(Bayard, Iowa) – Firefighters from Bayard and Coon Rapids responded to the scene of a two-story house that was fully engulfed in flames early this (Wednesday) morning. The Bayard Fire Chief told KJAN News crews from Bayard were page-out at around 3:37-a.m., to 113 3rd Street. When they arrived, the Coon-Rapids firefighters were requested for mutual aid at around 3:45-a.m., to provide tankers and more manpower. The house was abandoned/unoccupied. It was a total loss. No injuries were reported. Crews were on the scene until about 7:45-a.m.

The cause of the fire was undetermined. The Sheriff’s Office and State Fire Marshal’s Office were requested to conduct an investigation.

(Nevada, Iowa) — Authorities have released the name of a seven-month-old child from Nevada, whose recent death is being investigated. According to a news release from the Nevada Public Safety Department, officials were notified of the death of Xena Angel Shore a little after 6-p.m., Sunday. The child’s parents were identified as Sheyenne Shore and Juan Montalvo.

Officials said no other details will be released at this time, because of the ongoing investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – An annual report on child well-being has ranked Iowa sixth in the nation. The annual KidsCount report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows Iowa ranks near the top nationally in areas like the number of high schoolers graduating on time. Anne Discher, executive director of Common Good Iowa, says Iowa has a lot of room for improvement in other areas.

“One of those is teen birth rate, where we ranked 23rd. We ranked 25th on the share of three and four year olds who are attending preschool,” Discher says, “and then we ranked 29th on the share of 10 to 17 year olds who are overweight or obese.” Discher says the report shows Iowa parents also continue to face challenges around obtaining affordable and accessible childcare.

“Fourteen percent of Iowa children birth to five had a family member in ‘20, and ‘21, who either quit, changed or refused a job because of problems with childcare,” Discher says. The Kids Count report ranked Iowa third in the category of economic well-being, ninth for education and 11th for children’s health.

Des Moines, Iowa – The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau reports 48-year-old Christopher Robin Cundiff, of Adel was charged with three counts of Fraudulent Submissions (Class D Felony), two counts of Forgery (Class D Felony), and two counts of Identity Theft (Aggravated Misdemeanor) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.

The charges against Cundiff stem from an investigation which began in January 2023. According to a criminal complaint filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, while Cundiff was working as an insurance producer, he altered documents and submitted them in support of insurance policies knowing that they misrepresented material facts.

Cundiff was arrested on June 12, 2023 and booked into the Dallas County Jail. Cundiff posted a $10,000 bond and was released.

Christopher Cundiff (Photo courtesy of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office)

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.