A Marshalltown man faces charges following an investigation into a fatal fire at Hartford Gun Sales and Training in Hartford, Friday. The victim’s name hasn’t been released. The suspect is identified as 28-year old Stephen James Major who faces charges of arson and operating a motor vehicle without owners consent.

Crews found a structure fully engulfed in flames. The victim was found after the flames were extinguished.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say the body of a man was recovered from the Des Moines River after his kayak capsized.  Rescue crews were sent to the Sycamore Access boat ramp in Des Moines around 5:30 p.m. Sunday after a 911 call. A man who also had been kayaking told authorities that he’d sought help after turning around and seeing that his companion’s kayak had capsized. The body was recovered around 6:30 p.m.

It’s not yet clear whether the 71-year-old man who died had any medical issues. His name hasn’t been released yet.

Farmers and ranchers in Iowa now can get notifications from their county Farm Service Agency office through text messages on their cell phones. John Whitaker, director of the Iowa F-S-A office, says whether producers are in the field, on a tractor or even on horseback, this service enables vital notifications to get through.

“What we’re trying to do is get immediate, important messages out to producers, say a deadline that’s approaching or, like last weekend, when we had severe weather and there were livestock losses,” Whitaker says, “just important information they can use right at their fingertips.”

While producers nationwide can sign on to the program, Whitaker says the texts can be sent on a county-by-county basis and all messages will come from your nearest county office. “The idea is, we don’t want you to get messages from the entire country,” he says. “We want these to be very specific to the county office, particularly if it’s something like storm damage or crop reporting or something like that.”

The goal is to quickly disseminate the information producers need. “We don’t spend as much money on paper newsletters as we did years ago,” Whitaker says. “Sometimes, we only send a couple a year instead of one every month. It helps us control our costs when we do that but we want to get the information out to producers in a timely manner.”

Contact your local F-S-A office for details.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Red Oak arrested two people Sunday  afternoon who were allegedly involved in an altercation Friday night that resulted in minor injuries to two other people. Authorities say 24-year old Nathan Allen Aldrich, and 25-year old Roland Charles Chapin III, both of Red Oak, were taken into custody at around 3:30-p.m., Sunday at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and charged with Simple Assault. Aldrich and Chapin III were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond, each.

Friday night, Red Oak Police, assisted by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies, arrested 44-year old Roland Charles Chapin, Jr., of Red Oak, also for Simple Assault, in connection with the same altercation involving several individuals in the 300 block of E. Joy Street. Chapin, Jr., was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety report at about 7:20 a.m. Sunday (1/22), law enforcement officers with the Tri-County Drug Task Force in Waterloo conducted a narcotics transaction at the Awesome Car Wash at 2180 Logan Avenue in Waterloo.  During the transaction, two suspects from Minnesota arrived at the location to deliver narcotics to undercover officers.

Several marked and unmarked law enforcement vehicles approached the suspects, at which time an Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE) Special Agent entered the driver’s side door of the suspect vehicle in an attempt to handcuff the driver.  During an altercation with the driver, the Special Agent fired two rounds at the suspect.  The suspect was not injured and both suspects were subsequently placed under arrest.

Arrested for felony Possession with the Intent to Deliver/Mephamphetamine, was 31-year old Paul Greseth, of Wanamingo, MN, and 24-year old Dylan Purdy, of Upper Minneapolis, MN.  Both are in custody at the Blackhawk County Jail.

The identity of the Iowa DPS’s Division of Narcotics Special Agent will not be released due to the nature of his current assignment. The Tri-County Drug Task Force includes officers from the Iowa DPS’s Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Waterloo Police Department, the Blackhawk County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cedar Falls Police Department.

The officer-involved shooting is under investigation by the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

Iowa Democrats have a new chairman. Thirty-three-year-old Derick Eadon, of West Des Moines was elected to the post on Saturday. “First order of business is to get to work on organizing and, also, holding Republicans accountable,” Eadon says. Eadon worked on Barack Obama’s campaigns in Iowa in 2012 and 2008.

“I was really lucky to be one of those first staffers that Barack Obama hired here in Iowa. My first paycheck on the Obama campaign actually bounced, it was that early,” Eadon says. In 2009, Eadon became state director for “Organizing For America” — a group formed to mobilize Obama supporters in the 2010 midterm elections.

Eadon recently has been working as a political consultant, but he’s closing his firm to work full-time as chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party. Eadon is promising a “different approach” and a “positive vision” for the party. “2016 wasn’t just a bad year. It was a year that a lot of our flaws in how we operate as a party have been exposed,” Eadon said. “…We shouldn’t avoid a fight on the issues. We should start it.”

The Democratic Party’s state central committee used a complicated “ranked choice” system to select their new leader. It means Eadon is unlikely to have been the first choice of all, but he got enough high rankings from both of the feuding Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders wings within the Democratic Party to win.

“The issues we face with the Republicans are far bigger than the differences we have,” Eadon says. Six other Democrats were seeking the post Eadon now holds. The Iowa REPUBLICAN Party’s state central committee will meet on Saturday the 28th and the group is expected to elect Jeff Kaufmann to another term as the Iowa G-O-P’s chairman.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections today (Sunday), said several offender physical altercations at the State Penitentiary in Anamosa, resulted in the corrections facility being placed on restricted movement status. Authorities say they altercations happened at around 7-a.m. today (Sunday). All available staff responded quickly to gain control of each incident.  There were no staff injuries reported at this time.  There were some minor offender injuries that were treated.

The facility continues to operate with designated areas of the facility on restricted movement status pending outcome of an investigation of the incident.  Visiting is on a limited basis, friends and family are encouraged to call before traveling for a visit.

Due to the ongoing investigation, no additional information is available at this time.

The Marne Community Club’s Annual Chili, and Men’s Pie Baking Contests have been rescheduled. Both were originally set to take place January 15th, but were cancelled due to the ice storm. Event organizers said today (Sunday), both contests have been rescheduled to take place Feb. 19th, at the Marne Community Center.

Judging for both the Annual Chili Contest and Men’s Pie Baking Contest will be held by “people’s choice.” Anyone interested in entering the Chili Contest should bring a gallon crock pot of chili to the Marne Community Center by 6:00 p.m. on the day of the contest. The same goes for entering the Men’s Pie Contest.

There are no fees for entering. Trophies for both chili and pie winners are on display at the Marne Community Center, and the 1st place winners’ names will be added to their respective trophy.

Everyone is welcome to join the fun, either as a participant or a judge! Come to Marne and share a meal. The main course will be, of course, chili. Please bring a potluck salad to share. Pie for dessert! Beverages will be provided.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A major tax cut several years ago on commercial buildings and other properties has sliced hundreds of millions of dollars from the state budget. It helps explain why Iowa is in the position today of struggling to pay its bills despite a relatively strong economy.

Signed into law in 2013 by Gov. Terry Branstad, the largest tax cut in state history has gradually cost Iowa more than $400 million over several years. A separate $300 million will hit Iowa’s main spending fund this budget year, and that cost will be permanent for the years to come.

The law’s effect on state spending is coming into sharper focus in 2017 as a new GOP-controlled Legislature works privately to cover a roughly $110 million shortfall in the $7.2 billion budget that began last July.