DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines woman accused of attacking her family with a Swiffer Wet Jet has been arrested on charges of domestic abuse and assault. The Des Moines Register reports that police arrived at the woman’s home Monday on reports of child endangerment and found the 45-year-old woman visibly upset. She told police her husband and son had attacked her.

But family members told a different story — namely that the woman had attacked them with the motorized mop. The son said his parents argue a lot and that he had caught the attack on video using his cellphone. Police reviewed the video and say it showed the woman hitting her family members with the Swiffer.

Officials with The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce said Saturday, First Whitney Bank & Trust is the Chamber’s Premier Partner of AtlanticFest. The new partnership with First Whitney Bank represents leadership and brings exciting new additions to AtlanticFest this year including a chip timer for Road Race participants and all-day entertainment.

Pictured: Paul Gude, Carol Schlake, Linda Knop, Jason Nicholas, Tina Schrier, Chip
Hansen, Diane Petty, Jayme Farver, Kim Wagoner, Megan Reimer, Laura Kirchhoff, Diana
Marburg, Pat Marshall, Dianne Gipple, Debbie Pellett, Jocey Balch, Nick Barry,
Laurie Andersen, Glenna Luin and Ted Robinson.

Police in Council Bluffs say 26-year old Nicholas Malone, of Oakland, was arrested Friday evening on multiple charges following a traffic stop and pursuit. Bluffs Police Sgt. Darren Budd said when an officer tried to stop a stolen 2004 Dodge Ram truck just before 6-p.m. Friday, the driver (later identified as Malone) recklessly sped-off on north 6th Street. The officer discontinued the pursuit out of concerns for public safety.

Just after 8-p.m., the same stolen truck was seen at a Casey’s store at 503 23rd Avenue, in Council Bluffs. A Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy located and kept an eye on the vehicle until additional officers and deputies arrived on the scene.  Malone was found inside the truck and taken into custody.

Inside the vehicle, authorities found three long knives, a numerous keys, 14 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and cash. In addition, Malone was wanted on a warrant out of Council Bluffs for 1st Degree Burglary, and a felony warrant out of Omaha.

He was arrested for Pott. County on a charge of 1st degree Theft, with regard to the stolen truck and guns, and for Council Bluffs Police, on charges of Felony eluding; Possession of Meth with the Intent to Deliver; Felon in Possession of Firearms; Carrying Weapons; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; A warrant for 1st Degree burglary and for Being a Fugitive from Justice.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) – Forecasters are warning that severe weather could hit parts of the nation’s midsection this weekend. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma said there is a risk for tornadoes and very large hail in northeastern Colorado on Friday, with severe storms developing in Nebraska and Iowa during the day today (Saturday).

By Sunday, the storms could stretch from near the Oklahoma Panhandle into the Ohio Valley. The threat of tornadoes during the day Saturday in the mid-Missouri River Valley is expected to evolve into a mass of storms with high winds.

Police in Red Oak report the arrest early this (Saturday) morning of 33-year old Ryan Michael McDougall. The Red Oak man was taken into custody at around 12:25-a.m. in the 700 block of East Washington Avenue, on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. McDougall was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

DENISON, Iowa (AP) — A judge sentenced a Denison man to life in prison without parole for killing an elderly couple last year and then lighting their home on fire. The Sioux City Journal reports Judge John Ackerman on Friday sentenced 20-year-old Jayden Chapman to consecutive life terms without parole. A jury convicted Chapman last month of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 80-year-old Marvin Huelsing and 81-year-old Alice Huisenga at a trailer home. He also was convicted of reckless use of fire.

Trial evidence shows Chapman and another man convicted in the case, 27-year-old Michael Schenk, of Denison, were stealing scrap metal when the elderly couple arrived. Chapman and Schenk shot them and set their trailer on fire.

Chapman still faces charges related to an attempted escape from jail.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers have adjourned the 2015 legislative session, approving a $7.3 billion spending plan that includes modest increases for education, funding to maintain mental health institutions and a tax-break for broadband Internet infrastructure.

The Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-controlled House concluded their work Friday afternoon. Their budget bills move to Gov. Terry Branstad, who must decide whether he will sign off.

Under the compromise spending deal, the state will spend about $7.3 billion for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The deal represents only a slight increase over the current spending and includes $7.17 billion in ongoing spending, plus $135 million in one-time payments for items like schools, universities and Medicaid. Those payments will come from the surplus fund dollars left at the end of the current fiscal year.

Summer will arrive June 21st and already Iowans are being buzzed and bitten by mosquitoes. Brendan Dunphy, an entomology researcher at Iowa State University, says he’s been studying the habits of these tiny flying pest for years and spotted his first mosquito of 2015 in Boone County back in March. “What was happening was, they were simply coming out of their winter hiding places,” Dunphy says. “Now that we’re in the time of year when we’ll have consistently high temperatures, we have the type of environment that could sustain mosquito activity for months to come.”

Dunphy said the mosquito bites can make people sick but the bugs are much worse on other continents. “They are capable of transmitting human disease agents, plenty of viruses, West Nile virus would be the best example here in Iowa,” Dunphy says. “Also, a number of other things that are even more pathogenic and cause death in other parts of the world. Thankfully, in a place like Iowa, we have it relatively easy compared to sub-Saharan Africa.”

He urges Iowans to police their yards to make it harder for mosquitoes to find a home “Getting rid of sources of standing water on your own property,” Dunphy says. “Bird baths, tires, buckets, children’s swimming pools, turned-over truck toppers, anything that can collect water can essentially be a reservoir or a breeding ground for future generations of mosquitoes, including ones that can transmit viruses.”

Another recommendation is to wear long-sleeve shirts and use insect repellant when outdoors and staying indoors around dawn and dusk when mosquito activity is often the highest.

(Radio Iowa)

Around 96-percent of the men and women in Iowa’s prison will eventually be released and corrections officials are hoping a federal grant will help them reduce the number of inmates who return to prison. Beth Skinner is the Recidivism Reduction Coordinator with the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC). She came to Iowa from New York earlier this year, shortly after the DOC was awarded a $3 million Second Chance Act grant from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“We’re looking at areas we’ve done work in and kind of upgrading them, enhancing them, and building upon that to reduce recidivism,” Skinner said. Last year, Iowa’s prison recidivism rate dropped to 29.7-percent. That’s down from 45-percent 15 years ago. Iowa’s prisons are currently holding 8,267 inmates. That’s more than 13-percent over the design capacity of the facilities. Skinner is certain the recidivism rate can be further reduced, ultimately decreasing the overall prison population.

“We are going to be looking at how we do business. We’re going to be looking at the practices we use and the programs we use with offenders. We’re going to be ensuring that we’re using evidence-based practices, practices that we know reduce recidivism. So, of course we’re going to make an impact on that (the overall prison population),” Skinner said. The $3 million grant from the DOJ is spread out over three years. Skinner delivered an update on the program before an Iowa Board of Corrections meeting today (Friday) in Fort Dodge.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled marriages in the state can’t be ended without all the property involved being divided up. The case involved Susan and Ronald Thatcher, who were married in 1984. Susan was diagnosed with terminal cancer in January 2013 and filed to end the 29-year marriage, saying their relationship had broken down. Ronald resisted the ending the marriage.

The Linn County District Court ruled in favor of Susan one day before her death, and ordered the property to be divided at a later date. The ruling was upheld on appeal. The Iowa Supreme Court says Iowa law does not directly address the issue known as bifurcation. The court says there are some advantages to a bifurcated divorce, but also many disadvantages in separating the property of those involved.

The court says the Iowa legislature is the appropriate body to make the policy judgments on whether to allow bifurcated divorces and under what conditions. The Supreme Court vacated the appeals ruling and reversed the district court ruling and says the probate court will now decide how the property is divided.

(Radio Iowa)