IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The attorney for an Iowa City man accused of killing his wife says his client will plead not guilty. Johnson County court records say 67-year-old Roy Browning Jr. is charged with first-degree murder in the April 5 stabbing death of JoEllen Browning. Attorney Leon Spies told the Iowa City Press-Citizen on Tuesday that Roy Browning will file a written plea before his Nov. 22 arraignment.

Investigators allege that Roy Browning killed his wife as she was in the process of discovering that he had hidden major financial problems. He stood to gain from her estate worth more than $2 million in retirement accounts and life insurance upon her death. JoEllen Browning had been the director of operating budgets at University of Iowa Health Care, where she had worked for decades.

CEDAR RAPIDS – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 23-year old Romier Kristian Porter, who was convicted of Willful Injury- Causing Serious Injury in Polk County, walked away from the Gerald R Hinzman Residential Center Tuesday afternoon without permission, and has failed to return. Porter is a black male, 5-feet 5-inches tall, and weighs 217 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on June 13, 2019.  Persons with information on Porter’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Romier Kristian Porter

(Radio Iowa) — Researchers at Iowa State University are confirming something many of us already know, that we’re just not getting enough sleep. While it’s recommend most adults get seven to eight hours of shut-eye per night, I-S-U psychology professor Zlatan Krizan says few of us consistently get that allotment. “There’s been a lot of reasons to think that sleep may be changing. We have an increase in technology use, technology in the bedrooms,” Krizan says. “There’s a lot of evidence people are sleeping for a shorter duration now than let’s say ten years ago. What we don’t have a lot of information about is the quality of sleep change, things such as difficulty falling asleep, staying sleep.”

The I-S-U research team analyzed data collected from the C-D-C’s National Health Interview Survey from 2013 to 2017. “What we found there is the percentage of individuals who reported at least one day with sleep difficulty, such as falling or staying asleep, has gone up several percentage points,” Krizan says. “When applied to millions of people, that’s a significant increase.” Based on 2018 population estimates, he says the data finds as many as five-million Americans are experiencing trouble sleeping, which can indicate things like physical illness or psychological difficulty. “There are some obvious suspects here,” Krizan says. “In some of our other research, we identified for example, especially mobile technology use in adolescent populations as well as adults is important for sleep duration. Is that what’s driving these changes in sleep difficulties? We’ll have to wait for future research to look at it.”

Earlier I-S-U studies found poor sleep quality can increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, while there’s a link between smartphone use and insufficient sleep among teens. The latest study is being published in the journal Sleep Health.

GILMAN, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in central Iowa say at least one person was injured in a mobile home fire. Firetrucks were sent to the home in Gilman around 3 p.m. Tuesday. Fire Chief Randy Mommer told station KCCI that the injured person was being treated and likely would be sent to an Iowa City hospital. The fire cause is being investigated.