Author: Iowa Radio News

MILAN, IL (IRN) – A 56-year-old Deere & Co. employee on strike died in Milan, Illinois, on Wednesday morning after a car hit him. The worker was walking to a picket line when he was hit. He was a member of UAW Local 79, which represents workers at a Deere warehouse in Milan, part of the Quad Cities metro area of Iowa and Illinois.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A nine-year-old Des Moines cold case is now closed thanks to an inmate’s confession. Des Moines police say 35-year-old William Rulli, a current inmate at the Anamosa State Penitentiary, confessed to the 2012 murder of a 56-year-old homeless man in Des Moines named Stanley Golinsky. Golinsky’s body was found brutally beaten and burned underneath a railroad bridge. Rulli knew details that hadn’t been released to the public.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Cedar Rapids Development Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Building and Construction Trades Council outlining the intention to enter a project labor agreement once plans are developed for a local casino. The memorandum is contingent upon a successful gaming referendum in Linn County on Tuesday, Nov. 2nd.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Comedian Dave Chappelle plans to bring his jokes to Des Moines for a screening of his new documentary ‘Untitled’. Chappelle is expected to draw a massive crowd at Wells Fargo Arena on Nov. 9. The visit comes on the heels of Chappelle’s controversial comments about the LGBTQ community in his previous documentary ‘The Closer’, which is currently streaming on Netflix.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Caitlin Clark is the first Iowa women’s basketball player to be named an AP Preseason All-American. Clark was also named by Big Ten coaches as the league’s preseason player of the year and joined teammate Monika Czinano on the 10-player preseason all-Big Ten teams selected by Big Ten coaches and a media panel.

WATERLOO, MidAmerican Energy is taking the final steps to flip the switch at the company’s first utility-scale solar energy project, located in Waterloo. In mid-November, MidAmerican will power-up the 3-megawatt Waterloo solar project, comprising nearly 10,000 solar panels. The array has the capacity to serve nearly 650 average Iowa homes.

DESOTO, IA (IRN) – A Fort Dodge man is in the Dallas County jail accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend in an attempt to to cause a miscarriage. 31-year-old Michael Canady was arrested on Saturday at the Edgewater Motel in DeSoto after his girlfriend called 911 to report an assault. The victim told police that Canady hit her in the face and head – even biting her face – and hit her multiple times in the abdomen.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A former Linn-Mar high school track and field coach is facing several charges – including kidnapping and sexual abuse. Kameron Marrelle Beets, 29, was arrested Monday in Cedar Rapids. He’s charged with third-degree kidnapping, third-degree sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual exploitation by a school employee, and invasion of privacy. He’s accused of using his position as owner and operator of B.E.A.S.T. Academy, a high school sports photography company, to reach victims.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – There are roughly 284,000 Iowans ages 5-11 that could soon be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could approve the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11 as soon as Nov. 4. About 99,000 doses are expected to arrive in Iowa between Oct. 27 and Nov. 4.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny woman is now the first female enlisted infantry soldier in the Iowa National Guard. Private Taylor Patterson joined the Guard in June 2020. Patterson was not the first female to enlist as an infantryman in the Iowa National Guard, but the 22 other women before her were unable to complete the intense 22-week training at Fort Benning, Georgia.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – MidAmerican Energy says customers can expect their total bills to increase this winter by 46-96%. Natural gas market prices have more than doubled from this time last year. Increased global demand coupled with limited production and inventory have greatly increased the cost of natural gas.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Detectives have made an arrest in the death of a 21-year-old man who was shot to death in Des Moines Friday. 27-year-old Darren Antwon Diggs was charged with first-degree murder and robbery. Police say Digg and the victim knew each other and that the motive appears to be drug-related robbery.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Council Bluffs woman was fatally shot in her home early Friday, and police are searching for a 28-year-old man in the killing.

INDEPENDENCE, IA (IRN) – State and local authorities are investigating a death in Independence on Saturday night. Shortly before midnight the Independence Police Department was sent to a report of a medical emergency at an apartment. Officers located a 29-year-old female who was unresponsive and tried to revive her. She later died.

IOWA (IRN) – Both Iowa and Iowa State football have moved up in the latest AP poll. Iowa, which had an off week, is now the No. 9 team in the country. Iowa State, which is coming off a dramatic win over formerly No. 8 Oklahoma State, is back in the top 25 at No. 22. Both teams hit the road for week nine. Iowa will take on Wisconsin and Iowa State will take on West Virginia.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Detectives have made an arrest in the death of a 21-year-old man who was shot to death in northeast Des Moines. 27-year-old Darren Antwon Diggs was charged with first-degree murder and robbery. Police say Digg and the victim knew each other and that the motive appears to be drug-related robbery.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Council Bluffs woman was fatally shot in her home early Friday, and police are searching for a 28-year-old man in the killing.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was arrested after leading law enforcement on a chase that ended with him crashing into a Des Moines home Friday night. He faces multiple charges.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State is back in the Big 12 race again. Brock Purdy threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, the defense stopped Oklahoma State inches short on a fourth-and-2 late in the game, and the Cyclones beat the No. 8 Cowboys 24-21 on Saturday.

NEVADA, IA (IRN) – A Colorado man accused of killing his girlfriend’s two-year-old son at her Ames apartment in April is now behind bars in Iowa. Twenty-five-year-old Trevin Nicholson was booked into the Story County Jail on a charge of First Degree Murder on Thursday.

WARREN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A pedestrian was hit and killed on southbound Interstate 35 in southwestern Warren County Friday evening. The Iowa State Patrol said the pedestrian was hit west of New Virginia.

WOODWARD, IA (IRN) – The Woodward City Council has approved a plan to allow a company to build a more than 1 million-square-foot warehouse. The name of the company has not been revealed. The warehouse will employ 1,000 people, and it could open up by September 2022.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Today’s football game between Drake and Stetson in Des Moines has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns among Drake personnel. Under the league’s rules, Drake will forfeit the game.