Articles by Iowa Radio News

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Tuesday, September 14, 2021

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police say a man stabbed his stepbrother after an argument about laundry. Enrique Rivas is charged with attempted murder. He allegedly planned the attack after his stepbrother took his clothes out of the laundry. The stepbrother was treated for a dozen stab wounds, as well as bite marks. Police say the two lived together for six years. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A federal judge has ordered the state of Iowa to immediately halt enforcement of a law passed in May that prevents school boards from ordering masks to be worn to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Judge Robert Pratt said in an order signed Monday that the law substantially increases the risk of children with health conditions of contracting COVID-19. Governor Kim Reynolds says she will appeal the decision. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Public Schools will reinstate its mask mandate. All students, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks in the district’s schools starting Wednesday, Sept. 15. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – School district officials in Iowa City said that their district is likely to implement a face mask mandate for all people in school buildings in the wake of the ruling. Superintendent Matt Degner said that the district will discuss the ruling at the district’s board meeting today. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Cedar Rapids School Board met just hours after the ruling, and the topic was added to the agenda at the last second. No decision was made.


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Monday, September 13, 2021

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Jill Biden will be in Des Moines on Wednesday to speak at Des Moines Area Community College. Biden will join Rep. Cindy Axne to highlight the Biden Administration’s efforts to support families through the American Rescue Plan and its Build Back Better agenda. WINNEBAGO COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Authorities say what began as a ruse Saturday night ended with an officer-involved shooting. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office said it took a report of an alleged domestic assault call in the town of Thompson. It was determined the call was a ruse to lure law enforcement to the location before the shooting took place. No additional details have been released. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One person was shot and another was assaulted in an altercation in Cedar Rapids early Sunday morning. Police say 34-year old David Walker assaulted a 21-year old woman after he was shot in the leg by one of her relatives. Both have non-life-threatening injuries. Walker left the scene before police arrived and went to a local hospital. After being treated, he was taken to the Linn County Correctional Center. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A fight between two roommates resulted in a stabbing in Des Moines Sunday. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the fight. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An impressive defensive performance by Iowa in the Cy-Hawk Trophy game Saturday pushed the Hawkeyes from No. 10 to No. 5 in the Associated Press college football poll. Iowa State dropped from No. 9 to No. 14.


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Sunday, September 12, 2021

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Law enforcement officials are investigating after a man reported being shot during an attempted robbery in Cedar Falls on Friday. Police say a man exited his vehicle, and was approached by “several masked subjects” who tried to rob him. The man was shot in the lower half of his body. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Hundreds of people demonstrated outside of Terrace Hill in Des Moines on Saturday afternoon. The protesters called on Gov. Kim Reynolds to ban vaccine mandates. The three major hospitals in the Des Moines area have required employees to be vaccinated. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Hospitals in Cedar Rapids are limiting elective procedures because of increased numbers of patients driven partly by a surge in COVID-19 admissions. AMES, IA (IRN) – Jack Campbell returned a fumble 6 yards for a touchdown and No. 10 Iowa ran its winning streak against No. 9 Iowa State to six games with a 27-17 victory Saturday that ruined the most-anticipated home game in Cyclones history. It was the first Cy-Hawk Trophy game matching ranked teams in 65 meetings.


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Saturday, September 11, 2021

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – On Sept. 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists and crashed into various locations on the East Coast. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 struck the Twin Towers in New York City. American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers attempted to overthrow the hijackers. Iowans all across the state are commemorating the tragic event. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A body was found inside a burning home in Mason City this week. An investigation is underway. USA (IRN) – The Big 12 Conference has extended invitations to four universities after the eight remaining members voted unanimously to approve the move. BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston will all receive invitations to join the Big 12, ultimately growing the league to an eventual 12 teams after the slated departure of Oklahoma and Texas in 2025 to the SEC. ​​AMES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Cyclones and the Iowa Hawkeyes are both ranked in the AP top 10 heading into the highly anticipated Cy-Hawk football game today. Iowa State is ranked No. 9 in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll and Iowa is ranked one spot behind at No. 10.


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Friday, September 10, 2021

EAGLE GROVE, IA (IRN) – An employee was killed at the Prestage Foods pork production plant in Eagle Grove this morning. Jeffrey Leonardi, 57, was a mechanic and had been with Prestage Foods of Iowa since March of 2019 when the plant opened. He died performing routine maintenance tasks. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A stabbing sent two people to the hospital in Cedar Rapids on Thursday. Both victims arrived at the hospital by private vehicle. Police said a 21-year-old man sustained life-threatening injuries to the abdomen and a 17-year-old boy had life-threatening injuries to the chest. IOWA (IRN) – An Iowa district court judge is considering whether to halt enforcement of a state law that prohibits school boards from imposing mask requirements. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – For Iowa Methodist Medical Center staff members, the latest COVID surge is even more exhausting than the original outbreak. They have the proper protective equipment now, and better treatments. But they lack the energy of the pandemic’s early months when they were leading an all-hands-on-deck struggle against a deadly threat. They say the finish line keeps moving and that it’s frustrating that this latest surge could have been prevented by more people getting vaccinated. IOWA (IRN) – President Joe Biden is requiring all federal workers and contractors to be vaccinated. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says Biden has overstepped his authority, and says, “I believe and trust in Iowans to make the best health decisions for themselves and their families. It’s time for President Biden to do the same. Enough is enough.”