WASHINGTON, D. C. (IRN) – An Iowan and former Trump campaign official who has been linked to the Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller has withdrawn his nomination for an Agriculture post. Sam Clovis says in a letter to President Donald Trump dated today that he does “not want to be a distraction or a negative influence.” He cites “relentless assaults on you and your team” that “seem to be a blood sport.” This week, it was revealed that Clovis had communications with George Papadopoulos, who has admitted to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries.

GARNER, IA (IRN) – A woman has pled guilty to stealing from a resident at Summit House Assisted Living in Britt. KIMT-TV reports 35-year-old Randi Jo Chipman was charged with 3rd degree burglary and dependent adult abuse for stealing from a resident’s purse.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One man was arrested following a chase with a stolen vehicle Wednesday in Des Moines, according to WHO-TV. Police spotted the vehicle, and a high-speed chase ensued. 23-year-old Tony Lopez Jr. lost control, hit a building, and then tried to flee on foot. He was apprehended, and is in jail.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – There is a new phone scam in Scott County, according to WQAD-TV. More than a dozen people contacted the Scott County Sheriff’s office claiming they’ve received phone calls from scammers. Scammers tell people they’ve missed a court date and need to pay a fine with a credit card number. Officials say they would never ask for credit card information over the phone.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Phoenix man was put in an Iowa jail for more than a month for a crime he didn’t commit, according to KCRG-TV. Joseph McBride, originally from Cedar Rapids, was arrested for a robbery that happened in Iowa while he was in Phoenix. McBride says he spent time in jails in Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Missouri, before finally arriving in Linn County. A time-stamped selfie taken in Phoenix proved he couldn’t have been in Cedar Rapids at the time of the robbery. Family and friends helped get him released.

JESUP, IA (IRN) – Jesup’s grandmas are running, well, walking the basketball court for a good cause, according to KWWL-TV. Two local boys need help to pay for medical costs, and the grannies are gathering for a fundraising basketball game tonight. Granny basketball has some strict rules, including no running, no jumping, only two dribbles, and lots of ways to foul out. Sisters Dorothy and Anna Kay, members of Maynard’s 1950 Iowa State High School Basketball Champions are among the players taking the court tonight.

JONES COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Jones County sheriff’s deputy and his K-9 were injured in a crash Tuesday morning. Officials say a truck was trying to pass a semi when it drove right into the path of Deputy Derek Denniston. The impact caused the car to roll into a ditch. A bystander helped free the deputy and his dog. The deputy and dog were treated and released. The truck driver was cited for passing illegally.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former Des Moines Roosevelt teacher and basketball coach will lose his teaching license for a year for wrongly operating outside of district oversight two bank accounts with more than $1.8 million in deposits. The Des Moines Register reports that Chris Cundiff transferred some of the money into his personal bank account and bought gifts for athletes and coaches.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Eight people are dead in an apparent terrorist attack after a man drove a rented pickup truck onto a bike path in lower Manhattan Tuesday. The suspect is 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov (SYE-foo-low SYE-poff) who had been living in Tampa, Florida, but is originally from Uzbekistan (OOZ-beck-uh-stan). KCCI-TV reports a man with his same name, hometown and age was pulled over on I-80 near Van Meter in 2011. He was cited for not having a proper driver log for the truck he was driving.

IOWA (IRN) – The adoptive parents of Natalie Finn–who are now accused of the teen’s murder in her starvation related death–had taken out a combined $35,000 worth of life insurance policies on their daughter. WHO-TV reports her father and oldest brother contacted the insurance company for a payout the day after she died. Their request has been denied, and any potential payout, and to who, is pending.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An insurance company that helps run Iowa’s new privatized Medicaid program is withdrawing its participation. AmeriHealth Caritas will end its Medicaid coverage at the end of November. Iowa privatized Medicaid in 2016 under Governor Branstad. Democrats say it’s “more proof that Medicaid privatization is a horrible disaster.” Governor Reynolds hasn’t yet acknowledged the criticism.

JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Eastern Iowa man spotted an unusual sight on Halloween — an albino deer. KCRG-TV reports Bo Neuzil won’t give out the exact location, but says he spotted the “ghost deer” in a timber area between Iowa City and Solon.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person has died and another was injured in an overnight apartment fire in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports the fire was contained to the third floor of the apartment, which is a Des Moines public housing building. There are 48 units in the apartment, and there is no word on how many people are displaced by the fire.

NEW VIENNA, IA (IRN) – Authorities are blaming a manure runoff from a dairy farm for killing about 60,000 fish in eastern Iowa. The farm is situated about three miles east of New Vienna. The fish kill was reported Oct. 9 after fish carcasses were spotted in two creeks downstream in Dyersville.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – A man has died while serving a life sentence for killing a 2-year-old girl more than 40 years ago in Waterloo. KCRG-TV reports that 71-year-old Russell Fitz died Sunday at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. He’d been assigned there because of a chronic illness. Fitz was charged with first-degree murder for the slaying of Michelle Day in June 1974. A detective found her body in a crawl space over Fitz’s apartment bathroom. She’d been strangled.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health announced the first flu-related death of the 2017-2018 season Monday. The man who died was from central Iowa and was over the age of 81.

POWESHIEK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – MidAmerican Energy is moving forward with its goal to produce 100% of its energy from wind. Construction is now underway on a new wind farm in Poweshiek County. The farm will involve 170 new turbines capable of producing enough energy to power 60,000 homes. MidAmerican says additional wind farm locations around the state will be selected next year, with the goal of building 1,000 new wind turbines.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man in a “Grumpy Bear” costume faces charges after an incident early Sunday morning. KCCI-TV reports a Des Moines homeowner noticed a man wearing a Care Bear “Grumpy Bear” onesie in his driveway. He confronted the man, and a fight ensued. A neighbor was able to help the homeowner restrain “Grumpy Bear”–actually 30-year-old James Shafer–and call police. Shafer told officers he was drunk and thought he was in Burlington.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person was killed in a rollover car crash Saturday evening just west of the Johnston movie theater, according to KCCI-TV. Three people were inside the car when it jumped the curb and rolled over. Speed may have been a factor.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – An 18-year-old Iowa man who had been reported missing died in a crash in Kansas. KTIV-TV reports that Jake Roos of Ashton was reported missing early Friday morning while he was on the way to pick up a load of cattle. The Kansas Highway Patrol says Roos’ vehicle crossed the centerline and crashed near Phillipsburg around 2 a.m. Friday.
Roos had been driving to Stockton, Kansas, to pick up cattle. He wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City police are looking for suspects involved in an armed robbery over the weekend, according to KCRG-TV. The victim told police that he was approached by two men. One took his wallet while the other was believed to be holding a gun. The two men were part of a group of approximately five who ran from the scene after the robbery.

AMES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Cyclones rose to No. 14 in the latest AP college football poll that came out Sunday. The Cyclones were previously ranked No. 25. Iowa State’s new ranking by the AP is the highest in that poll since they were ranked No. 9 in 2002. The Cyclones are riding a four-game winning streak that includes two wins over teams ranked in the top four.