FORT MADISON, IA (IRN) – An inmate died of natural causes Saturday at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison after beginning a life sentence 48 years ago. The Des Moines Register reports 66-year old Lacy Larverne Kelley was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Thomas Noethe, an attendant at a Trax Oil Station in Cedar Rapids that Kelley intended to rob. The cause of death was a shotgun wound to the head.

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a report that a person fell from a bridge around 1:30 this morning. KWWL-TV reports an adult male fell from the bridge and died from his injuries. No foul play is suspected.

BELLE PLAINE, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating the deaths of a woman and a boy at a railroad crossing in eastern Iowa. Belle Plaine police were called to the crossing around 5 a.m. Friday for a train-pedestrian accident. The victims have been identified as Teresa Catherine Gerleman, 36, and her son 8-year-old son Henry Fields, both of Belle Plaine.

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Allamakee County man has died as a result of injuries suffered when a tree fell on him. KCRG-TV reports the man had been cutting down a tree at a residence Sunday when it fell on him, pinning him under it. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

CLINTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Several students from Goose Lake were injured after their school bus rolled over in Clinton County on Saturday. WHO-TV reports witnesses say the bus was carrying around 30 band students when it lost control and rolled. Several students were treated for injuries at the scene, and one was airlifted to Iowa City for treatment.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Minnesota Lynx, the 2017 Women’s National Basketball Association champions, played the Washington Mystics at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Sunday. The game is the first WNBA game to be played in Iowa and is both teams’ first game of the pre-season. The defending champions Lynx defeated the Mystics 90-85.

CLINTON, IA (IRN) – The Bethel AME Church in Clinton has been vandalized by white supremacists. Vulgar name calling, death threats, swastikas, and other hate symbols were written with permanent marker on the doors of the church, and on every seat of the church bus. The pastor and small Bethel AME Church congregation is predominantly black. It’s being treated as a hate crime.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – A police officer in Oskaloosa was arrested after allegedly assaulting her girlfriend. According to the Oskaloosa News, on Thursday night 25-year-old Janay Pritchett of the Oskaloosa Police Department kicked her girlfriend in the chest, cut her on the side of the neck with a pocket knife, and later threatened to shoot her. The incident took place following a verbal argument followed by a confrontation that became physical with both parties pushing, grabbing, and wrestling. Pritchett was placed on administrative leave and faces numerous charges.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa lawmakers passed a tax reform plan Saturday that included a major state income tax cut, the largest in state history. KCCI-TV reports the tax cut would eliminate an estimated 2 billion dollars in revenue over the next 6 years. Republicans say the tax cuts will save working Iowans money. Democrats called the tax cut irresponsible at a time when the state is facing a budget crisis.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Saturday’s end to the legislative session was also was the end of a decades-long career for Cedar Rapids Senator Wally Horn. KCRG-TV reports Senator Horn is the longest-serving legislator in Iowa history. The 84-year-old Linn County Democrat had been going to the state capitol for the last 46 years.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – For the pro-life movement, Friday was a historic day in Iowa. Pro-life advocates witnessed Governor Kim Reynolds signing the strictest anti-abortion bill in the nation. Hundreds of protesters outside the capitol when the bill was signed feel differently, and say the now fetal heartbeat law is an assault on women’s rights. The law is widely seen as a challenge to the Roe v. Wade supreme court decision that granted women the right to have an abortion.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Customers say they were locked out of a Des Moines grocery store Thursday as sirens went off and severe weather made its way into central Iowa. KCCI-TV reports shoppers at the Price Chopper on Ingersoll said about 20 people found themselves on the wrong side of the locked doors when the tornado sirens went off. The store manager says it’s company policy.

DAVENPORT, IA – The city of Davenport is reminding people of the dangers of floodwaters as the Mississippi River continues to rise, according to WQAD-TV. The river is expected to crest Friday, May 11. The city says sandbags are available for pickup to individuals who might be impacted by flooding.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Not getting enough macaroni and cheese led to a patient at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics assaulting her nurse. KCJJ-radio reports
38-year-old Sherona Sue Mahoney of Davenport was being treated at the hospital when she felt she wasn’t getting enough mac and cheese for her dinner. Mahoney became aggressive, and as staff tried to move her to a seclusion room she ran towards a nurse, pinned her against a wall and punched her twice in the ribs. Mahoney admitted to the actions when interviewed by police.

NEW HAMPTON, IA (IRN) – The mother of a baby whose lifeless body was found in an infant swing may use diminished responsibility or intoxication as a trial defense. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the attorney for Cheyanne Harris filed the notice Thursday. She and the infant’s father, Zachary Koehn, have pleaded not guilty to murder and related charges. The body of 4-month-old Sterling Koehn was infested with maggots when found Aug. 30 in the swing by deputies and medics called to his parents’ Alta Vista apartment.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – After two days on the run a suspected bank robber is now in custody, according to WHO-TV. Michael Phillips is accused of robbing the Great Western Bank in Newton on Tuesday. Police say he passed the teller a note claiming he had a bomb. No one was hurt.

WAVERLY, IA (IRN) – A seven-week-old baby is recovering after an overthrown softball hit her on the head. KWWL-TV reports baby McKenna Hovenga was hit during a men’s softball game in Waverly. She was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic where she is being treated for brain bleeds and a skull fracture. Kassy Hovenga and her daughter McKenna were sitting on the bleachers watching the game when suddenly a ball flew over the fence and hit her and her baby. Hovenga’s husband was playing in the game for the Waverly men’s softball league.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A woman was shot early this morning at the Old Town Shopping Center in Davenport. WQAD-TV reports when police arrived they found the woman suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds. She was hospitalized, and police are investigating.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Parents are disgusted and shocked after a video surfaced on social media appearing to show a crying toddler forced under a plastic container at a Des Moines-area day care while two employees laugh. KCCI-TV reports the woman who posted the video said she used to work at Traditions Children’s Center in West Des Moines, where the incident happened. The employees were fired, and DHS is investigating.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Speeding and car crashes are up in Iowa. KCRG-TV reports state troopers have written approximately 1,700 speeding tickets so far this year–up almost 40% over the same period last year. Troopers say increased speeding has also led to an average of about four and a half more crashes per day than last year.