(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report a man from Polk County was arrested Monday afternoon on a Theft charges. Authorities say 35-year-old Preston Leshawn Butts, of Des Moines, was arrested at around 2:19-p.m. in the parking lot at 808 Laurel Street. Butts was charged with Theft in the 4th Degree (for Possession of property valued at more than $300 but less than $750). Butts was cited and released from the scene.

(Creston, Iowa) – No injuries were reported following a collision Sunday afternoon, in Creston. According to the Creston Police Department, a 2019 Nissan Maxima driven by 22-year-old Luke Allen Latham, of Creston, was traveling north on Clark Street at around 1:10-p.m., and a 2019 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 65-year-old Charles Scott Howarth, of Creston, was traveling west on Walnut Street. When Howarth failed to yield the right-of-way, his pickup struck the car on the rear passenger side, causing a total of $8,000 damage.

Howarth told Police he didn’t see the Nissan, and that Latham must have been speeding. A witness also told Creston Police they saw the car speeding. Latham said he was traveling at 25 miles per hour, and he observed the pickup stop at the stop sign, but that Howarth did not yield.

No citations were issued.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – A fire last week in Clarinda claimed the life of a 65-year-old man. Authorities on Monday identified the victim of Thursday evening’s fire as Steven Gail McCurdy. The blaze occurred late Thursday evening at 709 E. Lincoln Street, in Clarinda.

According to Clarinda Fire Chief Roger Williams, the cause of the fire was accidental, or at least undetermined, due to considerable damage to the residence. The residence was a total loss.

Clarinda police officers arriving at the scene before firefighters, tried to gain entry into the home to rescue McCurdy, but were forced to retreat due to heavy smoke and heat. Firefighters made entry into the house and extricated McCurdy from his home, but were unsuccessful in their efforts to revive him.

Clarinda Fire was assisted during the incident by firefighters from New Market, Clarinda Police, Clarinda EMS and MidAmerican Energy.

(Radio Iowa) – Four instructors from Cornell College in Mount Vernon who’ve been teaching in China were attacked and stabbed at a public park in northeast China. The president of Cornell College says it was a serious incident, but offered few details about the attack, which happened in daylight hours on Sunday. The B-B-C reports all four victims are being treated in a Chinese hospital.

In a statement on social media, Governor Kim Reynolds called the attack horrifying and she asked Iowans to pray for their recovery and safe return. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Davenport says she’s been in contact with one of the victim’s families and is working to ensure all four victims get quality care and are safely evacuated from China.

The four Cornell instructors were part of a “long-standing” partnership with a state owned public university in northeast China. A member of the local faculty was in the park with the group from Cornell when the attack happened. Cornell students are not involved in the exchange program.

(Muscatine, Iowa) – A motorcycle crash Monday afternoon in eastern Iowa left one person dead and another injured. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the crash happened on Highway 38 near Brookview Road north of Muscatine, at around 3:30-p.m.

Officials say a 2022 Kawasaki motorcycle was traveling southbound on Highway 38 when it struck a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder that was attempting to turn westbound onto Brookview Road. The Kawasaki was then struck by a 2011 Jeep Liberty that was traveling northbound on Highway 38.

The motorcycle came to rest in the east ditch off the highway. The operator of the cycle was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where they were pronounced dead. The driver of the Nissan was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of their injuries. No names were immediately released.

The crash remains under investigation.