Author: Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst signed a Senate resolution asking Major League Baseball to reconsider shutting down 42 minor league teams. Eastern Iowa is home to three of the teams on the chopping block; the Clinton Lumberjacks, the Burlington Bees and the Quad City River Bandits.

CHARITON, IA (IRN) – A Chariton man is facing a long list of criminal charges after a standoff Wednesday that left students on lockdown at local schools hours after dismissal time. WHO-TV reports it started when Jeffry Alan Hildreth intentionally damaged the gas line to his home, causing a leak in the neighborhood. When officers approached Hildreth’s home, he came outside armed with a rifle.

FLOYD COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Ames man has been charged after police found 60 pounds of marijuana in a car. KIMT-TV reports Floyd County authorities say Elias Joseph Gonzales, 25, was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for speeding near Floyd. A search found 47 vacuum sealed packages of marijuana weighing a total of 60 pounds. A bag at Gonzales’ feet held two loaded handguns, methamphetamine, and a large amount of cash.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Authorities are seeing an increase in thieves stealing catalytic converters in the Des Moines metro. KCCI-TV reports Skeffington’s Formal Wear surveillance video shows a man stealing three catalytic converters in ten minutes. A total of 15 catalytic converters have been stolen from that lot, and it’s happening across the metro. Thieves crawl under higher vehicles, make a quick cut with a saw, and then melt down the metal for palladium, which is now going for nearly $3,000.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – More than three weeks after the Iowa caucuses, the Iowa Democratic Party has released the results from the recounted precincts. Recounting resulted in no change to the number of National Delegates allocated to each candidate. In the lead, Pete Buttigieg will have 14 delegates, while Bernie Sanders will have 12.

CHARITON, IA (IRN) – Chariton schools went on lockdown yesterday while police investigated a nearby resident’s welfare. A man was seen with a gun in the area, and police and firefighters were also investigating a gas leak. One man is in custody.

IOWA (IRN) – Twelve people in Iowa are being monitored for the coronavirus, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. None are showing symptoms. That’s up from the seven being monitored Monday. The CDC says the overall risk of contracting the virus is low.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A man who ran a tax return preparation business in north-central Iowa has pleaded guilty to helping file false returns. David Miller, 52, of Gilmore City, also pleaded guilty to receiving stolen government money or property. Miller admitted preparing fraudulent returns for clients and himself over several years. He’s agreed to pay restitution of nearly $157,000 to the Internal Revenue Service. He’ll be sentenced at a later date.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – A Coralville man says he’s lost his independence after a recent theft of his mobility scooter. KCRG-TV reports 61-year-old Air Force veteran Randy Moyer wants to be self-sufficient, but arthritis in his hips prevents him from walking. So, he relied on the mobility scooter for his main method of transportation before it was stolen. Moyer says, “bad luck seems to follow me.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A proposed bill in the Iowa legislature would add adult-sized changing tables to restrooms for people with disabilities. The bill would require all state rest stops to install changing tables with the weight capacity for larger children, teens and adults. After passing through the House transportation committee with bi-partisan support, the bill now heads to the House for a full debate.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man accused of killing two people in a crash in Des Moines has entered a not guilty plea, according to KCCI-TV. Police say Alejandro Contreras crashed into a vehicle, killing Windsor Heights residents Mauricio Ruiz Quintana, 26, and Brayan Martinez Ruiz, 22.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A man whose DNA linked him to sexual assaults years ago in Dubuque has pleaded guilty. Martel Fountain Sr., 30, entered the pleas Monday to four counts of sexual assault, according to the Telegraph Herald. Four burglary counts will be dropped in return as part of a plea deal. The deal calls for 10-year sentences for each count, to be served consecutively. Fountain assaulted four women after forcing his way into their homes and garages.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two Gordmans stores in Des Moines are closing. The Gordmans locations on SE Army Post Road and Hubbell Avenue will close in the near future. Stage Stores, which now owns Gordmans, says it’s part of the company’s review of stores to remain competitive. The store in West Des Moines near Valley West Mall will stay open.

IOWA (IRN) – Taxpayers in Iowa who are eligible for a state tax refund should be patient on seeing those checks. The Iowa Department of Revenue said that tax filers can expect a 30- to 45-day time frame for any tax refunds to be issued after filing a return. Iowa income tax returns are due on April 30th.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Seven people are being monitored for the coronavirus Covid-19 in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Health says 30 people have completed their quarantine. Two people were tested for the virus, but the results were negative. There have been no cases identified in Iowa to date.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – An Oskaloosa landlord allowed tenants to live in a building that inspectors and city officials said was too dangerous. KCCI-TV reports Kabal Chauchan told the city that the property would stay empty after city inspectors found several fire code violations. Months later, 7-year-old David Fogle died in a fire in the building. Chauchan and the 7-year-old’s father face multiple counts of neglect and child endangerment.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – After over 40 years of waiting and a guilty verdict, a cold case murder in Cedar Rapids has come to a close. Prosecutors proved to a jury that 66-year old Jerry Burns stabbed Michelle Martinko several times in her family’s car on December 19, 1979, outside Westdale Mall. The jury deliberated and came to a unanimous decision in less than three hours.

WEBSTER CITY, IA (IRN) – No charges will be filed in the 2019 deaths of a Webster City mother and child. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said a roommate found 28-year-old Mariangelys Ortiz and 3-month-old Abimelec Ortiz Figueroa dead on Nov. 10. An autopsy determined that Ortiz died by suicide. The cause and manner of Abimelec’s death is undetermined. Abimelec had no physical trauma and an “undetermined” cause of death can mean sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court elected Justice Susan Christensen as its next chief justice on Monday, making her only the second woman to rise to chief of the seven-member court. Appointed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2018, Christensen is part of a new more conservatively constituted court. Reynolds has named three justices to the court since becoming governor and will name a fourth after acting Chief Justice David Wiggins retires next month.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KWWL)– An Iowa man has been convicted of the murdering death of his roommate and co-worker. Prosecutors say Dubol Koat killed William Dut. Investigators found Dut’s body wrapped in a sheet near the city’s downtown October 28th. It’s unclear what Koat’s exact motive was for murdering Dut.

MADISON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Earlham resident is dead from a motorcycle crash in Madison County. At approximately 11 a.m. Sunday, Kim Ferry, 68, was driving south of Winterset when a pickup truck turned out in front of him causing Ferry to crash. The pickup truck driver wasn’t hurt.

WINDSOR HEIGHTS, IA (IRN) – Police arrested a man who allegedly broke into a home in Windsor Heights and fired a gun. WHO-TV reports Des Moines resident Matthew Anderson, 31, is charged with first-degree burglary, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, going armed with intent, and reckless use of a firearm. Police say no one was injured during the incident and it wasn’t a random act.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Multiple people ice fishing had to be rescued after falling through ice in Cedar Falls Sunday. KGAN-TV reports four people had to be rescued shortly after noon, and two had to be rescued later that afternoon. Both incidents were at Big Woods Lake. Everyone will be OK.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Every 11 seconds an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall, and every 19 minutes, an older person dies from falling. KCRG-TV reports a University of Iowa professor wants to see what the chances of falling are for older people who smoke medical marijuana. The active ingredient, THC, can hurt a person’s cognitive skills which include memory, concentration and focus, and may increase the risk of falling. The university is looking for people between the ages of 50 and 80 to take part in the study.