Author: Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Hundreds of students and activists from throughout central Iowa gathered on the steps of the Capitol to demand action in response to climate change. Students in 150 countries were expected to skip school Friday to send a message to world leaders to act more aggressively in their response. Most of the protesters were high school or college students. Some wore yellow and black pins or T-shirts bearing the logo of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led political action committee that focuses on climate change.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – After the Capitol protest, hundreds of students and parents marched to U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne’s office to urge her to vote for the Green New Deal. KCCI-TV reports no one was arrested.

BLAIRSTOWN, IA (IRN) – Seventy-seven years after an Iowa soldier went out on patrol, he is now home and laid to rest in the rural Benton County town of Blairstown. On November 26th, 1942, 27-year-old Laurel W. Ebert was on patrol in what is now present-day Papua New Guinea. He was with a team of eight soldiers looking to silence enemy machine gun fire. Ebert and five others on that patrol did not return. The U.S. Army was able to finally identify Ebert’s remains through a DNA match from his nephew.

WEST BRANCH, IA (IRN) – 72 people from more than 20 countries became the newest United States citizens Friday afternoon. KCRG-TV reports it was part of a naturalization ceremony at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch. With family members and friends supporting those in the front rows of the auditorium, the new Iowans and Americans took the Oath of Allegiance becoming officially citizens.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two lanes of Interstate 235 in Des Moines were blocked this morning after a driver was injured by a brick. KCCI-TV reports a brick fell off of a truck and went through the windshield of the vehicle. The driver was able to stop on the interstate and call for help. Emergency crews were on the scene to treat the driver and clear the crash scene. The driver was able to leave in his own vehicle.

WASHINGTON, DC (IRN) – Senator Joni Ernst says bad advice from the head of the EPA is to blame for President Trump signing dozens of waivers from the Renewable Fuel Standard for oil refineries, sending demand for ethanol plummeting. The waivers have eliminated the need of more than a billion gallons of ethanol. Two Iowa refineries have already shut down. Ernst says Trump was mislead into making the decision by the EPA.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Democratic Party is proposing a change to the 2020 Iowa caucuses. They’re proposing to add satellite locations for caucusing, which would require more engagement team members, places to apply to host a satellite caucus, training of satellite participants and reporting.The party hopes these locations can provide the opportunity to caucus for those working evening shifts, Iowans with disabilities, students and more. The Iowa caucuses take place Feb. 3.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A California man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for intent to deliver nearly 2,000 grams of heroin in Council Bluffs. Jorge Salazar Machado, 28, told the court he’s ready to turn his life around, and is focused on his faith and is ready for additional drug treatment.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police have received multiple calls this month about a naked man riding a bike on a trail near Cedar Lake. KCRG-TV reports police have increased patrols around lake, but haven’t been able to find the man.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former Creative Visions employee convicted of trying to entice a minor was sentenced Wednesday. WHO-TV reports Akil Jabbar was sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison. Jabbar was found guilty of enticing a minor after he planned to meet with an underage girl for sex and provide her with drugs last November. Jabbar worked as a victim advocate at Creative Visions in Des Moines, an organization geared toward helping at-risk youth, despite having a lengthy criminal record.

IOWA (IRN) – More than 200 Iowa scientists have endorsed the ninth annual Iowa Climate Statement. The Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research at the University of Iowa, released a report Wednesday endorsed by 216 scientists and researchers from 38 Iowa colleges and universities, which said that, by 2050, the number of days in which Iowa experiences 90-degree temperatures will triple.

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Pottawattamie County issued emergency notifications Wednesday for the northwest part of the county due to two reported levee breaches along the Missouri River. KETV reports numerous roads were closed.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines is being considered as a site for a USL Championship soccer club that could launch by 2022, contingent upon the construction of a multi-million-dollar, soccer-specific stadium near downtown. The Des Moines Register reports Kyle Krause, head of Kum & Go, hopes to build a $60 million stadium on the southern edge of downtown.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A deceased man who was left in a wheelchair at a QuikTrip parking lot last week, and the two men who left him there were traveling to a murdered Des Moines man’s funeral when the death occurred. KCCI-TV reports the man was wheeled into the parking lot of the QuikTrip Friday morning by two men who then took off. Jones was not wheelchair-bound and the men borrowed the wheelchair in order to move his body. Police believe Jones’ death was drug-related The two men were identified by police and have been questioned.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The man who set himself on fire in the Des Moines Public Library downtown yesterday afternoon has died. KCCI-TV reports the man poured an unknown liquid on himself and then set himself on fire. Library staff used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police arrested a 10-year-old boy Monday night after an officer saw him carrying a semi-automatic rifle in a pillowcase. KCRG-TV reports around 7:30 p.m. an officer saw three boys carrying a pillowcase with what appeared to be an AR-15 style rifle near Irving Elementary School. Two boys ran away from the officer. Police were able to stop the third boy outside of the school. He was charged with carrying weapons and interference with official acts while carrying a firearm.

DES MOINES, (IRN) – Des Moines-based convenience store Kum & Go has deleted a tweet and apologized after offending Cyclone football fans after a close loss to the Hawkeyes Saturday. The tweet showed a figure representing the Hawkeyes kicking a figure representing the Cyclones down a flight of stairs. Countless fans threatened to boycott the gas station and general store chain with over 400 locations, mostly located in Iowa.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowan Jason Craig will appear on one of America’s most popular game shows, “Wheel of Fortune.” The father of three will be a contestant on the show today. The West Des Moines native graduated from the University of Iowa and is a big Hawkeyes fan. The 40-year-old and his wife Elly have been watching the game show throughout their 14 years of marriage.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Police have charged an Ottumwa couple with child endangerment after their 3-year-old daughter was found alone in the street Monday. KTVO-TV reports the girl was unharmed, but officers were unable to determine where she lived or who her parents were. The girl was taken to the Ottumwa Police Department while officers searched for her parents. An hour later, investigators released a picture of the child on social media. The girl’s relatives recognized her picture, and alerted authorities.

QUAD CITIES (IRN) – A body found in the Mississippi River Sunday in the Quad Cities has been identified as Jeremy Swiatek, a 23-year-old West Chicago man, according to WQAD-TV. He was last seen leaving a bar, heading toward a bus stop.

CENTRAL CITY, IA (IRN) – A loose tire tread caused an injury to a driver in another vehicle when it went through a windshield, according to KCRG-TV. A 35-year-old woman from Manchester was driving near Central City in Linn County when a dump truck lost a piece of tread from a tire. The tread crashed through the windshield of the vehicle and struck the driver.
The driver of the dump truck returned to the scene of the accident.
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DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – There are 13 cases of severe respiratory illness related to vaping in Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Although it’s illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy, sell, or use any kind of vaping product, teens somehow still gain access to them. According to a 2018 Iowa Youth Survey, 23 percent of 11th graders reported use of e-cigarettes in the past month, along with 8 percent of eighth graders and 2 percent of sixth graders.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A couple from one of the hardest-hit islands in the Bahamas is grateful to be safe in central Iowa after Hurricane Dorian rendered their home unlivable. KCCI-TV reports they are staying with their daughter who lives in Des Moines. They say it’s “truly a blessing to be here.”