BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Officials are on the lookout for a man who failed to return to the Burlington Work Release Facility. KWQC-TV reports 23-year-old Eric Dewayne Coleman, Jr. was placed on escape status after failing to return to the facility from his job. Coleman was serving 10 years for robbery.

TIPTON, IA (IRN) – A painting of a partially nude woman is creating controversy in Tipton. KCRG-TV reports Hugh Stumbo owns a downtown art gallery and recently put several pieces in the front window, including the painting containing nudity. The mayor and police chief requested it be taken down, but Stumbo says if the community wants a gallery, they have to accept what artists do.

HAMDEN, CT (IRN) – The latest Iowa caucus poll by Quinnipiac University is out. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker continues to lead the Republican presidential field. Walker is the top choice of 18 percent of poll respondents. Six other candidates are battling for second place, including businessman Donald Trump and neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 10 percent, U.S. Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz at 9 percent and former Governor Jeb Bush and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio at 8 percent.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) –  A tip from the public on the potential whereabouts of a longtime Iowa fugitive has led to his arrest in Mexico.  KCCI-TV reports the U.S. Marshals Service says authorities in Mexico arrested Mitchell Meyer on Monday. Meyer was facing two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in 1999 when he was scheduled to appear for trial in Sioux City. He was released on bond but never appeared.

DES MOINES, IA – A 10-hour standoff with a man police say may be connected to a shooting in Des Moines ended peacefully Wednesday morning. WHO-TV reports the standoff was linked to a search for a suspect, Bobby Palmer, in a Sunday night shooting where one man was shot in the leg.

SPERRY, IA (IRN) – An attempted car theft that went wrong more than once resulted in the arrest of two people from Sperry, a community near Burlington. WQAD-TV reports Daniel McCarty, 41, and Natasha McCarty, 28, were arrested after they allegedly tried to start a Toyota Camry without a key. When that didn’t work, they then pushed the Camry with another vehicle for several miles before they were seen by the owner.

MOUNT PLEASANT, IA (IRN) – The final employees left the Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute late Tuesday night. KCRG-TV reports staff and patients at the institute have slowly dwindled since Governor Branstad revealed plans to close the institute in January. The final patients were moved away from the facility late last week.

WASHINGTON, DC. (IRN) – Corn and soybean prices are significantly lower than they were last year at this time. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reports the average price received by farmers for corn during May in Iowa was $3.60 per bushel, $1.11 lower than May 2014. The May 2015 average price received by farmers for soybeans, at $9.57 per bushel, is $5.13 lower than the May 2014 price.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – The latest USDA planting report is out. U.S. farmers set a record soybean planting high with 85.1 million acres, up 2 percent from last year. Corn growers planted an estimated 88.9 million acres, the lowest corn acreage since 2010.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports the effort by law enforcement agencies to enforce Iowa’s boating while intoxicated law has resulted in making contact with more than 1,400 boaters on 380 vessels. Of the vessels contacted, officials issued 161 warnings or citations and made 10 arrests for boating while intoxicated. Last year, nearly three out of four of Iowa’s boating fatalities involved alcohol.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Two people are dead after a crash in Monona County Monday. The Iowa State Patrol reports 49-year-old Leon Weifenbach of Onawa was southbound when she veered into the northbound lanes striking a car driven by 52-year-old Joseph Metz of South Sioux City Nebraska.

DES MOINES (IRN) – An urn containing a mother’s cremains was among items stolen from a home while the victim slept. The Des Moines Register reports that the 26-year-old victim awoke to find his mother’s urn missing along with two cell phones. The victim gave police the name of Michael Duncan Byers, 29, who was found already booked in at the Polk County Jail for violating probation. The urn wasn’t recovered.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The man suspected in the disappearance and death of Iowa State University student Tong Shao, 20, has been arrested in China. KCRG-TV reports Xiangnan Li, 23, a former business student at the University of Iowa, faces a homicide charge in China.  Li is suspected of suffocating his girlfriend, hiding her body in the trunk of her car and fleeing to his native China.

LOS ANGELES, CA (IRN) – A former Iowa State University Basketball player has been found dead. The Des Moines Register reports Jackson Vroman, 34, was found in a pool at his Los Angeles County home Monday. The cause of death has not been released. Vroman averaged 13.9 points per game his senior season (2003-04) and led the Big 12 Conference in rebounding.

MADISON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Deputies dispatched to a crash scene Monday morning found a man dead inside a vehicle. KCCI-TV reports the crashed car on its top was found about 15 miles southwest of Winterset. Deputies identified the driver as Daniel Holker, 57, of Winterset.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Police officers and firefighters responded to the First Avenue Bridge over the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids Monday evening for a report of a man who went into the river. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports witnesses say the man was seen passing underneath the Second Avenue Bridge but was not visible downstream at the Third Avenue Bridge. The search was suspended as darkness fell.

DECORAH, IA (IRN) – Two people face charges after authorities executed a search warrant Sunday morning. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office says the warrant was served at a home in Decorah. 35-year-old George Martinez and 35-year-old Angel Barrientos were both cited for possession of cocaine with the intent to deliver, and child endangerment.

NODAWAY, IA (IRN) – Arrests have been made in a Nodaway homicide. The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation has charged Jon Rubendall, 41, and James Bost, 39, both residents of Hiawatha, Kansas, for the 1st degree murder of Allen Pafford.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The Des Moines fire chief has been censured by the Iowa Professional Firefighters Association. WHO-TV reports Chief John TeKippe was censured due to a lack of safety protocols and disrespect toward firefighters. TeKippe has also been under fire from the association on what it considers low staffing.

BURLINGTON (IRN) – A man living in a tent on his own land in Burlington may be forced to move. The Hawk Eye reports that Curtis Halverson has been camping on a vacant lot he owns since mid-April. City officials say temporary structures can only stand for 30 days. Halvorson says he moved to Burlington from Colorado after being released from jail, that his wife is seeking a divorce, and they lost their home after falling behind on payments.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Police are investigating a shooting in Des Moines Sunday night. WHO-TV reports that police found a man with a gunshot wound to his leg at a residence. The victim told police three people kicked in his door and demanded money for a debt he owed. The men began fighting and one of the suspects pulled out a gun and shot him and then took off.

RUNNELLS, IA (IRN) – Polk County authorities say they rescued a woman who went missing in the Des Moines River Sunday afternoon. KCCI-TV reports the woman went swimming and was swept away by the current. She was rescued near Yellow Banks Park in Runnells, and is doing fine.

DES MOINES (IRN) – An Iowa State Trooper is lucky to be alive after an accident on Interstate 80 east of Des Moines, according to the Des Moines Register. Trooper Tracy Bohlen was doing traffic control after a hit and run accident where a semi-trailer was hit, lost control, jack-knifed, and burst into flames. Bohlen’s vehicle was side-swiped by a passing semi while he was directing traffic. All involved with both accidents were uninjured.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police and firefighters responded to a report of a SUV which crashed into a house early Monday morning. KWWL-TV reports neighbors heard a squealing sound and ran out to check and see if a driver had crashed into a nearby ditch. Instead, they saw the SUV inside the house. One person inside the house and the driver were taken to the hospital.

 

DES MOINES (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids pool closed early Saturday following a near-drowning incident. KWWL-TV reports an investigation took place at the Cherry Hill Aquatic Center after an unresponsive 3-year-old boy was rescued from the water by a lifeguard. Police and Fire immediately responded, and the child became responsive upon transport to a local hospital.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The latest report on the status of the Iowa hog industry shows the state with 21 million hogs on Iowa farms as of June 1. A ten percent increase over last year, it’s the second highest number since record keeping began in 1870.  Iowa is the leading pork producer in the nation, nearly tripling second place Minnesota’s production.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) –  A 4-year-old Newton girl is improving after being burned over 20 percent of her body at her home on Monday. WHO-TV reports she was rushed to the burn unit in Iowa City for treatment where she has begun getting skin grafts. The little girl is expected to remain hospitalized for another six weeks.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Lights that were donated by an Oskaloosa company in 2008 helped illuminate the White House in rainbow colors following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage Friday. According to the Des Moines Register the company has worked on other major landmarks and events such as Mount Rushmore and several Olympic Games.