NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A Charles City man has been arrested in connection with the death of a Newton man who was found inside of his rural home in March. The Newton Daily News reports 52-year-old Randy L. Linderman of Charles City is facing a first-degree murder charge for the death of 61-year-old Jose Ramirez Berber. The autopsy results determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma.

EXIRA, IA (IRN) – Firefighters from multiple departments were called in to battle a large building fire in western Iowa. KETV reports the fire started in downtown Exira at Jerry’s Bar around 2:30 a.m. Officials said more than 26 fire departments assisted with the blaze. Four buildings were destroyed which include a bar, apartment building, a coffee shop and a psychologist’s office across the street.

CLIVE, IA (IRN) – A man threatened to stab managers at the Applebee’s in Clive earlier this week, sending the restaurant into lockdown, according to KCCI-TV. 23-year old Joel Moots had been throwing rocks at cars in the parking lot and threatening to stab restaurant employees with a knife. Employees managed to lock him out of the restaurant, and he was attempting to break the window on the door and enter, when police arrived. He’s in jail.

MARION, IA (IRN) – Two people were treated for injuries after a motorcycle crash in Marion last night, according to KWWL-TV. Two people were on the motorcycle when a car turned in front of them. The motorcyclists went to the hospital for treatment of injuries. No one in the car was injured.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Human Services says another newborn has been turned over to the state under Iowa’s safe haven law. It’s the 28th time the law has been used to protect the welfare of an infant since it was approved following a 2001 case in which a teenage mother in eastern Iowa killed her home-delivered newborn. The law lets parents hand over custody of babies up to 14 days old without fear of prosecution.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Kids in Dubuque are finishing up bible school in a different way. KCRG-TV reports Pastor John Crawford told the kids at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church if they raised $500 for charity, he would shave his head like a monk–with a bald spot in the middle of his hair. The kids raised over $700. The pastor is pleased with the outcome–”I think it’s awesome and worthwhile for looking like a fool for a little bit.”

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – A black bear is wandering central Iowa, according to the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office. The reporting party provided photographs, and the DNR was contacted. Deputies were unable to locate the animal, but they did find hair they believe belongs to a black bear. The hair will be sent to the DNR lab for testing.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A man has been given 15 years in prison for stealing money and the safe it was in from his Burlington employer. The Hawk Eye reports that 26-year-old Jacob Smith was sentenced Tuesday as a habitual criminal because of his previous convictions. Smith stole the safe and more than $4,700 in cash from the hardware store where he’d been working. Investigators suspect Smith had an accomplice, but he’s refused to cooperate with them.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A swimming accident severely injured an Ankeny teen. On July 4th 16-year-old Justin Thorn, a lifeguard, jumped into a friend’s pool, hit the bottom and broke his neck. Justin has no feeling from the chest down. The family is praying for a miracle.

WASHINGTON, IA (IRN) – Senator Chuck Grassley wants to bring former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Manafort was at a meeting involving President Donald Trump’s son and a Russian lawyer. Grassley says he has several questions and the panel will subpoena Manafort if necessary. According to emails released Tuesday by Donald Trump Jr., he appeared eager to accept information from the Russian government that could have damaged Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

NEW YORK, IA (IRN) – Verizon confirmed Wednesday the personal data of 6 million customers has leaked online. ZDNet reports a human error made customer phone numbers, names, and some PIN codes publicly available online.

AMES, IA (IRN) – The 2017 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team was announced yesterday, and two Cyclones made the list — senior wide receiver Allen Lazard and safety Kamari Cotton-Moya.
The team was chosen by media representatives who cover the league. Lazard was one of the best receivers in the nation last year, and Cotton-Moya is a leader on defense.

IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Severe storms hit eastern Iowa early Tuesday morning and again Tuesday evening with a tornado and funnel clouds spotted, according to KCII-Radio. At about 6 p.m. a State Trooper who was flying an airplane reported a tornado in Iowa County, near South Amana. Funnel clouds were also seen near Conroy and Homestead.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics accidentally posted online for two years the names, admission dates and medical record numbers of around 5,300 current and former patients. The files didn’t contain clinical information, Social Security or credit card numbers. Patients impacted were notified by letter.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman was shot several times in the stomach Monday night in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports a passerby found the woman outside of a strip mall. The woman told police she was shot at a nearby apartment complex. She was able to give police a description of the man who shot her, and a vehicle description. He was taken into custody a short time later.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Three dogs died after being left in a hot car in Ottumwa over the weekend, according to KTVO-TV. Ottumwa hosted the annual Southeastern Iowa Kennel Club All-Breed Dog Show on Saturday and Sunday, and police believe the dogs had been part of the show. The investigation is ongoing.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man called West Des Moines Police yesterday and told them he had barricaded himself inside Valley West Mall and he was armed with explosives. WHO-TV reports when police arrived, they couldn’t find him. After tracking his phone, they found him nearby in a dumpster, with no explosives. He is undergoing mental evaluation.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Several strangers worked together to try to save a Cascade man’s life after a motorcycle crash in Dubuque on Monday, according to KCRG-TV. The crash killed the motorcycle rider. An off-duty Dubuque firefighter was first on scene, and was soon joined by two women who started doing chest compressions and respiration. One of the women says she hopes the man’s final memories included the kindness of strangers.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Police are working to identify a body that was pulled from the Mississippi River near Dubuque on Sunday. WQAD-TV reports the body could not be immediately identified because of decomposition. Authorities say it could be 19-year-old Allison Morgan who disappeared January 2. Witnesses say she abandoned her car on a bridge, climbed over the rail, and disappeared five miles upstream of where the body was found.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A motorcyclist is dead after a crash involving a car in Dubuque yesterday, according to KWWL-TV. The cause of the crash isn’t known. The victim was taken to a local hospital, but did not survive.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new federal courthouse is going to be constructed at the former site of the Riverfront YMCA in downtown Des Moines, but the city of Des Moines isn’t happy. WHO-TV reports city officials say the site is one of the best pieces of real estate in Iowa, and it will now be off the tax roles. The city had a riverfront experience with cafés and restaurants in mind.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines Firefighter has a new nickname after making two special deliveries this month. KCCI-TV reports Des Moines fire engineer Brian Schmitz is now being called “the Stork” after he helped deliver two babies. After 13 years on the department, Schmitz had never delivered a baby until he delivered two in a span of just weeks. Both babies are doing fine.