In an update to our story first posted Wednesday morning on KJAN.com’s News page, authorities have charged a Council Bluffs man accused of spanking his 2-year-old so hard she was left with several bruises. Court records say 25-year-old Ryan Rapier is charged with felony child endangerment resulting in injury.

The girl’s godmother had noticed bruises on the girl’s face, legs and bottom, and she told investigators that Rapier had said the girl had fallen out of her crib. Rapier told investigators that he’d spanked the girl twice Monday because she kept getting out of her crib and throwing things around the bedroom. He said he lost his temper and didn’t mean to hurt the child.

Some Iowans refer to the full moon in June as a “strawberry moon” because it’s often bright enough to go out at night and pick berries, but that will NOT be the case this year. While we’ve had several so-called “super moons” in the past year, astronomer David Kriegler says what we’ll see tonight (Friday) is just the opposite, what’s known as a micro-moon or mini-moon. Kriegler says, “Because it’s farther from us, it will be fainter in its brightness when it’s full and it will also be smaller.”

The moon’s orbit this month is much more distant from the earth than usual, so while the moon won’t actually be any smaller, it will appear so to the trained eye. “The mini-moons occur fairly often, about once every year or year and a half,” he says. “You have a full moon which is close to its apogee. It’ll be about 30% smaller and probably 20% dimmer than normal.”

For dedicated sky gazers, this moon may be something of a letdown compared to the spectacular full moons we’ve seen lately.  “This particular full moon occurs when the moon is farthest in its orbit,” Kriegler says. “For the last couple of months before this, we’ve had the full moon occurring when the full moon was closest to us, so right now, it’ll be farthest from us.”

Kriegler teaches physics and astronomy at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

(Radio Iowa)

Red Oak Police report the arrest on Wednesday, of Bobbie Jo Bruce, from Red Oak. Bruce was taken into custody at around 12:20-p.m. following a report of a domestic disturbance that happened near Summit and Eastern Streets, in Red Oak. As Police were interviewing Bruce, it was determined he had been driving a vehicle while holding a revoked license. He was taken into custody and later released on a $300 bond.

And, Red Oak Police say two people were injured during an accident Thursday morning. The crash occurred just before 8-a.m. at the intersection of G Avenue and Highway 34, when a 2003 Mazda 6 owned and driven by 40-year old Dana C. Crouse, of Red Oak, struck the rear of a 2013 Kia Rio driven by 52-year old Ruth C. Burns, of Red Oak. Burns, and her passenger, Sara Batten, were transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital to be checked out. Burns had complained of neck pain following the impact. Crouse was not injured. Damage from the accident amounted to $13,500.