Author: Iowa Radio News

NEWTON, IOWA (KCCI) – Newton High School Football defensive backs coach Ryan Arguello has been indicted on charges of federal wire fraud. According to KCCI Des Moines, the indictment is a result of Arguello’s business obtaining loans from private lenders using properties he did not own as collateral and is accused of putting fake county filing stamps on the mortgages. Arguello was charged with seven counts of federal wire fraud, which can each come with a penalty of up to 20 years behind bars and up to a $250,000 fine.

DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds decision to send Iowa State Troopers will cost Texas no funds at this time, and will come at the expense of Iowa, but a spokesman for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said there still is a chance Texas could later reimburse some costs. According to AP News, the total cost of the mission is unknown and final payment details won’t be available until it is over. Approximately 5% of the Iowa State Patrol is traveling to the Texas border.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA (AP) – A murder trial in the stabbing death of a man found buried in a Cedar Rapids home in 2019 is beginning this week. According to AP News, Drew Blahnik is charged with first-degree murder, obstructing prosecution, and the abuse of a corpse in the December 2018 death of Christopher Bagley. The murder is alleged to be in retaliation for his robbery of a large-scale marijuana trafficker.

DES MOINES, IOWA (IRN) – Test Iowa will begin offering free, self-administered COVID-19 test kits. The kits will be available from sites in their community or have a kit sent to their home at no cost from the Iowa Department of Public Health. The tests will have step-by-step instructions and results through email. Current drive-through sites in Des Moines and Davenport will remain open through Friday.

WOODWARD, IA (IRN) – Damage reports are still being compiled for the hail storm that struck the Des Moines Metro area over the weekend. The National Weather Service issued a warning for up to softball sized hail 4-inches long and causing multiple power outages. According to Daryl Herzmann with Iowa State University, this may be the first time the NWS Des Moines office has ever warned a storm for up to four-inch hail.

EVANSDALE, IA (KCRG) – Dozens of riders took place in a ride for missing children took place this weekend in Evansdale, Iowa for the eighth consecutive year, raising money and awareness for 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey who went missing nearly nine years ago then were found dead in a Bremer County Park. According to KCRG News, the ride raises money for the Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers as well as Memorial Isle in Meyers Park, and has raised over $30,000 over the last nine years and led to the tips and arrests of 700 people.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced plans last week to launch programs to increase competition in the meat processing industry and resiliency in the food supply chain. The USDA announced its intent to invest $500 million in American Rescue Plan funds to expand meat and poultry processing capacity so that farmers, ranchers, and consumers have more choices in the marketplace.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health’s vaccine dashboard shows over 1.5 million Iowans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while over 93k people have gotten the first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. The percentage of Iowans now fully vaccinated against the virus now stands at 45.9%.

OMAHA, NE (IRN) – Nebraska and Iowa have seen a rise in hate crimes in recent years, most of which have been committed on the basis of race and ethnicity. The FBI region that includes Nebraska and Iowa has seen a 21% increase in the reporting of hate crimes in recent years.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A Marshalltown middle school teacher facing charges of having inappropriate contact with a 13-year-old student has been found dead. The body of Adam Eugene Edgington, 42, of Nevada, Iowa, was found Thursday night in his car parked in a field. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – The CEO of the Iowa amusement park where a water ride accident killed one boy and critically injured another has become increasingly influential in Iowa politics. Adventureland Park CEO Michael Krantz has donated $175,000 to county, state and federal Republican candidates and officeholders since 2014. That makes him one of the largest GOP donors in Iowa. Krantz lobbied for a recent law change allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to operate rides for the first time.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids firefighters were called to a report of a fire and arrived as two high school aged students exited the home. As some firefighters fought the fire, others rescued two remaining elementary aged children from the second floor of the home, along with four dogs.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowans on the brink of eviction are increasingly worried as renter protections end soon. A federal freeze on most evictions expires at the end of this month. Iowa has only given out 2% of rent aid received in January. That’s about $4 million out of nearly $200 million in federal money. The aid is supposed to help people cover late rent and utility bills. It’s unclear how much homelessness will increase in Iowa, but officials expect evictions to jump after July.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating after one person was shot during an early morning home invasion robbery in Des Moines. A resident of the home suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. The suspect fled the scene.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department is investigating a stabbing that occurred Thursday afternoon. A 20-year-old woman was found with multiple stab wounds. She is expected to survive.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – Jasper County could become the first county in Iowa to designate itself a “Second Amendment sanctuary,” proclaiming it will not enforce gun laws it believes are unconstitutional, under a resolution under consideration by the county’s Board of Supervisors.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has joined 37 other attorneys general in a lawsuit against Google alleging it closed the Android app distribution ecosystem to competitors. The states are accusing Google of using its dominance to unfairly restrict competition with the Google Play Store, harming consumers by limiting choice and driving up app prices.

AMES, IA (IRN) – An Iowa State University employee is accused of mishandling the school’s money. Investigators say 25-year-old Miranda Richmann put more than $115,000 on a credit card shared between certain employees. She is accused of using that card at several banks, Target, Venmo and Walmart. When police contacted her, she admitted to using the card to pay her attorney fees and other debt.

ALGONA, IA (IRN) – A father committed suicide after killing his two sons in Algona. 6-year-old Logan Phelon and 3-year-old Seth Phelon were murdered by their father, and 32-year-old Christopher Phelon then turned the gun on himself.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A second Marshalltown teacher has been arrested for sexually exploiting a student in the past week.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Authorities found seven illegally possessed firearms and various types of narcotics after executing search warrants at three different locations in Cedar Falls and Waterloo. Two of the firearms were previously reported as stolen. Five offenders were taken into custody and charged with multiple felony offenses.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Johnson County-based brewery will be opening two new locations in Iowa in the next two years. Big Grove Brewery will open its third location in Des Moines in 2022, and follow that up with a fourth site in Cedar rapids in 2023. The company currently operates breweries in Solon and Iowa City.