Articles by Iowa Radio News

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Thursday, June 1, 2023

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa on Thursday named Beth Goetz interim director of athletics. Goetz, 48, was hired at Iowa last year as deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer. She previously served as the Ball State athletic director. She’ll take over as interim athletic director Aug. 1 following the retirement of A.D. Gary Barta. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – There are still five people unaccounted for in the partial building collapse in Davenport, including the two that rescue crews think are still in the rubble. One woman who was trapped had to have her leg amputated on scene before more of the building collapsed on her. The City of Davenport filed a citation against the owner, Andrew Wold for failing to keep the building safe and structurally sound. He is facing a $300 fine plus $95 in court fees. POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Polk County District judge has again spared Pieper Lewis from prison. Lewis, 18, a sex trafficking victim from Des Moines who was 15 when she killed her alleged rapist, faced up to 21 years in prison for violating the probation she was on after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury in that case. Any more violations could earn her 20 years in prison. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman acted in apparent self-defense against her longtime boyfriend and father of her children when she shot him earlier this month, according to new information released by police. The victim of the shooting, 23-year-old Ezekiel Williams, died from his injuries on Saturday, one week after he was shot. OELWEIN, IA (IRN) – Thyron Mathews from Oelwein is the new champion of the Netflix show Barbecue Showdown.


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Wednesday, May 31, 2023

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Five people remain unaccounted for, including two people whose remains may be in a pile of rubble at the site of a partially collapsed apartment building, officials of the city of Davenport, Iowa, said Tuesday. DELAWARE COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – Emergency crews responded to a report Sunday that a drag race car at Tri-State Raceway in Delaware County had been involved in an accident. Responders found a severely injured driver who was transported via ambulance to Regional Medical Center in Manchester where they he was pronounced dead. The drag race car had just finished a race, but the vehicle did not slow down or deploy its parachute. The vehicle continued through a sand trap safety area and left the dragstrip, flipping into an adjacent cornfield. Officials identified the driver as 74-year-old Gary McMann. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially kicked off his 2024 campaign with a rally at Eternity Church in Clive. His stop in Iowa marks his first in-person event since he announced his presidential run on Twitter last week. DeSantis pitched himself as a leader that would “get things done” and touted his record as Florida governor passing laws to protect parents’ rights, stop crime, cut taxes and take on “woke” corporations. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – A car crashed through a building Tuesday afternoon in Urbandale. Video of the crash shows a car halfway inside the Campbell’s Nutrition. Police say the driver accelerated rather than hit the brakes, causing the crash. No one was hurt.


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Tuesday, May 30, 2023

SAYLORVILLE LAKE, IA (IRN) – Emergency responders are continuing to search for a man they say fell out of a boat on Saylorville Lake. The man was on a family outing when he fell off a pontoon boat around 6 p.m. Monday and did not resurface. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Two teen drivers – one of whom appears to have driving in the wrong lane – ran a stop sign and simultaneously hit another vehicle, killing 22-year-old Jennifer Russell from Waterloo in Iowa City on Saturday. NEW HAMPTON, IA (IRN) – A 52-year-old Cresco man drowned at Airport Lake Park in New Hampton on Monday. Divers from Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue recovered the body of Alvaro Valdivia Barranco just before 6 p.m. The Chickasaw County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be consistent with a fresh water drowning. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new driver learned an expensive lesson on Monday afternoon at Water Works Park in Des Moines. Des Moines Police and Fire were called out to the park after a car left the road and went into a pond. Everyone in the vehicle made it out safe and it was pulled from the water. Police say a new driver was practicing on the park’s roads when they lost control. PHILADELPHIA, PA (IRN) – The Philadelphia 76ers hired coach Nick Nurse on Monday, following his exit from Toronto Raptors. Nurse led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship after they beat the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Nurse, from Carroll played at Northern Iowa, and started his coaching career there as an assistant.


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Monday, May 29, 2023

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – The Diocese of Davenport has received a report of inappropriate sexual behavior in regard to a minor in Scott and Clinton counties by Fr. John Stack dating from the 1990s. An investigation is ongoing, and Stack has been removed from the ministry. He was accused of abuse in the 1980s in 2013 and was removed from ministry, but a church trial reinstated him in 2016. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – First responders are searching for people after part of an apartment building collapsed in Davenport Sunday. At least six stories caved in Sunday. Authorities say 12 residents escaped by themselves and first responders rescued seven people from the scene. It’s unclear how many people are hurt or trapped. MARION COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The search for a missing Lake Red Rock swimmer ended Sunday morning. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office found the body of the man who disappeared under the water the night before. Crews found 21-year-old Urias Gbarjolo’s body in the lake at approximately 10 a.m. NORWALK, IA (IRN) – A group gathered Saturday at Linn Grove Cemetery in Norwalk to help clean and restore monuments. Monumental Restoration is a non-profit volunteer group. Their goal is to preserve Iowa’s history, learn about the state’s legacy and give something back. Monumental Restoration also finds, lifts and restores headstones that have been buried over time.


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Saturday, May 27, 2023

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a sweeping education bill into law Friday. It contains major changes to how Iowa schools are legally allowed to approach gender identity and sexuality. State democrats and LGBTQ groups have fought against several restrictions included in the new law for months. They argue banning instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-6 will limit children’s ability to be open with teachers about gender and sexuality issues. They also argue the new law strips LGBTQ representation from books and other curriculum. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds signed SF542 into law Friday, which allows Iowa teenagers to work more hours a day and later at night. It also allows them to work jobs that were previously prohibited under state law. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Former President and 2024 GOP presidential candidate, Donald Trump, will return to Iowa June 1st, according to a Trump campaign official. He plans to speak at a meeting held by the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale. IOWA CITY, (IRN) – Iowa athletic director Gary Barta is retiring Aug. 1, 2023. Iowa athletics has seen much success with Barta. From the fall of 2020 through 2021, Iowa athletic programs have won the most Big Ten championships in any two-year period in the university’s history, with 11. The university also has won four NCAA wrestling championships during his tenure and added a women’s wrestling program. Barta has faced calls for his resignation after four discrimination lawsuits in the last decade, adding up to more than $11 million in settlements. The latest was a $4 million settlement in a racial discrimination lawsuit against the University of Iowa football program.