Articles by Iowa Radio News

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Tuesday, July 30, 2019

BUCHANAN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man has been taken to the hospital after he lost control of his motorcycle on Highway 20 in Buchanan County. He was airlifted to a Wisconsin hospital for treatment after suffering life-threatening injuries. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City police officer was shot multiple times in the face with what was later determined to be a BB gun. The officer returned fire, striking the suspect. Both are in stable condition in a local hospital. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Illinois woman is charged with pimping and human trafficking after she allegedly transported people across state lines for sex at a metro hotel. WHO-TV reports 25-year-old Brittany Walters is charged with bringing four women to the metro after setting up dates, times and locations for men to meet with the victims to pay for sex. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two people were transported to the hospital Monday following a water rescue in downtown Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports water rescue teams responded to the Scott Street Dam around 9:30 p.m. A man and woman in an inflatable boat went over the dam and were thrown from the boat. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Crews are installing murals on storm drains around downtown Cedar Rapids. KGAN-TV reports local artists have painted murals hoping to educate the public about dumping garbage and other pollutants down storm drains. Leaders hope the murals will generate a sense of community pride throughout the city.


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Monday, July 29, 2019

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A northeast Iowa man was killed Saturday when he was attacked by a bull in a farm pasture. KIMT-TV reports 59-year-old John Conway, of rural Harpers Ferry, was in a wooded pasture area when he was fatally attacked by the bull. The sheriff’s office said it disposed of the bull on the property due to its “extremely aggressive behavior.” WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Authorities say firefighters rescued a 4-year-old girl from a Waterloo apartment fire. Firefighters who responded to a report around 7:50 p.m. Saturday found the girl inside the smoke-filled apartment. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that she was taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Her name hasn’t been released. Fire officials say the blaze started after food was left unattended while being cooked. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The driver of a pickup truck involved in a fatal accident Saturday was charged with a failure to yield violation resulting in death. KCCI-TV reports 23-year-old Samuel Canfield was driving a pickup truck and failed to yield the right of way. Timothy Gruis, 59, was driving a motorcycle when he hit the passenger’s side of the pickup and died. BUFFALO, IA (IRN) – First responders recovered a body found in the Mississippi river near Buffalo, Iowa Sunday afternoon. A person in a boat spotted the body floating in the water near a bridge and called police. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Police in Cedar Rapids are investigating reports of shots fired. KCRG-TV reports a group of people were fighting on the front porch of a home Friday. Three people were given medical attention for injuries related to a fight, but no one was hurt by gunfire. HAVERHILL, IA (IRN) – It was a close call Saturday in Marshall County after a crop duster pilot was forced to make an emergency landing just yards from a child’s birthday party. WHO-TV reports mechanical issues caused the plane to lose power, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in a field near a home. The aircraft went through a fence and ended up in a neighbor’s front yard where family and friends were celebrating a 7-year-old’s birthday. Everyone’s OK.


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Sunday, July 28, 2019

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A pedestrian was killed by an oncoming train in Fort Dodge Friday morning. The man was lying near the traveled portion of the railway when workers on the train spotted him and began emergency braking procedures. They also tried to notify him of the train’s approach but no response was noted. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A two-vehicle accident on the south side of Des Moines left a motorcyclist dead. WHO-TV reports 59-year-old Timothy Gruis, of Des Moines, was killed when his motorcycle struck a pickup truck. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A sinkhole formed on the north side of Des Moines on Saturday. A pickup truck backed out of a driveway, dropping into the narrow sinkhole. No one was hurt. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Libertarian Party of Iowa is suing an Iowa state senator over her use of Twitter. The lawsuit claims that Sen. Claire Celsi, of Des Moines, violated the First and 14th amendments when she blocked users on Twitter.


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Saturday, July 27, 2019

CLINTON, IA (IRN) – A man and woman were rescued from the Mississippi River after overturning their canoe near Clinton, Iowa. WQAD-TV reports the pair were just north of a dam when their canoe flipped Friday afternoon. Gear inside the vessel made it difficult to turn back upright. They were uninjured. CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A Clear Lake couple running an unregistered daycare are facing charges of child endangerment according to KIMT-TV. Kyle Joseph McLaughlin, 55, is accused of two counts and Peggy Ann McLaughlin, 57, is facing one count. Kyle McLaughlin is accused of hitting a three-year-old boy in the back hard enough to leave a visible bruise. McLaughlin said he tried to spank the boy across the diaper and must have missed. In addition, a 20-month-old girl suffered a broken leg. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man has been arrested by federal agents after he threatened to kill Jews in hate-filled phone calls and emails, according to WHO-TV. Garrett Kelsey, 31, admitted to calling and emailing a Jewish organization with messages full of anti-Semitic and racist language. He was arraigned on Tuesday in a federal court in Iowa on charges of making interstate threats. ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – A pedestrian was severely injured in Altoona after being hit by a vehicle Friday night. The pedestrian is a 19-year-old female. She was reported as having serious injuries and was taken to a hospital. ESTHERVILLE, IA (IRN) – Estherville city workers and firefighters rescued a 7-year-old girl whose head became stuck between two rungs of a water tower ladder on Thursday. KCRG-TV reports the girl is autistic and was reported missing a little before 10 a.m. She soon was spotted on the tower near her home, clinging to the ladder near its top. She’s OK.


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Friday, July 26, 2019

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – An 18-month-old from Waterloo is in intensive care after inhaling citronella oil — something that is used for Tiki torch fuel. KCRG-TV reports the boy is in an induced coma and in critical condition. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Police say the drowning of two men in a backyard Davenport swimming pool occurred when one man tried to save the other. The Quad-City Times reports that surveillance video shows one of the men struggling in the water, and the other trying to rescue him before they both drowned. MARION, IA (IRN) – A 72-year-old Marion man sent to the hospital after an apartment fire on Friday has died, according to KGAN-TV. Investigators say the fire started because of a combustible cloth in a microwave. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The 2019 USA Track and Field Championship took over Drake Stadium on Thursday. More than 70 Olympians will be competing Thursday through Sunday at Drake’s blue oval. Approximately 30,000 tickets have been sold already, and the direct economic impact of the event is expected to be over $5 million.