DES MOINES (IRN) – Iowa homebuilders will have more leeway on how much topsoil they place in yards. The Des Moines Register reports that the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission approved a rule Tuesday that strips out a 4-inch requirement for topsoil coverage on development lots. While the change takes out the definitive requirement for how much topsoil needs to be in a yard, it prohibits developers from removing topsoil from a lot.

JESUP, IA (IRN) – A young black bear died Sunday after being struck by a vehicle near Jesup. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that the bear was found on U.S. 20, and appeared to have died after being struck by a vehicle sometime after sunset. DNR officials don’t know what type of vehicle struck the bear or who was driving. It’s not clear whether the bear was one of the animals spotted near the Dubuque area in recent weeks. DNR officials believe at least two bears – and possibly as many as three – have been roaming the region.

DECORAH, IA (IRN) – A 71-year-old man has been killed in an eastern Iowa tractor accident. KCCI-TV reports that passers-by noticed the overturned tractor Sunday afternoon in a rural Decorah field. Officials say it appears the tractor’s brakes gave out as it was going up a hill, and the tractor then slipped backward and flipped, trapping Raymond Ransom underneath.

CEDAR RAPIDS (IRN) – The suspect in last week’s bank robbery at Community Savings Bank in Cedar Rapids faces additional charges. KCRG-TV reports that after 31-year-old Lemarkis D. Hobson was booked at the jail on charges related to the bank robbery, deputies discovered two plastic bags of a white substance believed to be crack cocaine in Hobson’s medical boot.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Rainfall amounts of two to three inches were common across much of the state on Monday. The National Weather Service reports that 5.4 inches of rain fell near Saylorville in central Iowa. Minor flooding is expected today for parts of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers, the English, Iowa, Cedar, East and West Nishnabotna, as well as the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

WINFIELD, IA (IRN) – A Winfield girl who was reportedly abducted on Friday is now considered a runaway. KCII radio reports that according to Winfield Police, after receiving credible information from a family member, they no longer believe 16-year-old Karyn Renee Mehaffy was abducted. Officials were told Monday that Mehaffy and the suspect, 20-year-old Wilfredo Martinez Gonzalez, were seen driving in separate vehicles in Indiana.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said Monday the bird flu outbreak ranks as Iowa’s worst animal health emergency and could cost federal and state agencies up to $300 million in the cleanup, disposal and disinfection process on top of the sizable losses being incurred by producers.  The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the flu has led to the deaths and euthanizing of more than 32.7 million commercial layers and turkeys on 76 farms in 18 Iowa counties.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Since the world’s largest Ebola epidemic began in West Africa more than a year ago, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has spent more than $640,000 preparing to treat an Ebola patient. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that hospital officials say such expenses are necessary preparation. The state has yet to see an Ebola patient.

 

DES MOINES (IRN) – The body found in the Des Moines river near Yellow Banks Park on Friday has been identified. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reports that the victim has been identified as 32-year-old Bobby Lee Long of Des Moines.  Polk County detectives are investigating the case to determine if Mr. Long was the individual observed yelling for help in the Des Moines River on Monday of last week.

LUCAS, IA (IRN) – A woman from Sumner was taken to the hospital for injuries after a motorcycle crash on Saturday in St. Lucas in Fayette County. KWWL-TV reports 37-year-old Teresa Boyle was a passenger on the bike and was ejected when the crash happened. Authorities say the motorcycle’s driver, 39-year-old Robert Boyle from Sumner, was coming into a corner and laid down the bike when he hit loose gravel.

WEST UNION, IA (IRN) -The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a convicted sex offender who cut off his GPS bracelet just hours before he was expected to show up to jail. KWWL-TV reports that Thomas Cannon, who was recently sentenced for third degree sexual abuse was expected to show up at the Fayette County Jail at 10 a.m. today. Authorities say Cannon may be armed.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A new Miss Iowa has been crowned. KCRG-TV reports that Taylor Wiebers of Clinton was crowned Saturday night in Davenport. Wiebers, 21, is the reigning Miss Clinton County. She is a student at the University of Iowa, majoring in communications. She will represent Iowa in the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, N.J., in September.

DES MOINES (IRN) – At least two funnel clouds were spotted late afternoon Sunday in Iowa. KCCI-TV reports that funnel clouds were reported northwest of Oskaloosa in Mahaska County, and near Ferguson in Marshall County. With Sunday’s heavy rains over much of the state, the National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers in Polk County, the Mississippi River at Burlington, the Iowa River at Wapello and Oakville in Louisa County, and at Marengo in Iowa County.

DES MOINES (IRN) – A man was rushed to Mercy Hospital after he was shot on a porch Saturday afternoon in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports that authorities are unsure if it was a drive-by shooting or if the suspect was on the property. A witness says the victim was shot in the mouth. Neither the victim’s name nor his condition have been released. The incident prompted a lockdown at Mercy.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines has made another top ten list for American cities. WalletHub.com, a financial advice website, analyzed 150 of the most populated U.S. cities to determine which were 2015’s best and worst cities to find a job. Des Moines came in second. The best city to find a job in 2015? Seattle.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids hopes to launch its new app for tracking city buses in late summer or early fall, and Wi-Fi access on all city buses before the end of the year. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that city buses having Wi-Fi is part of a national trend, and the smartphone app will allow riders to track buses in real time and obtain more accurate estimates of when buses will arrive.

 

MOUNT PLEASANT, IA (IRN) – Authorities in Henry County are searching for an abducted teen. KGAN-TV reports that Karyn R. Mehaffy, 16, was abducted from an address in Winfield in Henry County on Friday.  According to the Henry County Sheriff, Mehaffy was abducted by three subjects in a dark blue SUV, make and model unknown.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) The name of the victim shot and killed at the Coralville Mall on Friday has been released.  KCRG-TV reports that Andrea Farrington, 20, was shot three times in the back near the food court by mall security guard Alexander M. Kozak, 22. Farrington worked near the food court at the Iowa Children’s Museum. Authorities said Farrington and Kozak knew each other from their work at the mall, but did not offer any explanation for what led to the fatal shooting. Farrington’s family said Kozak had been harassing the victim.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A homeless man faces a robbery charge after stealing a bank bag in Iowa City on Friday. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that Friday morning a woman was leaving the downtown branch of MidWestOne bank in Iowa City carrying a bank bag when she was attacked by two men. Police said one of the men, 24-year-old Darryl M. Henry, grabbed the bag and pushed the woman, before fleeing with his accomplice. Henry was later caught and arrested and faces one count of second-degree robbery. His unknown accomplice fled with the money.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Dozens protested a recent officer involved shooting at the Des Moines Police Station Saturday. WHO-TV reports the protests were sparked by an officer involved shooting of an unarmed man this past week. Ryan Bolinger, 28, was fatally shot in the torso by Officer Vanessa Miller. Protesters demanded the department be held accountable.

 

DES MOINES (IRN) – A former clerk in the Iowa Legislature has been indicted for a white powder hoax in the Southern District of Iowa. In April of 2012 Michael Dekota McRae reported opening an envelope containing a written death threat and a quantity of white powder during a public legislative session. McRae’s report resulted in a temporary shutdown. The indictment charges him with the formal charge of providing false information and hoaxes. If convicted, McRae faces up to 5 years imprisonment, and up to a $250,000 fine.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Safety is investigating a fatal shooting at the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville Friday. The victim is a 20-year-old female. Her name is being withheld pending notification of family. A suspect in the shooting was stopped and arrested on Interstate 80 by the Iowa State Patrol and Scott County deputies. He has been identified as Alexander Matthew Kozak, 22, of North Liberty. The shooting happened in the food court.

RUNNELLS, IA (IRN) – A body was found in the Des Moines River Friday evening near Runnells. WHO-TV reports the discovery may be connected to the report of a man who fell into the water earlier this week north of Des Moines.  Authorities are working to identify the victim.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – The suspect in an Oskaloosa arson case may not be competent to stand trial. KTVO-TV reports that 23-year old Danny Logan is accused of setting a fire in downtown Oskaloosa last month that destroyed two businesses. Logan’s public defender asked for a mental evaluation for his client claiming he showed clear signs of mental illness, including  hearing voices. The court agreed and ordered that Logan be evaluated at the Iowa Medical Classification Center in Oakdale.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court has affirmed the right to be drunk on your front porch. KCCI-TV reports that the court ruled in favor of Patience Paye, who appealed her 2013 conviction for public intoxication. Paye called police after fighting with her boyfriend and met officers on her front porch. While investigating the assault complaint an officer questioned Paye if she’d been drinking, and a test revealed her blood alcohol concentration more than three times the amount allowable when driving. She was charged, convicted but appealed, saying her front porch isn’t a public place. The Supreme Court agreed.