DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Rescue personnel pulled the body of a man from the Des Moines River near Grand Avenue in downtown Des Moines Saturday after witnesses said he went into the water but didn’t resurface. KCCI-TV reports witnesses saw the man wading in the water about 30 feet from the west bank before going under.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – An Iowa inmate has died in custody of unknown causes. The Iowa Department of Corrections says inmate Paul Kissel was pronounced dead Friday at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center. He was 52. His death is not considered suspicious. Kissel had been serving a 25-year sentence for attempted murder out of Pottawattamie County. His incarceration began in 2009.

WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – The Waukee School District’s COO Eric Rose turned himself into police on Saturday after being charged with three felonies, according to KCCI-TV. The charges come following a report from the state auditor accusing the district of $130,000 in questionable spending.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders top the list of potential presidential candidates preferred by Iowa’s likely Democratic caucus goers, reflecting their belief that it will take political experience to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020. Thirty-two percent of respondents say Biden is their first choice for president. Sanders follows with 19 percent. The results are part of a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids woman suffered life-threatening injuries in a fire in her apartment Friday. KCRG-TV reports emergency workers had to perform CPR on the 43-year-old woman at the scene before taking her to the hospital. There’s no word on her condition.

CLARKE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Clarke County Attorney is back in jail, this time for OWI. KCCI-TV reports Michelle Rivera was arrested Friday morning for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. In October, Rivera was arrested after allegedly showing up to court drunk. She lost her re-election bid in November.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines will build a long-awaited $15.6 million railroad transfer station on the city’s southeast side next year. The Des Moines Register reports the facility will be a boon to the economy, lowering shipping costs for Des Moines companies while luring businesses that sidestep central Iowa for Omaha and Kansas City, which have more robust rail systems. The facility could have a $4.8 million annual economic impact and create 50 new jobs.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa college football team is playing for a national championship today. Morningside faces Benedictine, Kansas in the NAIA title game. It’s the school’s second appearance in the national title game.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Council Bluffs police arrested a woman for attempted murder. KETV reports police responded to a shots fired call at a house. They found 56-year-old Tammy Smart injured by a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to a hospital where she was placed on life support for a bullet to the brain. Prior to being put under, she was able to identify 38-year-old Jessica Elvins as the person who shot her. Elvins was placed under arrest for attempted murder.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A nationwide series of bomb threats Thursday hit Iowa, according to KCCI-TV. Seven separate threats were reported in the Des Moines area, some of which prompted building evacuations, including at the science center and Guide One Insurance. Threats were also sent by email to Drake University, Blank Park Zoo, Eyerly Ball, Joseph’s Jewelers and the Animal Rescue League. The sender demanded money and bitcoin.

ESTHERVILLE, IA (IRN) – Eight Estherville area families are fighting back against a company they say is strangling the community with the overwhelming smell of dead, rotting hogs. The Des Moines Register reports the lawsuit urges Emmet County leaders to take action against Central Bi-Products for failing to address putrid odors emanating from the rendering plant.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa announced four fraternities will not be allowed to operate on campus following an investigation into incidents involving hazing and alcohol. The Kappa Sigma, Delta Chi, Sigma Nu, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapters are no longer allowed to operate at the University of Iowa.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A second Atheist holiday banner is now on display at the State Capitol. It marks the first time in state history that two secular displays will stand together. The American Atheist banner reads, “This season, no matter what you celebrate or why, Happy Holidays! From your Atheist neighbors.” The banner joins a display that the groups “Freedom From Religion Foundation” and the “Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers” created. It features the founding fathers looking down on the Bill of Rights in a manger.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was shot while sitting in his chair and miraculously, wasn’t injured. KCCI-TV reports police got a report of shots fired and found a car had crashed while trying to get out of the area. Police found bullet holes in the car and shell casings on the street. Then, they learned a bullet went through a home, hit a chair and the man sitting in it. The chair did a good job of stopping the bullet, because the 79-year-old man was not wounded.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – 19-year-old Darian Lensgraf of Muscatine is in jail after killing his grandmother, Diana Lensgraf, on her 66th birthday. WQAD-TV reports a clerk at a convenience store called police saying there was a man in the store with a bloody knife saying he had killed someone. Police found Lensgraf at the store, where he confessed.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Urbandale police have released more information about the shooting death of a 20-year-old man this past weekend. The Des Moines Register reports Anthony Ryan Taylor died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound. Friends gathered at the skate park he frequented to remember the young, carefree man known lovingly as “Catwang.”

WASHINGTON, DC (IRN) – Iowa’s two Republican senators are divided on the new farm bill. Sen. Joni Ernst voted for the bill and Sen. Charles Grassley voted against it. Grassley said the five-year bill only benefits large farms and will make smaller operations more vulnerable. He also disagrees with the language in the bill that allows family members who don’t farm to collect subsidies.

WASHINGTON, DC (IRN) – The farm bill also authorizes the growing of industrial hemp. Industrial hemp doesn’t give the high that marijuana does. Instead, it can be used to make products like rope, textiles, paper and plastic. KCRG-TV reports Johnson County Supervisor Mike Carberry says he’s excited about the potential economic impact. Carberry says “hemp is a great product — the oil, they make rope out of it, they make clothes. It’s a very, very strong fiber. The deep roots are good for soil and good for farmers.” Experts say Iowa is a great place to grow hemp.