BLOGGING BUCKS: How central Iowans are benefiting from one of the oldest social media tools

BLOGGING BUCKS: How central Iowans are benefiting from one of the oldest social media tools

People write blogs about everything from having babies to making meals. And while web logs have been around since the late 1990's, experts...

FASHION COMEBACK: Styles made popular during the decade that made Madonna popular make a comeback

FASHION COMEBACK: Styles made popular during the decade that made Madonna popular make a comeback

Superstar Madonna may still be making headlines for her songs and Super Bowl performance. But, it's the styles she made popular during the...

LETHAL HIGH: Channel 13's Sonya Heitshusen investigates the sale of synthetic drugs in Iowa and the debate about whether they should be banned or regulated

LETHAL HIGH: Channel 13's Sonya Heitshusen investigates the sale of synthetic drugs in Iowa and the debate about whether they should be banned or regulated

A new breed of synthetic marijuana and bath salts is showing up on the internet and in convenience stores.  Drug manufacturers are...

REDEMPTION ROAD: A metro man is working toward redemption for a long-ago crime, helping those who need it most

REDEMPTION ROAD: A metro man is working toward redemption for a long-ago crime, helping those who need it most

Looking at Clem Vestal with his shaved head, skull tattoos, and biker image, he doesn't look like the kind of guy you want to mess with....

FATHER'S FIGHT: Channel 13's Erin Kiernan tells the story of her father's journey to recovery after a ruptured brain aneurysm threatened to take his life

FATHER'S FIGHT: Channel 13's Erin Kiernan tells the story of her father's journey to recovery after a ruptured brain aneurysm threatened to take his life

It’s funny the things you take for granted.  The things you don’t realize you’ll miss… until they’re...

TERRORIZING TEENS: What your schools are doing, or not doing, to prevent bullying

TERRORIZING TEENS: What your schools are doing, or not doing, to prevent bullying

Like most teens, Miranda Reid looked forward to her senior year at Valley High School.  She was a good student and ran track and...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:   Iowa soldiers are reunited with the dogs they rescued in Afghanistan

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: Iowa soldiers are reunited with the dogs they rescued in Afghanistan

We first told you in July about returning soldiers trying to adopt the strays they rescued in Afghanistan. Since then, the Iowans efforts...

SOCIAL ISSUES: Channel 13's Dave Price takes a look at controversial conservative Bob Vander Plaats and his organization The Family Leader

SOCIAL ISSUES: Channel 13's Dave Price takes a look at controversial conservative Bob Vander Plaats and his organization The Family Leader

Bob Vander Plaats wants his group to have a big role in picking the next president. Vander Plaats is the president/CEO of the Family Leader....

AMAZING ABILITY: Just a few years after a devastating injury, Mark Block climbs to the top of a Chicago landmark

AMAZING ABILITY: Just a few years after a devastating injury, Mark Block climbs to the top of a Chicago landmark

It is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world.  It opened in 1973 and became the tallest building in the world, at more...

DRIVER SAFETY: Aging Iowans brush up on driving skills

DRIVER SAFETY: Aging Iowans brush up on driving skills

In Iowa, people age 65 and older make up about 17% of the drivers on the road, but they`re involved in about 24% of all accidents

VETERAN VOLUNTEERS:   Iowa veterans open up and share war stories with other vets through new hospice program

VETERAN VOLUNTEERS: Iowa veterans open up and share war stories with other vets through new hospice program

A new program is serving Iowa veterans as they near the end of their lives. The goal is to get them talking with other veterans. Sometimes...

WHAT'S INSIDE: Andy Fales takes a peek inside the Salisbury House

WHAT'S INSIDE: Andy Fales takes a peek inside the Salisbury House

I did a story last year that featured a quick stop here, at the Salisbury House…

BEATING ODDS: It isn't a quick fix, but the people who work and volunteer at one Madison County Ranch, say it works.

BEATING ODDS: It isn't a quick fix, but the people who work and volunteer at one Madison County Ranch, say it works.

Every day there are dozens of kids at the Grubb YMCA – before school, after school, during the summer – and the situation is...

COUPON CRAZE: More Iowans are learning the secret to saving and have advice before you learn to clip

COUPON CRAZE: More Iowans are learning the secret to saving and have advice before you learn to clip

With tight budgets, high food prices and a certain reality show called Extreme Couponing, more shoppers than ever are looking for extreme...

IOWA APPS: Iowans have come up with some creative apps for your smart phone involving giraffes, cashless payments and Hawkeyes

IOWA APPS: Iowans have come up with some creative apps for your smart phone involving giraffes, cashless payments and Hawkeyes

Iowans have designs on making it big in the apps business. Apps, or phone applications, get downloaded on your mobile phone for an instant...

IOWA ICON: Some are only icons in specific circles. In the world of billiards, Pat Diveney is a star

IOWA ICON: Some are only icons in specific circles. In the world of billiards, Pat Diveney is a star

Icons often come from humble beginnings. From small towns, family farms, or…back-alley garages in West Liberty, Iowa, where the sticker on...

CALMING COMPANIONS: A family pet brings comfort to a sick father and healing to a grieving family

CALMING COMPANIONS: A family pet brings comfort to a sick father and healing to a grieving family

There’s just something about animals and the effect they have.  They make us smile and laugh, and when animals show up at...

911 KNOWLEDGE:  Channel 13's Dan Winters investigates how "smart" your smart phone is in an emergency

911 KNOWLEDGE: Channel 13's Dan Winters investigates how "smart" your smart phone is in an emergency

People are getting rid of landlines in order to save money.  Could it cost them precious time in a home emergency?

TODDLER TUNES: Classes encourage child development through music

TODDLER TUNES: Classes encourage child development through music

Some of the kids can’t even walk, but in this class, it’s never too early to start picking up a beat or playing an instrument.

CLASSROOM CONCERN: Police say more kids are committing more violent crimes at a younger age

CLASSROOM CONCERN: Police say more kids are committing more violent crimes at a younger age

It’s like a small city.  On any given school day, more than 31,000 students walk the halls of the Des Moines School District.&...

KELSEY'S COMEBACK: Homecoming is right of passage, and at Southeast Polk, one student overcame long odds to take part.

KELSEY'S COMEBACK: Homecoming is right of passage, and at Southeast Polk, one student overcame long odds to take part.

Schools all over Central Iowa are celebrating homecoming with parades, football games and dances.  That includes Southeast Polk,...

IOWANS AT WAR: Adjusting to life at home and reintegrating with family can be a struggle for soldiers returning from war

IOWANS AT WAR: Adjusting to life at home and reintegrating with family can be a struggle for soldiers returning from war

Skype has been the main mode of communication for Christina Refsland and her husband, Sergeant First Class, Nik Refsland during his year-...

FREEDOM TO RIDE: Some athletes are facing more challenges than just the heat on the 500-mile RAGBRAI ride

FREEDOM TO RIDE: Some athletes are facing more challenges than just the heat on the 500-mile RAGBRAI ride

When you grow up like Mike Boone, riding hundreds of miles on a bike doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

WAR DOGS:  Iowa soldiers rescue dogs from Afghanistan

WAR DOGS: Iowa soldiers rescue dogs from Afghanistan

The military doesn’t allow pets or mascots in a war zone.  But that didn’t stop some Iowa soldiers from rescuing stray dogs...

SOLDIER GRIEF: Soldiers demobilizing at Fort McCoy learn how to adjust to civilian life

SOLDIER GRIEF: Soldiers demobilizing at Fort McCoy learn how to adjust to civilian life

Soldiers demobilizing at Fort McCoy stay in barracks built during the 1940’s.  If you go back in time, the shadows in the windows...

WINNERS AND LOSERS:  Government pays companies to hire targeted individuals

WINNERS AND LOSERS: Government pays companies to hire targeted individuals

About 30 employers were invited to the women's prison to hear a pitch on the benefits of hiring ex-offenders.

IOWANS AT WAR: Iowa soldiers turn in their guns and gear

IOWANS AT WAR: Iowa soldiers turn in their guns and gear

A chartered plane lands in the stormy night at Volk Airfield in Wisconsin. It's carrying about 200 Soldiers from the Iowa National Guard's...

IOWANS AT WAR:  Iowa soldiers return from serving in Afghanistan

IOWANS AT WAR: Iowa soldiers return from serving in Afghanistan

The flashing lights in the stormy, night sky signal the return of Iowa's 113th Cavalry to U.S. soil.

STILL MISSING:  Disappearance of Iowa TV anchor remains a cold case

STILL MISSING: Disappearance of Iowa TV anchor remains a cold case

It's a cold case that hit Mason City hard, because the victim was someone that most people knew of. A young TV-news anchor, described by...

IDENTITY THEFT: Thieves turn to stealing children's identities and ruining their credit

IDENTITY THEFT: Thieves turn to stealing children's identities and ruining their credit

The Federal Trade Commission is holding a forum on child identity theft in Washington D.C. on July 12.

PROGRAM PROBLEMS: People are defrauding programs that thousands of Iowans use to feed their families and make emergency purchases.

PROGRAM PROBLEMS: People are defrauding programs that thousands of Iowans use to feed their families and make emergency purchases.

In Oregon, 182 withdrawals or debits were made using Iowa welfare cards worth more than $7,000.  And in California, 1300 transactions,...

NEW FAMILY: After a year of waiting, a Waukee family welcomes two sons from Russia

NEW FAMILY: After a year of waiting, a Waukee family welcomes two sons from Russia

Since last June, we've followed along as metro families worked to bring a group of Russian orphans to Iowa for a new life. And for the...

ANDY ANSWERS: Ever wonder who that building, street, business or town was named after?

ANDY ANSWERS: Ever wonder who that building, street, business or town was named after?

The names are something they've left behind. Given in memoriam as an honor or simple gesture, they eventually become just another part of...

MAGIC DRUG: Channel 13's Erin Kiernan investigates the hCG diet and whether it's really a safe way to lose weight quickly

MAGIC DRUG: Channel 13's Erin Kiernan investigates the hCG diet and whether it's really a safe way to lose weight quickly

Americans spend $40 billion a year on weight loss programs and products.  Everyone's searching for a way to slim down whether it's five...

VULNERABLE INFORMATION: Your information may be all over the internet, in exchange for a few pirated DVDs

VULNERABLE INFORMATION: Your information may be all over the internet, in exchange for a few pirated DVDs

Every year 15-million people in the US fall victim to identity theft.  Now, there's concern the State of Iowa is leaving people at...

13 CARES: A metro man suffering a loss of his own is helping give back to hundreds through Lutheran Services in Iowa

13 CARES: A metro man suffering a loss of his own is helping give back to hundreds through Lutheran Services in Iowa

Jim Duff loves to visit. He can talk for hours about his family and lots of other things. Sports, politics, religion. He can chat about it...

CHEESY SUCCESS: A Knoxville woman began raising goats after realizing her son couldn't digest cow’s milk, now her endeavor is producing sought-after goat cheese

CHEESY SUCCESS: A Knoxville woman began raising goats after realizing her son couldn't digest cow’s milk, now her endeavor is producing sought-after goat cheese

A Knoxville woman is turning her passion into success by becoming one of the premiere goat cheese producers in the country.

WELFARE CHECK: Channel 13's Dan Winters investigates the welfare system and some of the flaws in the system that allow Iowans to scam it

WELFARE CHECK: Channel 13's Dan Winters investigates the welfare system and some of the flaws in the system that allow Iowans to scam it

Dennis Agan felt compelled to contact us after our first welfare fraud report aired.  It revealed thousands of Iowa welfare card...

BRAIN BOOST: Six ways to improve your brain power

BRAIN BOOST: Six ways to improve your brain power

Twice a week in a West Des Moines conference room, central Iowans are training for a fight. Their opponent goes by a lot of names. For Ron...

YOUR MONEY: Numbers show whether Gov. Terry Branstad getting fair paycheck

YOUR MONEY: Numbers show whether Gov. Terry Branstad getting fair paycheck

No new wheels. No more cable tv. No more treadmill. No more mocha frappuccinos. No steak night out. For some, it might mean no meal at all...

NO ANSWERS:  Two years after an Urbandale teen was killed his parents are still without answers

NO ANSWERS: Two years after an Urbandale teen was killed his parents are still without answers

Wednesday marked two years since a teenager from Urbandale was found dead on a busy highway after being run over by two trucks. His...

13 CARES: A metro man is raising money for kids with cancer by collecting the bottles and cans others throw away

13 CARES: A metro man is raising money for kids with cancer by collecting the bottles and cans others throw away

Americans throw away about forty billion cans and bottles every year. We all know they end up in landfills, but did you know you can save...

VET BATTLE:  A lawsuit from Iowa State University is keeping some central Iowa veterinarians from treating pets

VET BATTLE: A lawsuit from Iowa State University is keeping some central Iowa veterinarians from treating pets

A new veterinary specialty center in Des Moines is fighting to keep its doors open after two of its doctors are told they are not allowed to...

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