Police in Red Oak say one person was arrested on drug charges early this (Sunday) morning. 28-year old Jessie Bruce Fitzwater, of Villisca, was arrested at around 12:25-a.m. in the 600 block of E. Corning Street, for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, With the Intent to Deliver. Fitzwater was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on a $100,000 cash bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Three people have been arrested in connection with an early morning New Year’s Day shooting in downtown Waterloo. The Courier reports that 22-year-old Kristopher Darquel Spates Junior of Waterloo faces weapons charges and interference with official acts. A 15-year-old and 16-year-old were charged with carrying weapons. Police responded to the area around 1:50 a.m. Friday following a complaint that people were refusing to leave a downtown bar.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – An eastern Iowa man faces a first-degree robbery charge after he was accused of taking a PlayStation from another person at gunpoint. The Quad-City Times reports that 19-year-old Adrian Thomas Lard Junior of Park View was arrested Thursday by Davenport police.

GARNER, Iowa (AP) – A northern Iowa family with a child suffering from cancer received a year-end surprise from an Iowa State Patrol trooper’s union. The Mason City Globe-Gazette reports that the union voted unanimously to give its yearly $500 charitable donation to the family of 5-year-old Cohen Smith for medical and travel expenses. Smith was diagnosed with Burkitt leukemia in July, and has endured six rounds of chemotherapy to fight the aggressive cancer. Two troopers surprised the family with the check at their home on Thursday morning.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – An eastern Iowa veteran affairs commission is launching an effort to reach out to veterans on college campuses. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the Black Hawk County Veteran Affairs Commission will begin its push next month.

Police in Red Oak are investigating a hit-and-run, property damage incident. Officials say on Saturday, the owner of a red, 2008 Chrysler Grand Caravan, notified authorities about her vehicle being struck while it was parked in the 1800 block of Forest Street, in Red Oak. The incident occurred sometime between Friday night and 2-p.m., Saturday. Damage from the collision amounted to $2,500.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Red Oak Police Department.

Deputies in Montgomery County arrested a man from Pottawattamie County late Saturday night. 25-year old Jon Mark Gibb, Jr. of Carter Lake, was arrested at around 9:50-p.m. following an incident in the 1900 block of G Avenue, north of Red Oak.

Gibb, Jr., was charged with Simple Assault, Violation of a No Contact Order, and Child Endangerment. He was also taken into custody on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Failure to Appear in court on a Domestic Assault charge. The man was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

Lopsided games and having the College Football Playoff semifinals on New Year’s Eve led to a 13 percent drop in TV ratings for the New Year’s Six Bowls from last year. The Rose Bowl on Friday drew its lowest rating (7.9) since it became part of the BCS in 1999. The overnight ratings for the big New Year’s Day bowls were announced Saturday by ESPN, which broadcasts all the games.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Council Bluffs police say the city saw a 30 percent increase in shoplifting arrests last year compared to 2014. The Daily Nonpareil says  the police records department reported 1,013 shoplifting arrests as of Dec. 30. During the previous year, Council Bluffs police say they arrested 772 people for the crime.

Anyone who is arrested for allegedly stealing items worth less than $500 is considered a shoplifter. Council Bluffs Police Sgt. Dave Dawson says the opening of a new Walmart store likely played a role in the increase.

w/ Chris Parks

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Iowans who are considering taking up a new hobby in the new year might consider taking a course in beekeeping. A record number of beekeeping classes will be offered in the state this winter at locations all over Iowa. State apiarist Andrew Joseph says the courses are starting as soon as January 9th, just over a week from now.

“Wintertime is a good time to learn about all of the basic information you need to get started with a hive of bees,” Joseph says. “You’ll get this knowledge in your mind, you’ll know where to get things, how to order your equipment and put it together and what to expect over your first season. That’ll prepare you well for springtime, which is when beekeepers will start their new colonies.”

It can be a profitable hobby, Joseph says, and the number of beekeepers is growing.  “They’re just skyrocketing and this is definitely true for Iowa and it’s true for pretty much everywhere in the U.S.,” Joseph says. “We’ve jumped over the last ten years from around 3,000 or 3,500 beekeepers across the state to an estimated 4,500 now today.”

Iowa’s 4,500 beekeepers manage more than 45,000 colonies of honey bees. Those bees produce about 4-million pounds of honey annually, valued at over $8-million. Honey bees are also responsible for the pollination of many Iowa crops, as well as home gardens and plants eaten by wildlife. The economic value of honey bees as crop pollinators in Iowa is estimated at $92 million a year. Joseph says the classes being offered by the state will be of help for those who are just starting out.

“Most of the people that would be interested in these classes are new hobbyists, beekeepers with a couple of hives in their back yard,” he says. “It’s a great way to start, just two or three hives, get a taste for it and let it go from there. If you get a passion for it, build up your numbers.”

The state’s offering some 27 classes in beekeeping in a host of sites, included at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, on Thursday evenings from March 31st to April 14th. Another class will be held in Glenwood. The date and times for the classes have not yet been set. The full list of class sites and dates is at: www.abuzzaboutbees.com

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is planning to place trout in 17 different urban lakes over the next four months. Biologist Joe Larscheid is in charge of the agency’s fisheries. “Trout are a cold water species and they generally are confined in Iowa into the northeast corner of Iowa naturally, but when the water turns cold in the late fall and winter, we can stock these fish in other parts of Iowa,” he says. “We do that to bring trout closer, especially to urban areas, and make these family-friendly events and just really create some excitement about fishing.”

Larscheid says trout are easy to catch and once D-N-R staff put the fish in one of these urban lakes, it doesn’t take long for all the trout to be caught. “It doesn’t take sophisticated equipment. Usually a biologist is there on hand and some local partners there on hand to help people be successful, so if you have young kids, these are really good events to go to,” Larscheid says. “The odds of catching fish are pretty high.”

There are a lot of “anglers” out there in the state according to Larscheid, and thousands of Iowans are angling to catch trout. “We’ve sold more trout stamps in 2015 than ever before and they continue to increase every year,” Larscheid says, “so trout fishing is extremely popular in Iowa.” In addition to a state fishing license, anglers need a trout stamp to legally catch trout — and more than 44-thousand trout stamps have been sold this year.

The D-N-R’s first urban “trout stocking” event is scheduled fpr January 9th at the Scharnberg Pond in Spencer.  “I’d just like to encourage people when these events are in your area get your plans together, get your family together and really make an effort to get there,” Larscheid says. “A lot of these trout are caught very quickly one we put them in the system, so the fastest action is usually the day of, right when we stock them.”

In addition to the event planned in Spencer, trout will be stocked at lakes in 16 other cities from January through April, including Big Lake (plus Gilbert’s Pond) in Council Bluffs, at 4-p.m., on Jan. 22nd.

(Radio Iowa)