Author: Iowa Radio News

TAMA, IA (IRN) – A Tama man is facing multiple charges after leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase on a motorcycle. Police say 20-year-old Jacob May was arrested after a chase that began in Poweshiek County and ended in Tama just after midnight on Sunday. Tama police joined the chase in progress, as May was heading northbound on Highway 63 on a motorcycle at speeds of more than 100 mph. Police said the speeding motorcycle was reported by an ambulance for tailgating. The ambulance was reportedly running with its emergency flashing lights at the time.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – Marshalltown police have identified the four teenagers killed in a car crash on Friday. Sisters Linette Lopez, 15, and Yanitza Lopez, 17, lost their lives in the crash. Brothers Adrian Lara, 13, and Isacc Lara, 16, were also killed. All were students in the Marshalltown school district.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A teenager who drew national attention after being charged with killing her rapist has escaped an Iowa Department of Corrections facility. Pieper Lewis was listed as escaped from a women’s residential facility in Des Moines by the Iowa Department of Corrections. Lewis cut her required GPS-enabled tracking device off in her room before escaping. Lewis, now 18, admitted to killing Zachary Brooks, 37, in Des Moines when she was 15 years old.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – Fort Dodge police are investigating a shooting that sent two people to the hospital Saturday night. Multiple people called 911, saying vehicles and people were leaving an apartment complex after shots were fired.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – As the holiday shopping season approaches, UPS is adding more than 400 workers in the Des Moines area. It’s adding around 100,000 seasonal employees nationwide. In Des Moines, UPS said it’s looking to add delivery drivers, CDL truck drivers, and warehouse workers in both the Des Moines hub and at the airport.

IOWA (IRN) – A change to Iowa’s election laws in 2021 restricted absentee voting in several ways. Previously, absentee ballots had to be postmarked prior to Election Day. Now the county auditor must receive it prior to 8 p.m. on Election Day. County auditors are telling voters it’s too late to put their ballots in the mail.

MAQUOKETA, IA (IRN) – A Maquoketa man has died after being shot near Fulton on November 2. The victim, identified as 60-year-old Michael Berg, was transported to the Jackson County Regional Health Center, where he later died. Police are investigating.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Another Iowan is pleading guilty to participating in the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol. Chad Heathcote of Adel took a plea deal yesterday. Heathcote admitted to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building, which is a misdemeanor. In return, the government dropped several other misdemeanor charges against him. Heathcote is the fourth Iowan to plead guilty to the attack. Kyle Young received the harshest sentence – more than seven years for attacking a police officer.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – Wind blade manufacturer TPI Composites says it will reopen its Iowa plant that employed as many as 700 people before the Arizona manufacturer closed the facility last year. Officials say they hope to fully restore its 700-employee workforce. TPI, which manufactured wind blades for GE in Iowa from 2008 to 2021, was once Jasper County’s largest private employer.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A student fell from a sixth-floor window in Mayflower Hall at the University of Iowa, landing on a second-floor roof. Initial reports state that students were playing catch in a residence hall room when a student leaned back and fell through the screen of an open window. The student was transported to a nearby hospital immediately. There is no word on their condition.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A 21-year-old Mount Mercy University student is recovering from injuries he received in a shooting near the college’s Cedar Rapids campus Thursday. A male student was shot and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The university went into lockdown, and nearby Regis Middle School and Garfield Elementary were placed in lockdown as well. Home security video in the area captured sound of the shooting with more than a dozen shots fired. Neighbors said several homes and buildings were struck by bullets.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – A Johnston police officer was injured after shooting themself in the foot at the Altoona Police Department shooting range. The officer was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – On Thursday, during a rally in Sioux City, former President Donald Trump discussed the probability of running for president again. Trump was in Iowa rallying for Republican candidates on next week’s midterm ballot. Trump told the rally crowd that it was likely he will run again for president.

INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – Iowa Democrats held three gatherings Thursday. The first was a “People Over Politics” news conference in Marion with Iowa House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst. Senate candidate Admiral Michael Franken held a “Secure Our Future” Rally at Franklin Junior High in Des Moines. Democratic candidate for governor, Deidre DeJear, Democrat party chair Ross Wilburn and U.S. House candidate Christina Bohannan were at Simpson College in Indianola.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Former president Donald Trump will be in Sioux City tonight, rallying for Republican candidates on next week’s midterm ballot. Three candidates will join him on stage: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Brenna Bird, who is running for Iowa attorney general. Former Iowa governor and a member of the Trump administration Terry Branstad will also be there. This is Trump’s second trip to Iowa since losing the 2020 election.

INDEPENDENCE, IA (IRN) – Independence Police arrested Britni Wright of Cedar Falls for drug offenses and child endangerment after a traffic stop last week. A K9 was called to assist with the stop, leading to a search of the vehicle. Officers found cocaine, marijuana, Hydrocodone, and ecstasy. A child was in the vehicle with her.

QUAD CITIES (IRN) – A severe drought in the Midwest and High Plains has shrunk the Mississippi River to historic low levels, grounding barges, backing up grain at terminals across the central U.S., nearly tripling transportation costs and eating into revenue for Iowa farmers.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Area Religious Council food pantry network just set a record. On Tuesday, Nov. 1, DMARC served its highest number of customers in one day. But no one is celebrating.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Marquas Ashforth, a 33-year-old Des Moines-based businessman and hip-hop artist is a contestant on the Discovery Channel reality TV competition “Moonshiners: Master Distiller,” which premiered last night.

IOWA (IRN) – A judge has ruled in favor of several families that masks should be required in classrooms to protect students with disabilities and health conditions. The lawsuit came as a response to the passing of Governor Reynolds pandemic era law in 2021 that states Iowa school districts cannot issue mask mandates unless they’re needed to comply with other federal or state laws. Families argued that the rule violated the federal disability rights law by denying reasonable accommodations for their children.

FAIRFIELD, IA (IRN) – Newly filed court documents show investigators believe bad grades may have been the motive for the murder of Fairfield Spanish teacher Nohema Graber. One of the two students charged in the murder had a meeting with Graber to discuss his poor Spanish grade.

GRIMES, IA (IRN) – Polk County deputies are investigating a crash in Grimes on Highway 141. One person died in the crash. Two vehicles were involved in the crash. In each vehicle, the driver was the only occupant.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Georgia-Pacific has announced that they will be closing their Dubuque corrugated facility on December 31st. Approximately 85 jobs will be impacted by the closure. Officials say that the decision to close the plant was based on their ability to stay competitive in the area.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Hy-Vee announced Tuesday over 285 store locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, this year. This is the first time Hy-Vee will close stores in its 92 year history, as a way to show appreciation for its workers.