NASHVILLE, TN (IRN) – A brother of a former Iowa Hawkeye football player was stabbed to death in downtown Nashville early Saturday morning, according to KGAN-TV. Clayton Beathard, 22, was stabbed during a fight outside Dogwood Bar & Grill after an argument over a woman. Beathard and two more victims were sent to the hospital. Another man also died. Bethard is the younger brother of C.J. Beathard, who now plays for the San Francisco 49ers. Clayton was a junior quarterback this season at Long Island University and previously played football at Iowa Western Community College.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man faces sex abuse charges after he allegedly sexually assaulted an unconscious victim and then texted her about the assault the next day.
WHO-TV reports Michael Hubby, 46, is charged with third-degree sex abuse. The victim was dropped off at Hubby’s home by a friend. The friend told Hubby the victim was highly intoxicated and had possibly been drugged. Hubby allegedly sexually assaulted her while she was passed out and then texted her about the assault the next day.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was found guilty of sexually abusing a client during a massage appointment after his license had been revoked for multiple sexual complaints.
KCCI-TV reports in 2018, the victim had an appointment with Kevin Thoren, 65, for a massage at Banyan Tree Health Therapy in Windsor Heights. The massage was to focus on the victim’s neck issues. However, he covered the victim’s eyes with a cloth and asked about her “sexual energy.” He proceeded to touch her sexually without her consent.

GRAMBLING, LA (IRN) – Morningside College won its second consecutive NAIA national championship with a 40-38 win over Marian University in Grambling, Louisiana Saturday. The title game was a matchup of the two top-ranked teams in NAIA. The teams had a combined record of 25-0 coming into the game. Morningside finishes the season 14-0 to remain undefeated for the second season in a row.

CLIVE, IA (IRN) – The League of United Latin American Citizens is calling for hate crime charges against the woman arrested on suspicion of hitting a teenager with her car and leaving the scene because the teen was “Mexican,” as the woman said. KCCI-TV reports Nicole Franklin, 42, was charged with attempted murder Thursday night after police said she purposely ran over 14-year-old Natalia Miranda as she walked to a school event earlier this month.

QUAD CITIES (IRN) – Part of Interstate 74 near the Quad Cities Airport was covered in hog entrails after a semi spill, according to WQAD-TV. Travelers reported a sewage-like mess along the roadway, accompanied by a bad smell in the area yesterday. Police say the road remains slippery and greasy, and urge caution in the area.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s unemployment rate remained at 2.6% in November as the number of people with and without jobs both increased, according to statistics released Friday.
Iowa Workforce Development reported Iowa’s 2.6% unemployment rate was the nation’s fifth lowest, tied with Colorado, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Virginia. Vermont had the lowest rate, at 2.3%. The national unemployment rate in November was 3.5%.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Five-year-old Cooper Leeman from Radcliffe, Iowa, will serve as the honorary Kid Captain for the Hawkeyes’ game with the University of Southern California in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, California, Dec. 27. Cooper has overcome multiple health challenges, including a heart disorder and a stroke, to become a child his parents say “…loves to laugh and enjoys school.”

BOONE, IA (IRN) – Two 14-year-olds and an 11-year-old were charged with torching nine Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency buses. It happened on November 20th in Boone. Nine HIRTA buses were damaged or destroyed in the fire. All three were turned over to juvenile court to face charges.

CLIVE, IA (IRN) – A woman was arrested after she hit a teenager with her vehicle and fled the scene. KCCI-TV reports on Thursday the Clive Police Department arrested Nicole Marie Poole Franklin, 42, of Des Moines, on a charge of attempted murder. A 14-year-old girl was walking on the sidewalk to school for a basketball game when she was hit by a vehicle that left the roadway. The teen suffered a number of injuries. Investigators say it was an intentional act.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – An Urbandale grandmother is facing charges after she allegedly left her two grandchildren by themselves at an apartment. Officers responded to the call and found a 1-year-old and 3-year-old alone. Ten minutes later, Elizabeth Toujlah came home and told officers she went to a nearby grocery store to buy medicine and milk. She said she didn’t want to take her grandchildren out in the cold. She’s in jail.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former executive with the Metro Waste Authority is accused of stealing nearly two million dollars from the organization using a series of sham companies.
State Auditor Rob Sand announced the results of the investigation into MWA finances on Thursday. Sand’s office found that former MWA Director of Operations Jeff Dworek was responsible for “improper disbursements” of $1.83 million dollars. The FBI is also investigating.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines school principal apologized after coming under attack Thursday on social media from parents and others for taking pizzas away from a classroom of kids being rewarded by their teacher before the holiday break. One parent called the principle a “Grinch.” The principal said he was just trying to be fair to all students.

AMES, IA (IRN) – An Ames man will go to prison for burning an LGBTQ flag at a church. KCCI-TV reports Ames Police arrested 30-year-old Adolfo Martinez over the summer for tearing down and burning the flag at United Church of Christ. A Story County jury found him guilty of a hate crime, harassment and being a habitual offender. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man is facing multiple charges ranging from possessing drugs to assault following a drive-by shooting that ended in a police chase late Tuesday night. WHO-TV reports 37-year-old Joshua Richards fired shots through a window of a home, into a room where his baby son was located.

HAZELTON, IA (IRN) – A convicted felon accused of lying on his voter registration application and voting in the November election has been imprisoned. William Gibson, of Hazleton, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison. He’d pleaded guilty to two counts of election misconduct and a drug possession charge. Each felony count filed against Gibson was enhanced because he is a habitual offender.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – Multiple emergency crews were called to the military base at Camp Dodge in Johnston yesterday for a report of an active shooter situation. KCCI reports Johnston Schools and several businesses were put on lockdown. However, there was no active shooter.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A new program in Johnson County is meant to improve literacy for students, regardless of their circumstances. KGAN-TV reports Iowa City Community School District students will now have access to books and other resources from local public libraries using their school ID cards. There will be no fines for late materials.