MCGREGOR, IA (IRN) – After a tornado hit the town of McGregor on Wednesday night, a resident died while cleaning up from the storm. 72-year-old Roger Witter was killed when his tractor rolled over on top of him as he was helping clean up debris. WAVERLY, IA (IRN) – Four were hurt in a train versus car collision in Waverly yesterday. KCRG-TV reports a woman failed to see a passing train and hit it, causing minor damage to the train engine. The driver and three passengers received minor injuries. FAYETTE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Residents in northeastern Iowa were forced to evacuate their homes Saturday after the Volga River hit a crest of about 14 feet following strong storms earlier this week. In Sumner, a town about 35 miles northeast of Waterloo, as much as 10 inches of rain fell within 24 hours. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s unemployment rate rose slightly in June to 3.2 percent, even as the state added more than 11,000 jobs. Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the biggest job gains were in leisure and hospitality. There also was an increase in manufacturing jobs.

KANAWHA, IA (IRN) – A woman from the northern Iowa town of Kanawha is being accused of stealing drugs from a nursing home patient. 51-year-old Denise Ranae Wagner has been charged with prohibited acts and dependent adult abuse. She allegedly stole a fentanyl patch from a resident in June while she worked at the Kanawha Community Home. A fentanyl patch is a powerful painkilling drug that is applied to the skin. MARENGO, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man accused of punching to death a 2-year-old girl has pled not guilty. KCCI-TV reports 29-year-old Cody Stevenson struck the daughter of his girlfriend three or four times in the abdomen on June 30 at a Williamsburg apartment. The girl died July 3. BUCHANAN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A cargo truck was pulled from the Wapsipinicon River just east of Independence Friday afternoon. Road crews discovered the accident when they noticed a guardrail had been smashed near the river. Tire tracks led away from the guardrail and into the river, where the cargo truck was found. The driver wasn’t located, and is still missing. IOWA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol is changing tactics looking for drivers texting while behind the wheel. The Department of Public Safety says people will often put their phones down when they see a marked patrol car, so troopers are switching up their methods. DPS officials say they might be in an RV or wearing construction gear along the side of the road, looking for distracted drivers. MARION, IA (IRN) – A Vietnam veteran who missed out on getting medals he earned 50 years ago got caught up with a little help on Friday. KCRG-TV reports Senator Chuck Grassley presented several medals to Rich Brace of Marion. Brace served in Vietnam in 1967-68. He says the paperwork was flawed when he left the service and he never got it corrected to receive all his earned medals. Brace says he’ll pass the medals on to his grandson.

CLIVE, IA (IRN) – Iowa lottery receipts are down, according to the Des Moines Register. Lottery figures released Thursday show the lottery generated nearly $81 million for the state in the year ending June 30 – down around $7 million from the record $88 million the previous fiscal year. CASEY, IA (IRN) – Authorities are investigating a robbery at the Rolling Hills Bank in Casey, according to Raccoon Valley Radio. No one was injured, and it hasn’t been released whether or not the robber left with any money. MCGREGOR, IA (IRN) – The small town of McGregor in northeastern Iowa suffered serious damage from a high end EF-1 tornado Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Several buildings in the historic town along the Mississippi River were damaged or destroyed.The good news is no one was injured. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Strategic Behavioral Health has been given the green light to build a mental health facility in Bettendorf. WQAD-TV reports the company will close on the land within 30 days, and hope to be open for business next year. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A special display at the Iowa State Fair will mark 35 years since 12-year-old Johnny Gosch, a West Des Moines newspaper delivery boy, disappeared without a trace. KCCI-TV reports the little red wooden wagon that Johnny used to carry those newspapers hasn’t been seen since that Sunday morning he disappeared in 1982, but now the Iowa State Patrol will display the wagon and its history at the patrol’s spot inside the Grandstand. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Six years ago a Cedar Rapids woman saved the life of a man from Denmark, and just this week they met for the first time. KCRG-TV reports Jonas Staal and Rachel Kruse met at the airport in Iowa City after years of waiting. Jonas had leukemia, and Rachel was his match and donated her bone marrow. Jonas says, “I wouldn’t have survived the chemo without Rachel’s donation.”

IDA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health announced Thursday that testing at the State Hygienic Laboratory has confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus disease in Iowa in 2017. The department said a middle-aged Ida County man tested positive for the virus, but was not hospitalized and is recovering. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City Police will charge a man with the June murder of an Iowa City cab driver when he is extradited back to Johnson County. Police say on June 27, 41-year-old Curtis Jones took a cab ride and then shot the driver, Ricky Lillie in the head. He was then seen on surveillance video leaving the location of where Lillie was found. Several items belonging to Lillie were missing. Jones has been in and out of prison since 2001. EASTERN IOWA (IRN) – Severe thunderstorms tracked across northeastern Iowa Wednesday evening. The storms began over southern Minnesota bringing widespread damaging winds to northern and northeast Iowa, southern Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, and northern Illinois. Reports of downed trees and winds up to 70 mph were seen with these storms. KCRG-TV reports damage to homes and trees in McGregor, Winneshiek County, and Claremont. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Republican lawmaker in Iowa has called on one of his party’s statehouse leaders to resign following the conclusion of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former legislative aide. Sen. Rick Bertrand of Sioux City says Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix of Shell Rock should resign after a jury awarded $2.2 million to Kirsten Anderson, a former caucus communications director. The jury determined she was fired in 2013 after she reported rampant sexual harassment in the caucus office. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – People across the country are patiently waiting for a rare flower to bloom at the Des Moines Botanical Garden. The titan arum, more commonly known as the corpse flower, emits a fragrance – similar to rotting flesh – when it blooms. There are only a few of them around the world. The flower is expected to bloom within the next 10 days and will only stay open for less than 24 hours. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Kids in Davenport looking to get away from the summer heat for the next two weeks can go to the park to find some relief. WQAD-TV reports the Davenport Fire Department started their “Beat the Heat” initiative at parks in the city. For one hour the department opens up a fire hydrant to let kids cool off.

DEWITT, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating the death of an elderly man killed when a train struck his car in the Clinton County town of DeWitt. KWQC-TV reports 86-year-old Harvey Witt’s 1986 Ford Tempo stalled on the tracks at a Union Pacific crossing around 10:30 p.m. Police say they do not know why Witt didn’t exit the vehicle as the train was approaching. NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is facing charges after leading authorities on a pursuit that reached 151 miles per hour. KGAN-TV reports 31-year-old Jordan Fetter cut in front of an trooper going 90 mph on a motorcycle near the I-80/I-380 interchange Monday. The trooper then activated his lights, and Fetter accelerated to 151 mph. Fetter was eventually stopped, but had to be shot with a stun gun to be apprehended. He was found with a loaded 9mm pistol, brass knuckles, a tin box with a green leafy substance, syringes and a baggie of white powder. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines family is mourning the loss of their 18-day-old baby girl, after she came in contact with someone with a cold sore. KCCI-TV reports Mariana Sifrit died Tuesday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after being hospitalized for 10 days. The virus attacked Mariana’s blood, bone marrow, kidneys, liver, and brain. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man has pled guilty to having sex with an incapacitated woman. KCRG-TV reports 26-year-old Nathan Schloss sexually abused the woman multiple times and recorded it. Authorities say there could be multiple other victims. Police discovered the videos after Schloss turned in a hard drive to show them a video of his former roommate torturing a cat. The roommate received probation. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former Iowa Senate Republican caucus staffer who accused supervisors of ignoring a “boy’s club” culture that fostered rampant sexual harassment was awarded $2.2 million Tuesday by a Polk County jury. The Des Moines Register reports former communications director Kirsten Anderson was fired in May of 2012, seven hours after handing in a memo detailing her concerns about a toxic work environment in the Republican caucus office. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – West Des Moines firefighters made a series of unusual rescues yesterday. WHO-TV reports a passerby noticed flames coming from the rear of a home and knocked on the door, but no one answered. Firefighters arrived and were able to save three dogs and two birds as well as put out the fire. The homeowners returned while firefighters were still on scene, and when they found out all the animals were safe, one of the homeowners collapsed in tears of joy.