An eastern Iowa couple’s baby gender reveal party went horribly wrong, Saturday afternoon. According to KCCI-TV, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said a 56-year old woman died at the scene, after suffering serious injuries during the gender-reveal announcement. The explosion occurred at around 4-p.m. Saturday at a residence in rural Knoxville. The victim had been struck by a piece of debris. No names have been released.

A traffic stop in Adams County on a vehicle with a faulty brake light, resulted in the arrest at around 2:30-this (Sunday) morning, of a Union County man. Sheriff’s officials say Casey Mitchell, of Thayer, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Mitchell was also charged with having an Open Container, and Expired Registration.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 6:00 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have made arrests in an attack earlier this month on a man and his girlfriend inside the skywalk in downtown Des Moines. Police say 18-year-old Jeffrey Lionel Smith Jr., of Des Moines, was charged Friday with assault in connection with the investigation. A 13-year-old boy also was arrested and referred to juvenile courts for an assault charge.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A former Davenport in-home daycare provider have been given a suspended 25-year prison sentence and placed on four years’ probation for a 2017 incident that left an infant in her care seriously injured. The Quad-City Times reports that 46-year-old Amy Ellen Smith received the sentence Friday. Police were called April 27, 2017, for a report of child abuse involving a baby boy who had suffered broken bones while in Smith’s care.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Arizona insurance agent has lost his Iowa insurance license and is barred for reapplying for 10 years after the Iowa Insurance Division found he fleeced elderly Iowa residents. The division said in a news release Friday that Mark Diamond, of Scottsdale, Arizona, routinely offered free lunch or dinner seminars to gain the trust of attendees, most of whom were 80 or older.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The owner of a popular Des Moines bowling alley that burned to the ground nearly two years ago says he will not rebuild the venue. Randy Thompson, the owner of Plaza Lanes, tells television station KCCI that the land is now up for sale. He says he made that decision after an insurance settlement from the fire failed to cover the cost to rebuild.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The owner of a popular Des Moines bowling alley that burned to the ground nearly two years ago says he will not rebuild the venue. Randy Thompson, the owner of Plaza Lanes, tells television station KCCI that the land is now up for sale. He says he made that decision after an insurance settlement from the fire failed to cover the cost to rebuild.

The building burned down in December 2017. Investigators determined that kitchen rags self-ignited to start the fire. Spontaneous combustion can occur when heat generated through rapid oxidation causes various materials to catch fire.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Arizona insurance agent has lost his Iowa insurance license and is barred for reapplying for 10 years after the Iowa Insurance Division found he fleeced elderly Iowa residents. The division said in a news release Friday that Mark Diamond, of Scottsdale, Arizona, routinely offered free meal seminars to gain the trust of attendees, most of whom were 80 or older. He then used high-pressure tactics to sell them fixed annuities they did not need.

The division says Diamond violated Iowa law, including by using unfair and deceptive practices, by providing misleading and false information and by failing to report his insurance license was suspended or revoked in other states. Besides his Iowa license suspension, Diamond was ordered to pay nearly $68,000 in civil penalties, restitution and investigative costs.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A former Davenport in-home daycare provider have been given a suspended 25-year prison sentence and placed on four years’ probation for a 2017 incident that left an infant in her care seriously injured.

The Quad-City Times reports that 46-year-old Amy Ellen Smith received the sentence Friday after a judge rejected her requests for a deferred judgment, which could have seen the felony expunged from her record.
Smith will not have to serve the prison sentence if she successfully completes her probation.

Smith pleaded guilty in August to neglect of a dependent person and child endangerment with injury.
Police were called April 27, 2017, for a report of child abuse involving a baby boy who had suffered broken bones while in Smith’s care. Police later learned a baby girl had been injured in Smith’s care in November 2015.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have made arrests in an attack earlier this month on a man and his girlfriend inside the skywalk in downtown Des Moines. Police say 18-year-old Jeffrey Lionel Smith Jr., of Des Moines, was charged Friday with assault in connection with the investigation. A 13-year-old boy also was arrested and referred to juvenile courts for an assault charge. The Associated Press doesn’t typically name juveniles charged with crimes.

Police say a 21-year-old man and his girlfriend were attacked Oct. 12 by 20 to 30 teens or young men in the skywalk near the Wellmark YMCA. The man was later hospitalized for treatment after being kicked and punched. The woman also was punched.

The incident led Des Moines police to announce a plan to beef up security in the skywalk system.

w/ Chris Parks

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Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:00 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The owner of a popular Des Moines bowling alley that burned to the ground nearly two years ago says he will not rebuild the venue. Randy Thompson, the owner of Plaza Lanes, tells television station KCCI that the land is now up for sale. He says he made that decision after an insurance settlement from the fire failed to cover the cost to rebuild.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has revoked an attorney’s law license, concluding she improperly kept a client’s money she wasn’t entitled to. The court says in an order released Friday that Tina Muhammad cannot apply to get her Iowa license back for at least five years.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — A judge who presided over a nonjury trial regarding a troubled roadside zoo in eastern Iowa now must determine whether it should be closed. Testimony ended this week regarding Cricket Hollow Animal Park. Four plaintiffs have sued to have the animals removed and the zoo owned by Pam and Tom Sellner closed. The zoo sits just west of Manchester.

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — A judge who presided over a nonjury trial has convicted a man who’d been charged with killing his former girlfriend. Lee County court records say Judge Mary Brown found 25-year-old Adam McCain guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him Thursday to life in prison without possibility of parole. Authorities say McCain stabbed 27-year-old Calove Sackman once on Feb. 5 in Keokuk, got into his vehicle and ran her over, and then got back out and stabbed her several more times.

California Democrat Senator Kamala Harris will return to Iowa on Tuesday, October 29 through Saturday, November 2 for her fifth visit to the state in October. The presidential hopeful will travel to Council Bluffs for a town hall at Lincoln’s Pub (157 W. Broadway), on Tuesday. Doors open at 5:25-p.m., with the Senator scheduled to speak at 6:10-p.m. Reservations may be made by clicking on the link below:

PUBLIC RSVP HERE