ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Altoona police asked the public Friday morning to stay away from Adventureland and Prairie Meadows due to an armed robbery police called an “active situation.” Police said Spectators Restaurant was robbed at gunpoint, and the search for the suspect continued in the surrounding area. No one was injured and no shots were fired.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A Burlington man tricked a woman into entering her home under false pretenses then he physically and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint, according to WQAD-TV. Steven Mauck, 37, is in jail.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids Police arrested a 16-year-old suspect for shooting at a minivan Thursday afternoon. No injuries were reported but police found the vehicle with damage from bullets. The teen now faces charges for reckless use of a firearm, carrying firearms and possession of marijuana.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has blocked Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller from joining 21 states and six large cities in a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration policy easing restrictions on coal-fired power plants. Trump has replaced an Obama administration plan that required states to cut emissions from fossil fuel-burning power plants with a rule relaxing the state restrictions. The federal lawsuit claims the Trump rule violates the federal Clean Air Act.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Thursday marked the first day of legal sports betting in Iowa. Anyone of legal age within the state borders can bet on professional, college, international and fantasy sports. Most bets are expected to be made online, but anyone who wants to gamble online still must stop into one of Iowa’s six casinos to prove their age and identity and register an account.

DESOTO, IA (IRN) – A man filled up with gas at the Desoto Minimart Tuesday night then drove off without paying. KETV reports the owner and her son followed the man and a female passenger. When confronted, the man fired shots and ran into their vehicle. A 100 mph pursuit by sheriff’s deputies crossed into Omaha, where police stopped it. The man escaped, but the female in the stolen vehicle was apprehended.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Officials in central Iowa have seized more than three dozen exotic pets and found another 60-plus dead in an Ames apartment. The Des Moines Register reports animal control staff say it’s one of the worst animal-hoarding cases they’ve seen. Among the animals found Tuesday were fish, various lizards, chinchillas, parakeets, cockatiels, small rodents, frogs and snakes. Workers found 41 live animals and more than 60 dead.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – U.S. Rep. Steve King is defending his call for a ban on all abortions by questioning whether “there would be any population of the world left” if not for births due to rape and incest. Speaking Wednesday before a conservative group in Urbandale, the Iowa congressman reviewed legislation he has sought that would outlaw abortions without exceptions for rape and incest. His remarks have drawn condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Students taking classes in Cedar Rapids will now have a new way of getting around town as the city’s transit department teams up with area schools. KCRG-TV reports starting this school year, students in the Cedar Rapids School District, Coe College, and Kirkwood Community College will be able to ride city buses at no charge.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – Construction of a new one of a kind softball complex will be starting this fall in Newton. WHO-TV reports the Project Fastpitch softball complex is going to cost $32 million and will be located right next to the Iowa Speedway. It will have 12 outdoor fields and four indoor fields.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Police in Altoona and Windsor Heights are investigating after identical bomb threats were called into two separate Walmart locations. According to WOI-TV, police did not find credible evidence to substantiate the threat. Officials evacuated the two stores as a precaution.

DUBUQUE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A vehicle hit and killed a pedestrian in Dubuque County Tuesday. KCRG-TV reports an 80-year-old driver hit an 82-year-old woman crossing the road.
The woman died.

AMES, IA (IRN) – A man facing life in prison for killing ISU golfer Barquin Arozamena has issued an apology. WHO-TV reports Collin Richards sent a letter to Judge Bethany Currie Tuesday saying “I want to show remorse for stripping a life from society, worse from a loving family. I want the family and you to know I am sorry.”

COLLINS, IA (IRN) – Hazardous materials teams were called to the Story County town of Collins Tuesday for an anhydrous ammonia leak. KCCI-TV reports a 30,000-gallon tank at Landus Cooperative was leaking. Homes near the coop were temporarily evacuated.

CLINTON, IA (IRN) – A 20-year-old woman called the police Tuesday saying her car had been stolen, while running from police in Clinton, in an attempt to trick them into thinking she wasn’t the one driving her car during the chase. It did not end well for her. The chase ended after troopers used stop sticks, and she’s in jail.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – A November trial has been scheduled for a man accused of killing his girlfriend’s baby son in Oskaloosa. Mahaska County District Court records say 21-year-old Johnny Dale Jr. filed written pleas of not guilty Monday to a charge of first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. Dale was watching the 4-month-old boy when his girlfriend went to work. Dale allegedly said he’d grown frustrated with the baby and said he bounced him on an air mattress in an attempt to get him to sleep.

HENRY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The mother of an Anamosa woman found dead in Henry County said her daughter leaves behind four children under the age of 10. KWQC-TV reports Brandy Mae Shepherd-Margita, 29, of Anamosa, was found in a field on Friday, August 9. She had been missing for a week.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man who claimed he was an Uber driver took two women to his Des Moines-area home against their will and then sexually assaulted one of them, according to the Des Moines Register. Nirmal Chhetri, 33, has been charged with one count of third-degree sexual abuse after allegedly performing sex acts on a woman while she was intoxicated. The women’s cell phones were dead as they were leaving Wells Fargo Arena early Sunday morning when he pulled up and asked them if they needed a ride.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A man has been sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison for robbing a bank in Davenport and one in Iowa City. The Quad-City Times reports that 35-year-old Tyson Hathaway was sentenced Thursday. He admitted robbing a Northwest Bank & Trust branch in Davenport and a U.S. Bank branch in Iowa City.

WINTERSET, IA (IRN) – The Madison County Board of Health agrees with President Trump that there is the potential that wind turbines could be bad for your health. KCCI-TV reports
the board passed a resolution recommending that any future turbines be built at least a mile and a half from non-participating homes. The Iowa Environmental Council argues that no peer-reviewed scientific studies have found links between wind turbines and health issues.