Author: Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police say they have located a vehicle involved in a deadly hit-and-run crash just before 3 a.m. today. The man died at a hospital. Police say evidence at the scene indicated that a yellow 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier two-door struck the pedestrian prior to the driver fleeing the scene.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed Tuesday night in her annual Condition of the State message to the Legislature that Iowa cut taxes by nearly $2 billion by moving to a 4% flat income tax phased in over four years. She also proposed allowing middle- and low-income families and students to take 70% of state allocated per-pupil funding — about $5,300 per student — to move their child to the education system of their choice. Critics say this would gut our public school system.

HENRY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person has been arrested following a house fire in Mount Pleasant on Sunday. After an investigation, officials determined James Seth Ollom, 37, of Mount Pleasant, intentionally set fire to the inside of the residence after a family disturbance.

ARLINGTON, IA (IRN) – No students were injured Tuesday after a car rear ended a Starmont school bus carrying more than 40 students south of Arlington. The bus was slowing down due to a vehicle that had broken down on the side of the road, when a passenger vehicle driven by a teen rear-ended the bus.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Now that the NCAA Division I college football season is over, the Associated Press has released its final standings and the Iowa Hawkeyes have made the Top 25. The Hawkeyes started off the season at #18 and rose to #2 in Week 7. But after finishing with a 10-4 record capped by losses in the Big Ten Championship game and the Citrus Bowl, Iowa ended the season at #23.

RED OAK, IA (IRN) – A child has died after a crash in Red Oak involving a patrol car. The Iowa State Patrol said it happened around 7 p.m. Monday. Red Oak officers were responding to an apartment fire when a patrol car hit a child in the road.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s Senate president opened the legislative session with an attack on the media and claims of a sinister agenda to normalize deviant behavior against children. Republican Jake Chapman used his opening speech Monday to challenge lawmakers to take a stand. He argued there is a “sinister agenda occurring right before our eyes.” Chapman has earlier called for jailing educators who provide what he considers obscene material to children.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The December derecho that hit Iowa is now considered a $1 billion disaster. The derecho was the final $1 billion disaster of 2021. Last year, the United States saw 20 disasters totaling at least $1 billion. That includes the historic deep freeze in Texas and wildfires in the West.

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Linn County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 Monday night to support rezoning 750 acres of high quality farmland to be used for a solar farm west of Coggon. The applicant for the project is an Idaho clean energy company called Clenera. Clenera is proposing to operate the solar farm for 35 years, then remove the panels, restore the land and give it back to farmers in north Linn County.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowans wagered over $2 billion on sports in 2021. That’s a significant increase from 2020, when $575 million worth of sports bets were placed in the Hawkeye state. This past year, Iowans could register on their phone to place bets, instead of having to register in person at a sportsbook. 90% of sports bets in the state were placed online.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health reports the state’s 14-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is now close to 20%. IDPH released new virus data Monday, showing 32,732 positive tests in the last seven days. That’s up from 24,935 at the last report on Friday. The state’s 14-day positivity rate is now 19.9%, up from 17.5% at the last report.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – One person died Saturday after a shooting at a Waterloo convenience store. Waterloo Police said officers found the victim with several gunshot wounds around 10 p.m. Saturday at the Prime Mart.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a bombing threat at a Des Moines church. A crisis line counselor called Des Moines police saying they had been in an online conversation with a person who said they had placed multiple devices outside Burns United Methodist Church. The pastor of the historically Black church decided to hold services online as a precaution. Des Moines police searched the church and did not find a threat.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – West Des Moines police are investigating racial slurs targeting black Iowa lawmakers. On Friday, the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, and Progress Iowa hosted a “People’s Condition of the State” event ahead of the 2022 Iowa legislative session. The meeting was hijacked via Zoom. Hijackers said racist slurs and projected racist slurs and images onto the screen.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s labor commissioner says the state will not enforce the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 employees or more. This decision comes as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments regarding the mandate.

RIVERSIDE, IA (IRN) – Two people are dead after a fire in a Riverside home early Saturday morning. It happened just before 1:00am. 9-1-1 callers alerted first responders to the fire and that there were two people inside.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – West Des Moines police are investigating racial slurs targeting black Iowa lawmakers. On Friday, the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, and Progress Iowa hosted a “People’s Condition of the State” event ahead of the 2022 Iowa legislative session. The meeting was hijacked via Zoom. Hijackers said racist slurs and projected racist slurs and images onto the screen.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s labor commissioner says the state will not enforce the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 employees or more. This decision comes as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments regarding the mandate.

FORT MADISON, IA (IRN) – An inmate assaulted a correctional officer at the maximum security Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison Friday evening. The officer was taken to the hospital. The inmate wasn’t injured.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – The Southeast Polk school board was forced to abruptly end its meeting Thursday evening due to a bomb threat that was made against the school board. Altoona police said the caller said he had placed bombs around the building and was going to shoot anyone who came out.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – The state of Iowa is suing Sioux City over what it says was the city’s manipulation of wastewater testing results and dangerous pollution of the Missouri River in a scheme that saw the wastewater plant’s former supervisor sentenced to jail.

POLK CITY, IA (IRN) – Roughly 26 years after it was stolen, a shotgun is back in the hands of its rightful owner in Polk City. Keith Lister now has his Remington 870 after it was found in Arkansas. Polk City Police say they received a call from the Mena, Arkansas Police Department saying they had a gun that was stolen from Polk City. The Police Department was notified after a pawn shop put the serial number of the gun through a nationwide reporting system to see if it was stolen.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The wind chill was 5 degrees below zero when Linda Houlton of Des Moines fell trying to get her mail, and for the next 19 minutes, she struggled in vain to get back on her feet and out of the cold.Though the home sits along busy Indianola Avenue, no one stopped to help until mailman Chris Meyer pulled up in a mail truck. Security video from the home shows he lifted Houlton off the ground, carried her to the house and, and then retrieved the mail she had dropped in the fall.