Author: Iowa Radio News

RUNNELLS, IA (IRN) – A Runnells man is accused of terrorizing his ex-wife’s divorce lawyer. Lukas Schroeder faces one count of first-degree stalking and two counts of first-degree harassment. Court records show he harassed the lawyers via email for four months. Schroeder allegedly sent the attorney death threats. One of the emails said, “Don’t make me put a hit out on ya with my friends, you’ll be very sorry.” Schroeder is being held in the Dallas County Jail.

STORY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Ames man was found guilty of murder Tuesday by a jury in Story County. Richard Fleck, 34, was convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of his girlfriend, 37-year-old Ranea Bell. Fleck killed Bell at her Ames apartment in February of 2021. A first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence in Iowa.

WILLIAMSBURG, IA (IRN) – The Williamsburg Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire yesterday. On arrival, firefighters found a barn fully engulfed and partially collapsed. Crews made sure the fire was contained to the barn, which was already a total loss, and that nearby structures were protected. No injuries were reported.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University has suspended a campus hockey club over allegations of hazing. The university said in a statement Wednesday that it’s investigating the hazing allegations and other concerns related to the Men’s Cyclone Hockey Club. The club is part of recreation services, not ISU athletics.

DALLAS COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A trail camera has captured video of a mountain lion living in northeastern Dallas County. It was taken May 1st by the same camera that snapped multiple shots of a similarly-sized mountain lion back in February.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person died in a house fire in Des Moines this morning. It happened around 5:30 a.m. near Sleepy Hollow Sports Park on the east side of the city. Neighbors reported the fire. Arriving rescue crews used thermal imaging to find someone inside the home. They then pulled them out but rescue attempts at the scene were unsuccessful, and that person has died.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – If the Supreme Court of the United States reverses Roe v. Wade, as a leaked document from the court indicates, abortion would not become illegal in Iowa immediately. A woman’s right to have an abortion, which is federally protected in the 1973 decision, is also protected in the Iowa Consitution after an Iowa Supreme Court case from 2018. The right to have an abortion in Iowa could disappear if the Iowa Supreme Court reverses its decision or if the state constitution is amended. Republicans are working on a constitutional amendment, which would eventually require a state-wide election.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Police say Jaime Aguilar of Ottumwa shot Tyler Vandivier in the stomach yesterday morning at an apartment complex. Vandivier was hospitalized. Aguilar is charged with attempted murder and has been booked into the Wapello County Jail.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A man who was accused of evading law enforcement for nearly a decade in Mexico was sentenced to prison on Thursday. Jose Sandoval, 39, of Webster City, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty in November 2013 to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in central Iowa. Sandoval then fled the United States to live in Mexico. In 2021, Sandoval turned himself in at the U.S. – Mexico border.

BREMER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture has confirmed a new case of the bird flu in Bremer County. This brings the number of detections in Iowa up to 19.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The U.S. Marshals Office says it arrested 40 people four weeks into “Operation Washout,” an effort between federal, state, and local agencies to arrest violent fugitives and sex offenders in Black Hawk County. More than half of those arrested are involved in organized crime or a criminal gang. 13 firearms were seized and more than 900 grams of drugs were confiscated.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids Police and Fire Crews were able rescue a man who was being swept away by a fast current in the Cedar River on Monday. Fire crews tossed ropes over the sides of the bridges, which the man initially grabbed; but he wasn’t able to keep holding on due to the strong current. A crew in a boat was able to pull him to safety. He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

IOWA, IRN (IRN) – The 2022 growing season in Iowa hasn’t got off to a good start. According to the weekly crop report released by the USDA on Monday, just nine-percent of Iowa’s expected corn crop has been planted so far. That’s 11 days slower than last year. Just four-percent of the state’s soybean crop has been planted, and that’s 9 days behind last year.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A professional wrestling themed bar in Marshalltown body slammed the competition on Monday as they were named the home of the Best Burger in Iowa in 2022 by the Iowa Beef Industry Council. ‘The Flying Elbow’ makes its smash burger out of a mix of chuck, brisket and short rib as well as locally raised Wagyu beef.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is launching a new pro-business advocacy group that will push for “free markets and limited government” across the country, he announced Monday. Branstad, the longest-serving governor in U.S. history and a former U.S. ambassador to China, will chair the new group called The American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids Police are investigating after responding to a report of shots fired around 12:45am on Saturday. Officers found a person with a non-life threatening gunshot wound, who was taken to a local hospital. Officers also found property damage to a vehicle and residence related to the incident. No arrests or charges have been made.

HUXLEY, IA (IRN) – Iowa high school softball season is right around the corner, but Ballard High School could be without their longtime head coach on opening day. The Ballard Community School District confirmed Friday head coach Charlie Husak is under investigation by the school district.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Former Iowa State basketball player Xavier Foster announced he is transferring to SMU. The former four-star recruit and Oskaloosa native was removed from the team following a sexual assault investigation. The investigation was later dropped.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines police officer and a nurse helped a mother welcome her baby into the world — on an elevator. The officer, Lt. Cindy Donahue, said she saw the mom and her husband driving fast toward MercyOne in Des Moines Wednesday afternoon. The mom told Donahue “the baby’s gonna come out. I can feel it, it’s coming out.” Donahue and Nurse Kendra Bailiff helped deliver the baby in the elevator. Mom and the baby are doing fine.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police made an arrest in the hit-and-run that killed an East High freshman Thursday afternoon. 14-year-old East High Freshman Ema Cardenas had been hit by a vehicle, and she later died. Thirty-eight-year-old Terra Jean Flipping was arrested on Friday. She is charged with Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Serious Injury or Death.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was arrested at a daycare earlier this month for drug-related offenses, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. David Lee was arrested on April 22. He was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. The daycare has been closed.

ELKHART, IA (IRN) – A suspended Catholic priest is returning to lead a central Iowa congregation. Father Jim Kirby will soon take over at an Elkhart church. In 2020, Kirby was accused of inappropriate conduct at Simpson College, where he was a part-time track coach. The diocese says Kirby has completed a rehabilitation program after he allegedly made inappropriate comments about a 19-year-old student.

MARION, IA (IRN) – It will take years for one Linn County park to recover from the derecho, but Friday they made some headway. The 140 mile per hour winds during the 2020 storm wiped out the majority of trees at Wanatee Park in Marion. A group of around 35 people worked to plant more than 700 trees at the park. Those trees were planted on 15 acres that was once a forest.