several times. When he accidentally made physical contact with the woman, he quickly left the store. CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – Two men have been charged with burglaries in Charles City, according to KIMT-TV. They have been accused of burglarizing the YMCA and Trinity United Methodist Church. HOUSTON, TX (IRN) – NASA introduced 12 new astronauts Wednesday, and one of them is an Iowan. Lt. Col. Raja Chari, nicknamed “Grinder,” is the 39-year-old commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Chari earned a Master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. He’s from Waterloo.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Falls Police have arrested a man accused of robbing a child and assaulting the child’s mother at Chuck E Cheese. KCRG-TV reports 23-year-old Deonte Jenkins turned himself in. A tip helped police identify Jenkins who was seen on surveillance video taking $85 from the child’s gift bag in May. The camera also caught Jenkins pushing the child’s mother into a wall when she confronted him about the theft. He faces up to 2 years in jail if convicted. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A total of 72 more stores operated by Sears are getting the axe. The Business Insider reports that another 16 Sears stores, 49 Kmart stores and seven auto centers will be closed; most locations by September. The new round of closings is in addition to 180 that were announced earlier this year. The Iowa stores closing are the Kmarts in Marshalltown and Iowa City. QUAD CITIES (IRN) – Officials in the Quad Cities are looking for a man who fell into the Mississippi River last night. WQAD-TV reports Van Thang was walking along the river, when he said he heard someone screaming for help. He jumped in the river to try to save a six year-old boy and another man. He was able to save the boy, but the man drifted away. GRIMES, IA (IRN) – The state fire marshal has approved the sale of consumer-grade fireworks in 12 locations across the state, but prospective retailers are having a tough time getting approval. KCCI-TV reports Shooters Fireworks in Grimes has been ready to sell fireworks since the first of the month but their permit hasn’t been approved. Sales have been approved in Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Ottumwa and three locations in Spirit Lake. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Education has ordered Iowa City schools to make changes to the use of seclusion rooms. Those are confined spaces with padded walls. KCRG-TV reports the schools handled a majority of cases properly, but it was found the staff sometimes used those rooms for minor incidents, not for a safety risk. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – A group of veterans who served in Afghanistan are showing their appreciation to a Vietnam vet. WHO-TV reports a veteran owned company in Urbandale is giving a new roof, free of charge, to a veteran in Carlisle this week. It’s their way of saying thank you, and the couple on the receiving end is grateful. Titan Roofing & Exteriors is hiring veterans to work, and when possible, tries to help a veteran in need of a new roof.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – Police are searching for a missing Coralville man who was last seen Monday in North Liberty, according to KCII Radio. Family members say that 37-year-old Michael David Graham sent texts saying he was forced into the trunk of his car while working. Graham’s car is a black, four-door 2016 Volkswagen Jetta. His cell phone last pinged near Keota in Washington County. WORTH COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man is lucky to be alive after spending an extended period of time under a tractor bucket on a farm southeast of Manly. KIMT-TV reports the man spent nearly 8 hours trapped before the call for help came in. He was transported to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa with unknown injuries. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – First responders took a woman to the hospital following a fire at an apartment building in Dubuque last night. KCRG-TV reports the fire started in a bathroom, but haven’t reported the cause. The victim’s name and the nature of her injuries are unknown. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Governor Reynolds denies she did anything wrong last week when she asked an Iowa businessman to use his private jet, according to WHO-TV. Reynolds flew around the state for free on a jet owned by Gary Kirke, who is trying to get a gaming license so he can open a casino in Linn County. Reynolds says she has no influence on whether or not that license will be granted by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. However, two of the current members’ terms expire next year, and Reynolds will pick their replacements. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bystander at a McDonald’s restaurant drive-thru in Des Moines captured a nasty brawl on video showing a woman assaulting an employee. KCCI-TV reports the fight began when the woman wasn’t getting her McChicken sandwiches quickly enough. After the fight, the woman and the two men she was with, left. A McDonald’s spokesperson says “life’s too short to get mad over a chicken sandwich.” Witnesses say the three were drunk. DECORAH, IA (IRN) – When Luther College football fans head to Carlson Stadium this fall, the field is going to look different, according to KWWL-TV. That’s because the college has announced they’re replacing their green football field with blue turf. Yes, blue turf. Luther’s colors are blue and white.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police have identified the body of a man who went missing in the Des Moines River last Monday. KCCI-TV reports a man living in a homeless camp under Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway cleared out a nearby boat that was filled with debris, jumped into the boat and floated down toward the Scott Street Dam. 56-year-old Ronald Weaver became trapped on wires near the dam, and went under the water and drowned. CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A man who has three convictions of domestic abuse is behind bars after being charged with felony domestic assault. KIMT-TV reports Clear Lake police arrested 45-year-old Jason Henry Hoff on Sunday. Hoff allegedly struck the victim in the face, in the head, causing bruising and swelling, and pushed the victim’s head into a mirror on the wall. Hoff has been convicted of domestic abuse in 1998, 2005 and 2009. DEWITT, IA (IRN) – Five people were hurt in a gas explosion Saturday at Guardian Glass in DeWitt, according to WHO-TV. Five employees required medical attention, but all were released with minor injuries. The explosion involved natural gas, but the exact cause is under investigation. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Farm Bureau and members of Congress from farm states are opposing proposed cuts to crop insurance and other safety net programs for farmers included in President Donald Trump’s budget. The proposed cuts come as farmers are facing their fourth straight year of falling income, and could particularly affect farm states such as Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska that helped Trump win the November election. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Democrat Kim Weaver is dropping her bid for a rematch against U.S. Rep. Steve King. The Des Moines Register reports Weaver announced Saturday she is ending her campaign. Weaver says she’s concerned about her mother’s ongoing health problems and threats she has received. She has also received criticism for her time of employment as a telephone “psychic.” Weaver lost to King in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District in 2016. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 97-year-old Baxter man who served in the Army during World War II threw out the first pitch as the Iowa Cubs took the field at Principal Park in Des Moines Sunday against the Nashville Sound. KCCI-TV reports when Lawrence Halter was asked what he was thinking about when he tossed the first pitch, he replied, “Freedom.”