Iowa news briefs
Comments (...)Iowan uses bottle of hot sauce for defense
DES MOINES (AP) — Police say a woman grabbed a bottle of hot sauce to defend herself against robbers who broke into her Des Moines apartment.
The Des Moines Register reports Malisa Gutierrez and her boyfriend awoke around 6 a.m. Tuesday to the sound of a door being forced open. They were soon confronted by two men carrying knives and yelling that they wanted money.
Police say a woman accompanying the men used a flashlight to hit Gutierrez. As Gutierrez fought back, she grabbed the bottle and began swinging it.
Police arrived and arrested 41-year-old Lisa Floyd, who they say was Gutierrez’s attacker. The men got away.
Floyd was taken to a hospital, then eventually to jail. Records say she remained there Wednesday.
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500 tons of molten glass spilled at DeWitt
company
DeWITT (AP) — Firefighters have helped contain a spill of 500 tons of molten glass at a DeWitt glass company.
The Quad City Times reports that firefighters were called to Guardian Industries Monday afternoon after molten glass leaked from an oven during routine maintenance and flowed three stories down to the basement.
Fire Chief Bob Sandry says it looked like “lava flowing down from a volcano.”
The plant is designed for molten glass to flow into the basement when something happens but company officials say it’s the first time they’ve had to use it at the DeWitt plant.
Firefighters poured cold water onto the liquid glass, solidifying it.
Officials did not have an estimate for damage or cleanup costs.
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Former Hancock County official gets probation
GARNER (AP) — A former Hancock County official has been given a year of probation for misdemeanor theft.
The Mason City Globe Gazette reports Thomas Haan was convicted of taking property valued at between $200 and $500 between January 2009 and July 2011.
The 41-year-old Haan, of Forest City, also must pay restitution. Haan was given a deferred judgment, meaning the conviction will be wiped from his record if he successfully completes probation.
He resigned as the county conservation director on Sept. 20.
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Midwest economic index takes big jump in January
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A big jump in a monthly survey index suggests more economic growth is ahead for nine Midwest and Plains states.
The Business Conditions Index rose to 55.9 in January, compared with 50.0 in December.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the December report suggested the region’s economy was slowing down because of debt concerns in Europe and the lukewarm U.S. economy. But he says it appears now that December’s “tepid reading was due to seasonal or nonrecurring factors.”
The survey uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Goss says that any score above 50 suggests growth while a score below 50 suggests decline for that factor.
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