WAUKON, Iowa (AP) — A fire has heavily damaged a restaurant in the eastern Iowa city of Waukon. Waukon Fire Chief Dave Martin says firefighters quickly knocked down the flames Tuesday night inside Mulligan’s Grill Pub. But the heat generated melted items down the inside walls, and there was significant smoke damage. Firefighters remained on the scene until 10 a.m. Wednesday. Martin says the building likely is a total loss. No injuries have been reported. The cause is being investigated.

Roberta Palmer owns a neighboring eatery, the Waukon Inn Restaurant, and she says she’s counting on Mulligan’s to make a comeback. She says Mulligan’s isn’t a full competitor, because her restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch, while Mulligan’s is open for lunch and supper. Palmer says the businesses sort of feed off each other. Mulligan’s owner Dana Ruegnitz says he wants to find out what started the fire before making any plans to rebuild

A man arrested for Nov. 20th incident in Red Oak, now faces additional charges after test results on a substance believed to be Meth, came back positive for the drug. Red Oak Police have charged 37-year old Daniel Bruce Clemons, Jr., of Red Oak, with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, 3rd or subsequent Offense, because he had two prior convictions associated with the drug. Bruce was originally arrested in November for Aggravated Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. Officers located a substance believed to be meth on his person and had it sent to the DCI Lab in Ames, for confirmation.

Law enforcement and rescue personnel in Harrison County responded to a sand pit near the Boyer River to search for a man whose vehicle was found buried in sand near the Hallett Materials plant, which is near the Boyer River. Coworkers looking for him overnight found his Caterpillar truck in a sand ditch. Attempts to recover the vehicle were underway this morning. Initial reports indicated the vehicle was in the water. Dive teams were called to the scene, southwest of Dunlap, as the sand pits contain water. An on-site crane was bringing up a mix of sand, water and ice.

Water rescue team boats were being deployed.The circumstances around the incident remain under investigation.

(Update from KNOD/Harlan)

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 12:40-a.m. Wednesday, of 55-year old Karl Shawn Kirchner, from Lorimor.  Kirchner was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, and charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon. He remains held in the Union County Jail without no bond, until seen by a Judge.

Authorities in Creston say no injuries were reported following a collision that occurred at around 5:55-a.m.  Officials say a 2007 GMC Envoy driven by 25-year old Frankie Lynn Rice, of Afton, was traveling west on Highway 34, when an eastbound 2019 Pontiac G6 turned left onto Commerce Street. The vehicle, driven by 55-year old Patti Elaine Page-Jones, of Creston, was struck by the SUV, on the right rear side. Damage from the collision amounted to $5,500. No citations were issued.

As Iowans begin the task of filling out their state tax returns, they’re encouraged to make a donation to what’s nicknamed the “Chickadee Checkoff” to support wildlife conservation statewide. Stephanie Shepherd, a wildlife biologist at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the amount collected last year for the Fish and Wildlife Fund rose from the year before, but still, very few Iowans donate to the cause. “We were really excited to see that the numbers went up to about $147,000,” Shepherd says. “That was up by roughly $15,000 from the year before. That was a really nice increase and we were really happy to see it, but in its heyday, it brought in over $200,000.”

Iowa has one-point-six million taxpayers and last year about 78-hundred donated to the fund, an increase of about 300 from the year before. “Less than half of one percent of taxpayers actually donate to the checkoff,” Shepherd says. “If every taxpayer in Iowa, for example, gave one dollar to the checkoff, that would mean $1.5 million for wildlife conservation.” Of the Iowans who donated last year, they averaged about 19-dollars each. The fund benefits a wide array of Iowa’s most vulnerable creatures — more than a thousand species, including eagles, songbirds, turtles, lizards and butterflies. Avenues include education, research and habitat management. “The money from the Chickade Checkoff is used to support non-game wildlife or wildlife that you can’t hunt, fish or trap,” Shepherd says. “It was instrumental in developing the Wildlife Diversity Program here at the Iowa DNR where we focus entirely on non-game species.”

The Fish and Wildlife Fund was created by the Iowa Legislature in the 1980s as a way for citizens to donate to wildlife conservation on the state tax form. Before that, non-game wildlife had no dedicated funding. Shepherd says donating on the tax form is easy: simply write the amount next to the Fish and Wildlife Check-Off, line 57 on Form 1040. The sum is either automatically deducted from the refund or added to the amount owed. Plus, it’s deductible from next year’s taxes.

(Radio Iowa)

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Omaha television station WOWT reports authorities in Harrison, County Iowa have brought in a Denison dive team to assist with truck submerged in a sand pit. The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office told the station the vehicle is in the water near Hallett Materials on Highway 30 southwest of Dunlap. The Boyer runs past that location. The driver has been reported missing. The circumstances remain under investigation as authorities converge to pull the truck from the water. Early indications are that the vehicle went into the water at around 5-a.m. today (Thursday).

Sheriff’s officials in northern Iowa’s Humboldt County say Lavista, Nebraska man was arrested Tuesday on a felony kidnapping charge after authorities received a report that at around 2:36-a.m. Tuesday, about the alleged abduction of a young woman from Fremont, NE. 36-year old Valentin Velez was being held in the Humboldt County Jail. If convicted, he faces up to 10-years in jail.

Authorities say the woman had used social media to contact friends and family. Deputies from Humboldt and Wright Counties were able to locate her at 503 McCurry Street, in Renwick. Authorities say the young lady was able to escape the residence and was taken by ambulance to the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital, where she was treated.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in its investigation by the Humboldt County Attorney’s Office, Iowa DCI, the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Renwick  Ambulance Service.

Creston Police, last week, received reports from citizens about an incident of vandalism and theft. On Jan. 18th, a resident of the 300 block of N. Vine, reported that at around 6:15-p.m. on that date, someone threw rocks at the window of his home, causing the window to break. The damage was estimated at $100. And, on Jan. 19th, a resident of the 500 block of N. Pine, in Creston, reported to police that sometime between Nov. 24th and Jan. 19th, someone cut two locks off his storage unit at 301 Industrial Parkway, and took a wooden box. The box contained several old coins, miscellaneous Craftsman tools, a Magnatone Guitar Amplifier, a WWE ring, some George Jones and Superman memorabilia. The loss was estimated at $435.