(Radio Iowa) – State officials say phone and internet services provided by Lumen Technologies have been disrupted in Iowa due to a water line break at the company’s hub in Des Moines this (Thursday) morning. CenturyLink changed its name to Lumen in 2020 and the extent of the company’s outage is unclear. A spokesperson for Lumen says central and eastern Iowa customers are affected.

According to the Iowa Department of Homeland Security, some Lumen customers may not be able to call 9-1-1 with their landline phone, so the agency is recommending emergency calls be made from a cell phone if a landline call doesn’t go through.

An advisory from Polk County Emergency Management indicates Lumen has brought in generators to try to stabilize the situation at its hub in downtown Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa) – Cherokee County Sheriff Derek Scott has adopted a critically injured dog he helped rescue in late March. A woman called the sheriff’s office for help after spotting the injured dog in a ditch on a county road near Quimby. The dog was taken to a vet clinic in Cherokee, then transferred to an animal rescue service in Sioux City called Noah’s Hope.

“Initially, it kind of looked like he got hit by a car. He was laying in the ditch on his side. He looked in bad shape,” Scott says. “After we got him to Sioux City and Noah’s Hope did some examining and got him to a vet, they found he was actually shot in the front leg.” The dog’s leg had to be amputated. Animal shelter staff decided to name the dog Derek in honor of the sheriff who drove him to Sioux City for treatment, then the sheriff and his wife decided to adopt the dog.

“We had two other dogs in our house and he gets along with everybody,” he says. That includes Sheriff Scott, his wife, his kids — and even the cats.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Nishna Valley YMCA Executive Director Dan Haynes said today (Thursday), there will be a slight delay in the opening date for the Sunnyside Pool, in Atlantic. Recreation officials have been notified by ACCO, that the essential pump has arrived and is being  installed at Sunnyside Pool, with an anticipated completion of sometime next week. This has extended the opening of the pool by approximately one week. The actual opening date will be dictated by the installation process and timeline. The public will be notified as soon as the opening date is known.

While this brief setback may postpone the summer splash, Haynes says the team is diligently working to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all patrons.

In the spirit of community collaboration, the local YMCA has extended its facilities to Sunnyside Pool members during this interim period. Paid Sunnyside members are invited to enjoy the YMCA’s pool amenities at no additional cost until Sunnyside Pool is up and running.

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our community members as we work to finalize the necessary installations to ensure a fantastic swimming season.”  Stay tuned for further updates regarding the exact opening date of Sunnyside Pool. For more information and updates, please visit Sunnyside Pool’s Facebook page.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County today (Thursday), are asking for your help in solving crimes of theft in the County. According to authorities, early Wednesday morning (May 29th), two vehicles were stolen from a car dealership in Audubon. The vehicles were then used in ATM break-ins in Audubon and Exira.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office and the Audubon Police Department are investigating the crimes, in conjunction with DCI, Fusion Center and multiple other agencies with similar criminal activities.

Anyone with information in regard to the thefts, are asked to contact the Audubon County Sheriff’s Department at 712-563-2631. Information can result in a Crimestoppers reward.

(Muscatine, Iowa) – Authorities in Muscatine say there were no reports of injuries following a chase, crash and shots-fired incident, Wednesday afternoon. According to the Muscatine Police Department, at around 3:30-p.m., Wednesday, officers with the Muscatine County Drug Task Force began the process of serving a search warrant on a residence located in the City of Muscatine. The subjects of the investigation fled the scene in a vehicle, when approached by law enforcement, and led police on a high-speed pursuit on Highway 61, around Muscatine.

The fleeing vehicle was involved in a collision at the intersection of Highway 61 and Cedar Street, at around 3:40-p.m. The suspects then fled on foot from the scene. Shortly afterward, several gunshots were fired at the scene.

Incident scene in Muscatine (Photo from the Muscatine, IA Police Department Facebook page)

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is conducting an investigation into the incident. In addition to the Muscatine County Drug Task Force, agencies involved in the incident or lending support, included:

• The Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office
• Cedar County Sheriff’s Office
• Muscatine Police Dept.
• Iowa Dept. of Public Safety
• Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement
• Muscatine Fire Dept.
• and University of Iowa AirCare.

Officials say the situation was quickly contained, and there is no active threat the community. The incident remains under investigation. Additional details will be released pending completion of the DCI investigation.