Author: Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s largest school district is struggling to put food on the table.
It’s not just a food shortage for Des Moines Public Schools. Lunchrooms are missing trays, utensils and ingredients. Officials say the shortages are due to supply chain issues and truck driver shortages.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – More than 100 students at Saydel High School left class yesterday afternoon to protest an alleged sexual assault at the school last week. The victim and the person who assaulted her are still in school.

FAIRBANK, IA (IRN) – A man in northeast Iowa has been accused of trying to kill another man after a verbal argument escalated. Brian Beesecker, 49, of Fairbank, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, a class B felony. Beesecker allegedly pulled out a knife and allegedly told the other man that he was going to stab him in the neck and then made motions toward the victim in an aggressive manner with the weapon.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – IAC Dotdash, a digital media company, plans to purchase Meredith Corporation. Meredith, headquartered in Des Moines, owns multiple media outlets such as People, Better Homes & Gardens, Southern Living, InStyle, Allrecipes and more. The purchase price was 2.7 billion dollars. The merger would come as a hit to Des Moines, where Meredith is a major employer. Dotdash Meredith is to be based in New York. The new company would “keep a presence” in Des Moines.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City Community School District bus drivers are asking the school board for hazard pay for driving students to and from school during the pandemic.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Several Saydel football players are defending their head coach after he was placed on administrative leave last week. Austin Stubbs was placed on leave Sept. 30 for allegedly punishing players, by pushing them to the brink of exhaustion — all because one of the coaches thought a player stole $100 from him. Polk County deputies ended up at practice after receiving calls from concerned parents. Stubbs resigned.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A judge sentenced a man to life in prison for strangling a 74-year-old Davenport man to death in 2020. 20-year-old Charlie Gary was sentenced to the life term for the murder of Robert Long. Gary was convicted of first-degree murder, burglary, robbery and abuse of a corpse. The killing happened after Gary, who had done odd jobs for Long, asked the older man if he wanted his driveway shoveled. Long declined and Gary forced his way into the house and strangled him.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines police officer shot a woman who was armed with a knife Tuesday evening. Authorities received a call from a person saying the woman had a knife and was attempting to stab him as he was walking downtown. The person stayed on the phone with 911 operators, and when police arrived the woman turned her attention toward an officer. She advanced toward the officer, ignoring his orders, and he shot her. She’s been hospitalized.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – After 50 years, the Cedar Rapids Police Department solved the murder of a 17-year-old girl. Maureen Brubaker-Farley was reported missing in 1971. Her body was found in the trunk of an abandoned car. In 2005, DNA was sent to a lab, and last month authorities traced the DNA through the family of George Smith. Smith knew Brubaker-Farley from working at a diner. Smith died in 2013, so no charges will be filed.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City officials have released the finalized design of the Iowa City Ped Mall playground with construction set in the Spring. The play equipment has already been ordered with the thought of increased accessibility in mind. A new tower structure will have stair access to all levels.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa lawmakers have rejected a set of proposed political boundaries, setting themselves up for weeks of waiting as a nonpartisan agency makes a second attempt at drawing new district lines. The Iowa Senate voted 32-18 Tuesday to reject the proposed maps, which would have established new congressional and legislative districts for the next decade that reflect shifts in Iowa’s population.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A fire at Valley West Inn in West Des Moines forced people and children to jump to safety Monday night. When crews arrived, they said people inside were running up to them, telling them that their family members and friends were trapped in the building. They said people were dropping children to firefighters from windows. Two people were hospitalized, and several others were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A body found in the Cedar River Monday was identified as that of a missing Waterloo woman. The Waterloo Police Department received a report that someone had found personal items that belonged to Juana Rubio near the river’s bank. Rubio’s body was found in the river by a bridge. Police don’t suspect foul play.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Saydel head football coach Austin Stubbs has been put on administrative leave for punishing players. Players say Stubbs punished them by pushing them to the brink of exhaustion because one of the coaches thought a player stole $100 from him. Polk County Deputies ended the practice.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds plans to make a visit to the U.S. border with Mexico tomorrow. A statement from the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that he and 10 other Republican state governors, including Reynolds, would be holding a press conference in Mission, Texas, on Wednesday.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Residents of two cities in Iowa and Pennsylvania are betting on one of the biggest college football games of the season. City leaders in Altoona, Iowa and Altoona, Pennsylvania made a friendly wager on the Iowa vs. Penn State game in Iowa City next Saturday. If Penn State wins, The Big Steer, a steakhouse in Altoona, Iowa will give steaks to the city council and mayor of the town in Pennsylvania. If Iowa wins, Altoona, Pennsylvania will send Boyer Mallo Cups to Iowa. The candy company Boyer is headquartered in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – Rescue crews in Marshalltown couldn’t reach a man inside a burning home in time. They found a 71-year-old man dead inside a house early Sunday morning. Neighbors told firefighters they could hear knocking and screams coming from the home. The flames blocked them from getting inside and they weren’t able to reach the man in time.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man attempted to abduct a child in Cedar Rapids on Sunday. An adult male, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a mask, tried to grab a 2-year-old child from the sidewalk. A family member was able to intervene and prevent the child from being taken. The man got into a white car and drove away.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A large crowd was loitering on Court Avenue in Des Moines after the bars closed Sunday morning. While police were clearing the streets, a handgun was taken from a man in the crowd. Another person in the crowd displayed a handgun and took off running. Officers chased him down and arrested him. A crowd began to surround the officers, and they had to call for backup. No one was hurt.

NEW YORK, NY (IRN) – A data scientist who was revealed Sunday as the Facebook whistleblower says that whenever there was a conflict between the public good and what benefited the company, Facebook would choose its own interests. Frances Haugen, a native of Iowa City, was identified in a “60 Minutes” interview Sunday as the woman who anonymously filed complaints with federal law enforcement that the company’s own research shows how it magnifies hate and misinformation.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Hawkeyes are now ranked No. 3 of the AP football rankings after beating Maryland 51-14 on Friday.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person died Saturday morning after crashing into a tree in Des Moines around 3:30 a.m. Police say an adult female died at the scene. Another adult female passenger was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.

EARLHAM, IA (IRN) – A homecoming football game at Earlham took an ugly turn Friday night, as the Cardinals quarterback says he was targeted by a racial slur and fans later clashed after the game. Darrell Matchem, who is Black, ran a quarterback keeper in the fourth quarter, eventually getting tackled along the sideline of visiting Southwest Valley. One of the players yelled “Stay down!” and then used a racial slur.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A medical cannabidiol dispensary opened Friday in Iowa City. Iowa Cannabis Company management says the difference between their business and CBD stores is that their products have more THC. That’s the chemical that produces the high associated with cannabis.

​​DYERSVILLE, IA (IRN) – The Luther College and Briar Cliff University baseball teams will be the first collegiate teams to play at the Field of Dreams. The Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville was used in August for a game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees. Luther and Briar Cliff will take the field on Sept. 16, 2022.