Author: Iowa Radio News

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A New Hampton man is going to federal prison for child porn.
William Rolen, 57, has been sentenced to 15 years and eight months behind bars. Rolen pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of child pornography after federal authorities said Rolen communicated with an undercover agent to meet with a child and engage in sex acts. Rolen did not show up for the meeting.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department is searching for Matthew Sites, according to KCCI-TV. Sites is accused of holding a woman captive in a basement and beating her. Police say they can’t believe the woman survived her injuries.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – An eastern Iowa teacher is on leave after parents raised concerns about a Facebook post which seemingly threatened 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg. WHO-TV reports Thunberg was in Iowa City on Friday to join students and activists at a climate strike. On a Facebook post about the event, Waterloo West High School teacher Matt Baish posted a comment saying, “Don’t have my sniper rifle.”

IOWA (IRN) – In college football, the Hawkeyes lost a top 25 matchup against Michigan in Ann Arbor, 10-3, while Iowa State hammered out a 49-24 win over TCU. UNI remains undefeated, beating Youngstown State 21-14.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating the death of a man who has not been identified. KCCI-TV reports police responded to a report of a dispute in downtown Des Moines at 1 a.m Saturday. Officers found a man who was injured inside the residence. Medics transferred him to MercyOne Hospital where he later died.

IOWA (IRN) – Respiratory illness cases related to vaping continue to rise, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. On Friday, 31 cases were reported for people between the ages of 17 and 60. Of those cases, 27 are related to patients who vaped with products containing THC. That number is more than four times the number of cases first reported on August 30.

IOWA (IRN) – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue addressed dairy farmers’ concerns in Madison, Wisconsin last week. Perdue says better days are ahead for the dairy industry, but that family farms may not survive as “the big get bigger and the small go out.” Iowa lost more than 80 dairy farms last year.

IOWA (IRN) – A new proposed set of rules by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump Administration to honor laws on Renewable Fuel Standards is giving Midwestern farmers hope right before the harvesting season. The announcement, made Friday, looks to ensure more than 15 billion gallons of ethanol would be blended into the nation’s fuel supply starting in 2020.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Teen activist Greta Thunberg was in Iowa Friday to take part in a climate strike. The 16-year-old from Sweden joined thousands of students and activists at a rally in Iowa City calling for a climate accord between the city and the University of Iowa. Thunberg drew international attention at last week’s United Nations General Assembly when she criticized world leaders for not taking climate change seriously.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo teacher has been placed on leave following a comment he made on social media about Greta Thunberg. KCRG reports the school district has placed high school science teacher Matt Baish on administrative leave. Thunberg, 16, of Sweden began protesting climate change solo last year and has since spurred millions globally to seek reforms and to protect the environment. In a Facebook post about Thunberg visiting Iowa City today for a climate march, Baish commented, “Don’t have my sniper rifle.”

LE MARS, IA (IRN) – A man was burned while working at a hog confinement near Le Mars in northwest Iowa yesterday. The Des Moines Register reports two people were inside a building, using a power washer. One left the building to refuel the power washer engine, and spilled gas on himself and the machine. The vapors ignited. He was flown to a burn center.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man suspected in 30 burglaries in Des Moines was taken into custody Thursday by police. WHO-TV reports Justus Flactiff was found in a homeless camp where he had been staying.

IOWA (IRN) – As the movie, “Joker,” is released, movie theaters across the state are increasing security. The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as a man dealing with mental illness who turns to violence. The FBI is concerned the movie could inspire a mass shooting, or a copycat of the Aurora, Colorado, shooting.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The 2020 Iowa legislative session begins a little more than three months from now, and when it does, state legislators will have big decisions to make on what to do with $289 million, the money remaining from a budget surplus from the last session. Governor Kim Reynolds says the surplus is a reflection of a vibrant economy.

SALEM, IA (IRN) – A woman from southeast Iowa singing “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac turned three judges’ chairs on NBC’s The Voice this week. Cali Wilson a native of Salem, now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She choice Blake Shelton as her coach for show and will compete again in the singing competition after the blind auditions conclude. The 2009 Mt. Pleasant High School alumna says her inspiration is her mother, Carla.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A murder and robbery occurred at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge yesterday. A confrontation occurred outside of the church, and Allen Henderson, 64, senior pastor, was killed. Joshua Pendleton, 36, of Fort Dodge, has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Henderson was a long time chaplain of Webster County public safety agencies and first responders.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Micronesians recruited to move to Iowa and work at a pork processing plant have reported abuse by the company, including human trafficking, labor and verbal abuse. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday in a news conference that the state will withhold incentives for the company, Seaboard Triumph Foods in Sioux City, while the allegations about its treatment of the Pacific islanders are investigated.

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa’s richest man has gotten a lot richer, according to the latest edition of Forbes magazine’s list of the 400 wealthiest Americans. The annual Forbes 400 list has seed giant Harry Stine’s net worth at $5 billion, an increase of $1.8 billion since the 2018 list. The new figure places Stine, the only Iowan on the list, at number 131, up from 179 last year.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager credited with starting the international climate strike movement, is coming to Iowa this week. Thunberg tweeted on Wednesday that she will be in Iowa City on Friday to take part in a climate strike. Thunberg staged her first climate strike in August 2018, sitting alone outside the Swedish parliament to protest inaction on addressing climate change. Last month millions of students walked out of class around the globe and here in Iowa, following in her footsteps.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man wanted in a home invasion and assault in Des Moines has been captured. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said early Wednesday that 44-year-old Ronald Shelburg had been captured and booked into the Polk County Jail. They believe Shellburg broke into a home and assaulted a 47-year-old woman.

QUAD CITIES (IRN) – Deere & Company will layoff about 160 workers at production facilities in the Quad Cities, according to the Des Moines Register. The company blames trade uncertainties and a slumping ag economy that have decreased customer demand.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police located and shot a cow that had gotten loose in the city near downtown. KCCI-TV reports police say responding officers had no way to corral the cow and ultimately had to shoot and kill it.

GRINNELL, IA (IRN) – Grinnell College called off its entire football season Tuesday. Grinnell started the season 0-3 and scored just three points in those games, but it wasn’t the poor performance that led to the cancelation of its remaining schedule. The Pioneers kicked off the 2019 season with only 39 players on their roster, and after the first three games, 11 of them were hurt, leaving just 28 healthy players able to compete.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Carson King’s viral fundraiser raised over $2.95 million for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. He received over $924,000 in donations to his Venmo. With matching contributions from Busch and Venmo, that pushed the total just shy of $3 million.