Articles by Iowa Radio News

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Saturday, June 19, 2021

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man has been arrested in the death of a 15-month-old Des Moines boy. Officers were called to MercyOne Hospital to investigate the death of Tremir Matthews on June 15. The child had been transported by family members to the hospital and had been deceased for some time. Matthews had been left in the care of 28-year-old Brandon Davon Greenup. Greenup was aware that the child was having difficulty breathing, and that later the child was limp and unresponsive, but didn’t seek medical attention for the child. TRAER, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is looking into a suspicious death near Traer in Tama County. Authorities say the death was violent. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Multiple people were injured in a late-evening fire on Friday night in Cedar Rapids. Firefighters were sent to a report of a fire at PMX Industries. They arrived to discover a fire in a warehouse at the site, which contained containers of various metal shavings on pallets. Many of the materials, including shavings of zinc, copper, nickel, silicate, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus, were highly flammable. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A divided Iowa Supreme Court on Friday stopped a lawsuit aimed at reducing the flow of fertilizer and hog farm waste into the state’s river and streams, finding that limiting pollution from farms was a political matter and not one for the courts.


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Friday, June 18, 2021

IOWA (IRN) – Des Moines broke a 124-year-old record-high temperature Thursday. Iowa’s capital city hit a high temperature of 101 degrees at the Des Moines International Airport just before 4 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Des Moines set the previous record high of 94 degrees for June 17 in 1897 and tied it in 1913 and 1933. Records were broken across the state. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A supporter of former President Donald Trump has pleaded guilty to felony charges for firing his handgun into a carful of Black girls who were arguing with pro-Trump agitators near the Iowa Capitol last December, injuring one. Michael McKinney, 26, pleaded guilty Wednesday to intimidation with a dangerous weapon and willful injury, charges that each carry up to 10 years in prison. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Groundbreaking south of the East Village Thursday kicked off a multi-million dollar project to transform that section of town. The project will bring new housing, office buildings and retail space to the new Market District. The project has been years in the making and will cost a total of $750 million. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – The new hockey team in Coralville, the Iowa Heartlanders, will be connected with the Minnesota Wild. The Wild announced on Thursday a multi-year affiliation agreement with the Heartlanders beginning with the 2021-22 season. IOWA (IRN) – One Iowa family missed out on $100,000 after the father found a winning lottery ticket months after it expired. But he’s focusing on what he has, rather than what he lost. Bradly Hanawalt came home in a wheelchair after serving in Afghanistan. Instead of counting his lottery losses, Bradley is counting his blessings, saying, “It’s money I don’t have, but I have everything that I want…I’m blessed to have 6 healthy kids, I’m walking again. We’re all healthy and happy and we’re just loving life.”


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Thursday, June 17, 2021

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the so-called “Back the Blue” bill into law Thursday morning. Those in support of it say it’s about public safety. Those against it say the bill does the exact opposite. It makes rioting a felony instead of a misdemeanor and increases penalties for blocking streets and highways. The bill also strengthens qualified immunity for law enforcement, making it more difficult to sue them individually for misconduct. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Department of Justice announced a 15-count racketeering indictment Wednesday against six people believed to be involved in the Des Moines-based “street gang” OTB. The Department of Justice alleges that OTB initiates members by having them shoot another person. The group also reportedly recruits juveniles for crimes. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A 20-year-old college student charged with killing his parents and younger sister in their family home in Cedar Rapids Tuesday told police that a masked male intruder was to blame for the shooting deaths. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A 65-year-old woman from Fort Dodge was killed Tuesday when the recumbent bike she was riding was hit by a pickup truck. The pickup was driven by an 18-year-old girl. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A medical emergency caused a driver to crash into a house in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday. No one in the house was injured.


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Wednesday, June 16, 2021

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Three people, all part of the same family, were killed in the shooting in Cedar Rapids yesterday. The victims were Jan Perry Jackson, 61, Melissa Ferne Jackson, 68, and Sabrina Hana Jackson, 19. A fourth family member, Alexander Ken Jackson, 20, suffered a gunshot wound to the foot. Officials believe that Alexander was the person who allegedly used a gun to shoot his father, mother, and sister. He was taken into custody and charged with three counts of first-degree murder. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque woman accidentally shot herself in the arm on Tuesday. Police say the incident appeared to be accidental with no criminal intent. BALDWIN, IA (IRN) – A missing and endangered boy from Baldwin in Jackson County has been found safe after an AMBER Alert was issued on Tuesday. The five-year-old was located in Anamosa. His suspected abductors have been taken into custody. LAKE CITY, IA (IRN) – A fire destroyed Dobson Pipe Organ Builders in Lake City Tuesday. The facility manufactured organs for churches, schools and private customers around the world. Officials say it appears a malfunctioning fan caused sawdust to ignite, sparking the fire. One person was injured. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Online classes at Des Moines Area Community College will resume Thursday following almost two weeks of cancelations due to a cyberattack. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Sioux City native Shelby Houlihan will miss this week’s U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field and also lost her chance to compete at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo after she was suspended for four years after testing positive for a banned substance. She is the U.S. record holder in the women’s 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Houlihan, 28, said “I want to be very clear. I have never taken any performance enhancing substances…”I’m not interested in cheating. I don’t do this for the accolades, money, or for people to know my name. I do this because I love it.”


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Tuesday, June 15, 2021

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Council Bluffs Police have arrested a woman accused of setting another woman on fire. Lindsy Maves was arrested Monday on charges of attempted murder, arson and willful injury. Police found a woman with severe burns outside a homeless services center, and transported her to a local hospital. The victim was involved in a disturbance with Maves, who is accused of spraying the victim with a flammable substance and lighting her on fire. Maves then hit the victim in the face with something as a witness tried to put out the flames. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The FBI on Friday arrested an Iowa man and his adult son after they discussed on social media their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Daryl Johnson, 50, of St. Ansgar and 29-year-old Daniel Johnson of Austin, Minnesota, were arrested separately. An FBI affidavit quotes Daniel Johnson as writing, “We stormed capitol hill, and lol Dad and I were one of the first ones inside” to a contact on Facebook on Jan. 6. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Protests forced the Des Moines City Council to recess its first in-person meeting of 2021 until Wednesday. During the council meeting, protesters gathered in front of the city council with posters calling for the defunding of the Des Moines Police Department. The most active protests were preceded by a consent agenda item authorizing $10,000 for a Des Moines police officer to attend training in Florida. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Area Community College announced Monday it will not resume online classes Tuesday due to “unforeseen delays” in restoring the schools’ network. A June 3 ransomware attack impacted DMACC’s internet network, forcing the school to cancel classes and shut down campuses. In-person classes resumed June 9, but DMACC’s online classes have remained closed for over a week. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A long-serving Iowa politician will not return to office after the next election in November 2022. Rob Hogg, the Democratic state senator for Iowa’s District 33 in Cedar Rapids, made the announcement on Monday. He was first sworn in to the state senate in 2007.