Author: Iowa Radio News

IOWA (IRN) – Both Iowa State and the University of Iowa football teams are ranked in the top 25 of the USA TODAY preseason poll. Kirk Ferentz’s squad debuts at 19th in the poll, while Matt Campbell’s team comes in at No. 24. It’s the first time the Cyclones have been ranked in the preseason poll, and the first honor for the Hawkeyes since 2016. Clemson, the defending national champion, will enter the season with the top ranking.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman has been released from jail after police charged her for beating two children so badly they both tried to escape by jumping from a second story balcony. KCCI-TV reports Rasheena Perry, 30, is facing three charges of child endangerment. Her two nieces, 4 and 7 years old, had been placed in her care. Police say Perry is mentally ill and her neighbors said she was seen running out of her apartment naked and bloody.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – Law enforcement officials have lost track of evidence from a 1980 murder case that an Iowa inmate wants to examine for DNA that could prove his innocence or confirm his guilt. William Beeman is serving a life sentence in the rape and stabbing death of 22-year-old Michiel Winkel. Winkel’s nude body was found behind a log at Wildcat Den State Park near Muscatine.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Polk County judge has called off the trial of a former Valley Junction business owner after he attempted to commit suicide by walking into traffic on I-235.
Robert Kuhn, 50, is accused of secretly recording underage employees as they used the restroom at his former record shop, Wayback Records. His trial began on Monday at the Polk County Courthouse. After testimony concluded, Kuhn walked into traffic on I-235 and was hit by a dump truck, according to the Des Moines Register. Kuhn was not killed but remains hospitalized.

AMES, IA (IRN) – The remains of an Iowa native killed during World War II are finally back home. Cpl. Ralph L. Bennett of Ames fought during the siege of Myitkyina, Burma. He was 22 years old.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman faces felony charges after police say she beat two young children so badly that one of them jumped from a second story balcony to escape her. The Des Moines Register reports that 30-year-old Rasheena Perry allegedly threw items at and hit the girls, both under the age of 14. Police say she wrapped a shower curtain around the face of one of the girls, before she escaped and jumped off the balcony. The other girl was covered with bruises, including marks on her neck where Perry had choked her.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – Quick thinking by a newspaper delivery driver may have saved two young women from an alleged sex trafficking ring. WHO-TV reports an Illinois woman is accused of bringing other women to the Des Moines metro to meet up with potential “johns.” Lavon Franz was delivering newspapers early Sunday morning in Ankeny when a woman in distress waived her down. She picked the woman up, drove to a convenience store, where a clerk called 911. Police were then able to uncover the sex trafficking ring.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The lawyer for former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has asked a judge to set aside a jury verdict that concluded Branstad discriminated against a gay former state official. Jurors on July 15 awarded former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey $1.5 million, concluding he was the victim of discrimination and retaliation when Branstad tried to force him to quit in 2011 and then cut his pay.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The citizens of Cedar Rapids are concerned by graffiti that has been spotted all over the city for the past year. KCRG-TV reports people are particularly puzzled by the signature of “JDeezy.” No one seems to know who “JDeezy” is or what it means.

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (IRN) – A 22-year-old man from the town of Malcom in Poweshiek County drowned in St. Augustine on Tuesday while honeymooning with his new wife. First Coast News reports Cheyenne Hedrick told deputies she was swimming with her new husband, Dalton Cottrell, when the ocean current carried him deeper into the ocean. Hedrick said it was his first time at the ocean and he started to “freak out.” Hedrick said she tried to assist her husband, but she was unable because he was pulling her under.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Waukee man is in the Dallas County Jail accused of trying to gouge an officer’s eyes during an arrest at Jordan Creek Mall. WHO-TV reports 19-year-old Parker Wiese was being taken into custody for having marijuana in his car at the mall on Sunday. Wiese reportedly fought back against a Dallas County deputy, attempting to gouge the officer’s eyes. The deputy suffered minor cuts and some bruising.

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Sheriff’s deputies in Linn County were led on a high speed chase last night after attempting to initiate a traffic stop on Interstate 380. KWWL-TV reports the driver of a white Buick sped off; ultimately crashing into a guardrail. The driver of the vehicle, Heavenly Elliott, 18 of Cedar Rapids, was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A semi carrying newspapers and magazines burst into flames along I-80 outside of Ladora in Iowa County Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured in the fire, the semi is a complete loss.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowans will be able to legally bet on sports in less than a month. Sports betting will begin in Iowa Aug. 15. On Tuesday, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission announced its new rules for sports wagering and granted more than a dozen casinos with sports wagering licenses.

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.

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.