DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – State officials have issued burn bans in four Iowa counties due to dry conditions. The Iowa Department of Public Safety’s State Fire Marshal issued the bans this week for Decatur in southern Iowa and Lee, Wapello and Muscatine counties in southeastern Iowa. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after being shot in the chest in Des Moines Friday afternoon, according to WOI-TV. Another victim was shot in the foot. Police believe the victims and the potential suspect knew each other, and the suspect is still at large. This was the ninth homicide of 2017 in Des Moines. IOWA (IRN) – Hospitals across Iowa are scrambling to fill nursing positions, with hundreds of openings in the Des Moines area alone, according to WHO-TV. Unity Point in Des Moines has 170 nursing positions open and St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids has 71. To make matters worse, 21% of Iowa’s aging nurses are eligible to retire, and registered nurses in Iowa make the least amount of money of nurses across the entire United States. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Republican Sen. Joni Ernst met with confrontational crowds in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids where she was repeatedly shouted down and booed. KCCI-TV reports Ernst drew laughter and booing when speaking about the Republican replacement for Obamacare, and faced shouts for suggesting climate change is natural. She drew applause when she said President Donald Trump should release his tax returns. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Scott Community College student will be honored next month for winning a national award, according to WQAD-TV. At the age of 37 Megan Linzy found herself without a high school diploma, and holding several part-time jobs. Afraid her son Charles wouldn’t get his diploma, she challenged him that if he graduated, she’d go back to school to earn her GED. Both got their degrees at the same time. Megan is dyslexic, and has been named the National Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year. She wants to be a teacher.

PLANO, TX (IRN) – JC Penney has announced that it’s closing 138 stores nationwide. Iowa stores closing include those in Decorah, Ottumwa, Oskaloosa, and Fort Dodge. The Texas-based company says approximately 5,000 jobs will be lost, and blame declining sales as a result of online purchases. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A Burlington man is accused of using eye drops to poison his wife, according to WKOW. 45-year-old Darin Tiedt squirted Visine into his wife’s soda, possibly for weeks, before she caught him doing it Sunday. She says she started noticing her health decline about a month ago, about the same time she told her husband she wanted a divorce. The active ingredient in Visine eye drops, even in small amounts, can cause serious breathing and blood pressure complications. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Republicans in the Iowa House have passed a bill that would overhaul how workers are compensated for on-the-job injuries, according to KCCI-TV. The GOP-majority chamber voted Thursday to revamp standards for hurt workers in Iowa, including reducing benefits for shoulder injuries and decreasing coverage for injuries tied to pre-existing conditions. Democrats say the changes unfairly penalize injured workers. DECORAH, IA (IRN) – Two men have been arrested after a fight sent one of them to the hospital. KIMT-TV reports 20-year-old Jordan Nelson of West Union went to Lake Meyer to fight with another man. When Nelson arrived, 30-year-old Jacob Pambin of Calmar approached him with a steel pipe in his hand. Pambin dropped the pipe but continued to “go at” Nelson. Nelson then hit Pambin in the head with a baseball bat. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Two Bettendorf pawn shop employees accused of buying $16,000 worth of stolen jewelry, and not giving it back to its rightful owner after she came into the store, will each pay a $625 fine and will spend one year on probation. KWQC-TV reports the Scott County Attorney’s office dropped a more serious theft charge in exchange for the pleas. MILWAUKEE, WI (IRN) – The Iowa State Cyclones are one win away from back-to-back trips to the Sweet Sixteen. WHO-TV reports the Cyclones knocked off the Nevada Wolf Pack last night in the first day of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, 84-73. The Cyclones play again Saturday against #4 seed Purdue. A win would send them back to the Sweet Sixteen in Kansas City, possibly in a matchup against the 1-seed Kansas Jayhawks.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – New information details the deplorable conditions inside a West Des Moines home where a 16-year-old girl died of malnutrition. KCCI-TV reports the children were kept in a room with no beds, and that boards were nailed over the home’s windows because the children had been sneaking out of the house panhandling for food down the street at a convenience store. Natalie Finn had been lying on the floor of a room for some time when police found her amid human and animal waste wearing an adult diaper. Her parents face multiple charges. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person was killed Wednesday in an early morning garage fire in Des Moines. Four people were home at the time of the fire, and after it was extinguished, they learned one family member, Charlie Flanders, had perished. Family members were unsure why Charlie was in the garage, but noted he had a troubled past, having been in and out of prison. They said he had been working hard to rebuild his relationships with family, and they will miss him. GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AZ (IRN) – Rangers at Grand Canyon National Park have recovered the body of an Iowa man who fell from the rim of the canyon. KCRG-TV reports a helicopter crew was able to locate him about 280 feet below the rim. The body was identified as 30-year-old Gom Dang of Ankeny. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A 42-year-old Camanche woman has been found guilty in an insurance fraud case involving a fire that destroyed her boyfriend’s house. Beth Galloway twice drove a minor to James Plower’s home to attempt to set fire to it, and failed. Plower eventually set fire to the house and then collected more than $66,000 from his insurance company to cover the loss. He’s serving 13 years in prison. AMES, IA (IRN) – Walmart has opened a new SuperCenter in Ames. The new store was built almost touching the old one. Employees were able to move items through a hole in the wall of the old store into the new store. The ribbon was cut by a long-time Walmart Associate everyone calls “Miss Ruth,” a 30-year store employee, who was there when the ribbon was cut on the original Walmart store next door, in 1985.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Most abortions in Iowa would be prohibited after 20 weeks under a bill passed Tuesday by the Iowa Senate. Republican lawmakers said the legislation is a positive step that will curb abortions. Senate Democrats say abortion should be a woman’s choice. The bill says that any person who intentionally terminates a pregnancy that has reached 20 weeks commits a Class C felony. The bill allows exceptions to preserve the life of the mother. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Some Davenport residents are still without power after storms went through Iowa last week. WQAD-TV reports many of the residents of the Patriot Mobile Home Park have no water, heat, or electricity. The park owns the electrical poles, and the park manager says it could be months before power is restored. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Hiawatha man facing a murder charge will claim insanity at his trial. KCRG-TV reports 32-year-old Joseph Hubbard is alleged to have killed his mother when he shoved an apple down her throat. Police found Hubbard naked on a street trying to break into vehicles. He previously tried to burn his clothes in a storage shed of a church and punched a man while there. Police later found his mother’s body at the mobile home park where they lived. HAMILTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person died Tuesday in a single-vehicle accident in Hamilton County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 54-year-old Michelle Salter of Fort Dodge lost control of her 1993 Chevy Lumina minivan, entered the ditch, and collided head-on into a concrete bridge pillar. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man has been charged for crashing his vehicle into an iconic Des Moines sculpture causing $250,000 in damages. KCCI-TV reports 64-year-old Ronald Hollar has been charged with second offense OWI after crashing into the “Spectral Liberation” sculpture outside the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. When asked to estimate how intoxicated he was on a scale of 1-10, Hollar stated he was a six. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is accusing a Colorado-based company of ripping people off by selling what they claim is drinkable sunscreen. WHO-TV reports the product is called Harmonized Water, and claims to be a “UV neutralizer” that can protect people from harmful solar rays by being sprayed into the mouth. It promises to create a “wave” that blocks UV radiation. Miller says there is no valid testing to back up that claim.

CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A former Clear Lake police officer has reached a plea deal in his domestic abuse case. Thirty-six-year-old Ryan Eskildsen has pled not guilty to a misdemeanor count. He’s accused of grabbing and striking his wife at their home in November. Eskildsen quit the Clear Lake force Feb. 10. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – The Sioux City school board is urging Congress to support immigrant students. The Sioux City Journal reports that the board voted Monday for a resolution that urged members of the U.S. House and Senate to adopt the Bridge Act. The measure would continue protections granted to young people under the program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which is aimed at helping young people who arrived in this country as children. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Lawmakers held an oversight hearing Monday on the handling of the case of a 16-year-old West Des Moines girl who died of starvation in October. KCCI-TV reports officials with the DHS discussed training, caseloads and the hurdles that they faced while investigating Natalie Finn’s case. Officials say for the most part the system is working, but they don’t have the staff to handle the over 100 new reports of abuse received every day. CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – Several people are homeless after a fire at an apartment complex in Charles City early this morning. KIMT-TV reports once on scene, firefighters could see flames coming through windows on the main floor. One person was hospitalized. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Ottumwa police are investigating a hit-and-run that happened during the storm on March 6. Just before 10 p.m., a woman was riding her bike when she was struck by a vehicle. She was transported to Iowa City for treatment. Police say it was raining hard when she was hit, and they have no suspects. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – During a press conference Monday, Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds commented on Sunday’s controversial remarks by Congressman Steve King on Twitter. King posted “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.” Many have called the post racist. Governor Branstad says he disagrees with King, and it was wrong to post. Lt. Governor Reynolds says “I don’t believe it’s reflective of Iowans or Iowa values.”