IOWA (IRN) – The number of fire-related deaths in Iowa is on track to total more than any year since 1993. WHO-TV reports so far, the State Fire Marshall’s Office has confirmed 38 people have died in a fire during 2017, but that number is expected to increase by more than a dozen after autopsy results come in. Twenty of these deaths have happened since Thanksgiving, with nine in Scott County this past week alone.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A truck drove into the side of a Des Moines building Friday, according to KCCI-TV. The truck bounced off the Peerless Supply building and ended up on the other side of the road. Those inside the building said the crash sounded like a bomb went off. The driver of the truck was taken to a nearby hospital, and at least two people inside the building were injured.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Snowy conditions in Iowa City Friday helped police catch bank robbers, according to KCRG-TV. Shortly after a robbery at the U.S. Bank a car slid off Interstate 80. Police found items from the robbery near the crash site and saw two sets of footprints in the snow. They arrested one man running from the crash and another who was hiding in a ditch.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A small white kitten was stranded in the elements Friday morning in Cedar Falls. The kitten was spotted crouching on a street drain, and a man posted a photo of the kitten to Facebook explaining that he was at work and could not rescue it–putting out a plea for help. After a woman saw the post, she rescued the kitten. She posted several pictures of the kitten eating with her dog and snuggling down in blankets.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa is preparing to notify families in early February that federal money could run out for a health insurance program that covers roughly 60,000 low-income children in the state. The Iowa Department of Human Services is also exploring options in case funding ends for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known in the state as Hawk-I.

MILWAUKEE, IA (IRN) – SkyWest Airlines says a flight from Iowa to Detroit made an emergency landing in Milwaukee after a sudden loss of cabin pressure. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the plane carrying 38 passengers and three crew members left Cedar Rapids at about 7 a.m. and landed safely in Milwaukee at about 8 a.m. Thursday. Passengers continued on to Detroit on different plane while crews investigated what caused the loss in cabin pressure.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man’s obituary is casting light on the opioid epidemic, according to KCCI-TV. 28-year-old Michael Emberlin died Saturday of a heroin overdose, and his family members wrote that he is “preceded in death by 13 of his friends who also lost their lives to the opioid epidemic.” Sandy Emberlin, Michael’s mother, says “we lost him a long time ago because it took the life out of him.”

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City honey business was vandalized and its hives were destroyed. KCAU-TV reports Justin Engelhardt, owner of “Wild Hill Honey,” was doing a routine check on the 50 hives Thursday morning and discovered the vandalism. More than half a million bees are dead from freezing temperatures, and the business may close. Englehardt says you can’t insure bees.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City man is facing a felony charge for allegedly using fake “For Motion Pictures Use Only” money at a pair of businesses. KIMT-TV reports 40-year-old Charles Reich used fake cash at McDonald’s and a convenience store. Police pulled him over and found him to be in possession of methamphetamine. He’s in jail.

PLEASANT HILL, IA (IRN) – Students at Four Mile Elementary in Pleasant Hill come from eight different cultures, according to WOI-TV. ESL teacher Jill Brady is hosting a day long Diversity Celebration, which will offer lessons about different traditions, languages, food and clothing. Ms. Brady says many of her students are reluctant to share their cultures, for the fear of feeling considered an outsider. She hopes the celebration will help every student embrace the traditions and differences that make them unique.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Two more children have died as a result of the Dec. 21 fire at a Davenport mobile home park. KWWL-TV reports 9-month-old Isabella Smead and 4-year-old Skylar Smead succumbed to injuries sustained in the fire at the Five Seasons park. Authorities already had reported the fire deaths of the children’s mother, 23-year-old Kelsey Clain, and two other children, Jayden Smead, who was 5, and 2-year-old Carson Smead. There were no working smoke detectors in the home.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man has been found guilty of murder for a shooting in a Cedar Rapids Walmart parking lot this summer. KGAN-TV reports 25-year-old Quarzone Martin was found guilty of second-degree murder. On July 2, police found 26-year-old Andrew Meeks and 30-year-old Johnny Moore Jr. with gunshot wounds in a vehicle in the parking lot. Police say their vehicle was moving when they were hit with gunfire and crashed into a guardrail. Meeks died as a result of his injuries.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Federal authorities have apprehended a suspect in an Omaha, Nebraska, triple homicide, according to KETV. 46-year-old John Dalton Jr. is accused of murdering his parents and his niece, 18-year-old Leonna Dalton-Phillip of Des Moines.
Dalton-Phillip’s father says she was going to her grandparents’ house to pick up her little sister when the slayings occurred. Her little sister escaped and called for help.

ONAWA, IA (IRN) – One person died in a house fire in the western Iowa town of Onawa Tuesday. The home was full of smoke when first responders arrived on scene, and the body of 37-year-old Garrett Brown was found inside. He lived alone.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – A Planned Parenthood clinic in Bettendorf that is providing abortions will close Friday, according to WQAD-TV. Planned Parenthood said in May that four of its 12 clinics in Iowa, including the Bettendorf location, would close. The announcement was made shortly after the Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature removed state funding for organizations that provide abortions. At the time, no federal or state dollars were being spent on abortions in Iowa.

NEW YORK CITY, NY (IRN) – The drought is over. Iowa defeated Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl 27-20 for its first bowl win since 2010. KCRG-TV reports Akrum Wadley was named the game’s MVP after finishing with a career-high 283 all-purpose yards. Head coach Kirk Ferentz collected his 143rd career win tying him with Hayden Fry for most wins at Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A former softball coach has been found guilty of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. WHO-TV reports fifty-year-old John Osborn of Council Bluffs was convicted of four counts of sexual abuse. Osborn and the girl engaged in sex acts when she stayed the night at his house for a sleepover with his daughter.

CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – Clear Lake Police are investigating after an attempted armed robbery at a home. KIMT-TV reports police are searching for a suspect who the victim says knocked on their door and displayed a gun. The person never entered the home and no one was injured.

WARREN COUNTY, IL (IRN) – A woman from Wapello, Iowa was killed and her three-year-old child seriously injured following a Christmas Eve crash in rural Warren County, Illinois. WQAD-TV reports 22-year-old Alma Perez crossed the center line and struck a vehicle head-on driven by Yvonne Villarreal, of Knoxville, Illinois. Perez and her three-year-old child were transported to a hospital where Perez died. Villarreal was also hospitalized. Her condition, and the condition of the three-year-old, are unknown.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man is in jail after an alleged kidnapping attempt.
KCCI-TV reports 47-year-old Michael Pendleton kidnapped a man at knifepoint. Pendleton is a registered sex offender who was wanted on a warrant for indecent exposure.

GILMAN, IA (IRN) – A man from rural Marshall County near Gilman died on Christmas morning after falling into a well. WHO-TV reports a Gilman Fire and Rescue crew spent 30 minutes trying to rescue the man, but paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is attempting to run 100 miles within 48 hours, according to KCRG-TV. Chris Cantrell is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and an avid runner. Tuesday, he put his skills to the test in an attempt at the “CR Dreadmill Challenge.” But he’s not just testing his stamina. Cantrell is doing this to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. It’s personal to him. His father-in-law is fighting a battle against Dementia.