Author: Iowa Radio News

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City eye clinic manager stole more than $6,100 in a credit card scheme and planned to use customer information to take out loans. KWWL-TV reports
36-year-old Amy Inniss-Reyes is charged with theft and tampering with records. Inniss-Reyes was managing two Exact Eye Care branches when she used three of her credit cards to obtain fraudulent refunds. The complaint says she also told investigators that she made copies of 20 patients’ personal records, intending to use them to obtain loans. The copies were recovered from her home.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A mother and her boyfriend were arrested Wednesday after police say they left three children alone in a Des Moines hotel room for several hours. WHO-TV reports the couple left the children – ages 10, 8, and 1 – under the care of the 10-year-old. The kids were left without food and had no way to reach the adults in case of an emergency. When the couple came back to the hotel, they weren’t cooperative with police and gave a vague story about where they had been.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Three homes were damaged with gunfire before police discovered a 19-year-old had been shot in a residential part of Burlington. WQAD-TV reports a vehicle nearby also had substantial damage. Witnesses say the person driving the vehicle fled on foot.

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 33-year-old Lisbon man had to be flown to the hospital Wednesday night after a pair of ATV rollover crashes. KGAN-TV reports two people were riding separate ATV’s in Highway 30’s new construction zone when they both lost control of their vehicles causing them to roll. The other driver, a 14-year-old, had minor injuries.

SCOTCH GROVE, IA – A lightning strike is believed to have caused a fire that destroyed a historic building in the Jones County town of Scotch Grove Thursday evening. KCRG-TV reports the Scotch Grove Depot was struck by lightning around 4 p.m. That strike caused a fire that destroyed the unoccupied building that dates back to the 1870s.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating the death of a child Thursday at a metro apartment complex. KCCI-TV reports first responders were called to an apartment on reports of a child needing CPR. Upon arrival, responding officers found a deceased 2-year-old. Police say the child ingested an unknown amount of medication belonging to his mother.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand says two insurance companies that provide Medicaid services to two disabled Iowans in wheelchairs are violating their contracts with the state. Sand said Wednesday he’s notified DHS that Amerigroup and UnitedHealthcare are not abiding by contract requirements that ensure services are not disrupted for clients. Sand says he was notified that home services are ending for two unnamed people in rural Iowa receiving in-home care who fear they may be placed in nursing homes.

LISBON, IA (IRN) – Two people were hurt in an ATV crash in Linn County near Lisbon, according to KCRG-TV. A 33-year-old and a 14-year-old lost control of the ATV before rolling.
An air ambulance flew the 33-year-old to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with life-threatening injuries. The teen had minor injuries.

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa law enforcement officers say with Illinois across the river they may see an increase in marijuana possession after Illinois Governor JB Pritzker legalized the drug in Illinois Tuesday. The law will go into effect January 1st, 2020.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines has a new, rare hatchling.
The cassowary chick hatched on June 10. It will grow into a large, flightless bird, similar to an ostrich or emu. The species is native to Australia, where it’s endangered. The chick’s father, Big Bird, will raise the chick. This is the zoo’s first chick since 2011.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A retired Iowa farmer who applied to Gov. Kim Reynolds to have his gun rights restored has instead been charged with illegally possessing firearms. KCCI-TV reports Allan Phillips of West Branch had been out of trouble for 40 years when he sent in his application seeking restoration. He wrote that it was time to “clear my name” on a 1978 misdemeanor conviction for having a loaded hunting gun in his car. Phillips, 76, received a surprise visit in February from agents who were conducting a background check as part of the process. They found that he had firearms in violation of the gun ban that his 41-year-old conviction triggered. They charged Phillips with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police found a woman’s body on top of a canopy at the nine-story Cedar River Towers apartment complex in Waterloo Tuesday. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the body had been there for an extended period of time.

AUDUBON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Thirteen dogs in need of veterinary care were removed from a residential property in Exira on Tuesday, according to WHO-TV. The Animal Rescue League found the dogs outside the property in a muddy, chain-link dog run, covered in a tarp that was sagging with water collected from overnight rain.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Saydel Community School District Music Boosters uncovered thousands of dollars in missing money with help from the state auditor. KCCI-TV reports the State Auditor’s office determined a grand total of over $21,000 had allegedly been taken by the music booster’s former treasurer.

CRYSTAL LAKE, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says zebra mussels have been found in Crystal Lake in north-central Iowa. The invasive species are native to eastern Europe and are voracious eaters that gobble up plankton many native freshwater fish need to survive. The mussels can attach themselves to boat motors, bait buckets and dam mechanisms and cause damage to motors and facilities. Boaters are urged to clean, drain and dry watercraft to prevent the spread.

BELLEVUE, IA (IRN) – Low-flying planes will release a substance Wednesday in an effort to stop the spread of invasive gypsy moths in eastern Iowa’s Jackson County. KWWL-TV reports the planes will release a “mating disruptor” that’s made of food-grade materials and is not harmful to people, animals, birds, plants or other insects. The gypsy moth has spread slowly west from Massachusetts since the 1870s. It’s an invasive species that can cause extensive deforestation as its larvae eat leaves, particularly oak leaves.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation reports 44-year-old Christy Hribal died at the hospital after being shot in Creston Wednesday. Officers responded to a home to a report of shots fired. Officers arrested 36-year-old Creston resident Charles Keeton at the scene and charged him with Felon in Possession of a Firearm, but no criminal charges have been filed for the death of Hribal.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an alleged fight at the Highway 20 Truck and Auto Plaza. KWWL-TV reports a man and woman were traveling together in a semi. An argument between the pair then turned physical. The woman was arrested.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Drake University is selling or leasing more than four acres of land on the east edge of its Des Moines campus to a developer for construction of apartments, townhomes, commercial space and a parking garage. Drake President Marty Martin said Monday the proposed development valued at more than $63 million will create a “walkable, vibrant hub of retail and restaurant options” for the private university.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Eleven Cedar Rapids-area residents claimed a big prize from the Iowa Lottery after a previous winner did not claim their winnings. The 11 people are part of “The Dream Big Team,” which is a group of 34 employees at Collins Aerospace. They won a $1 million special promotional prize, which was given out after a different prize went unclaimed.

CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A stolen vehicle turned up underwater in Cerro Gordo County yesterday. KIMT-TV reports police found an unoccupied vehicle in Clear Lake around 2:50 am, submerged near the city-owned boat ramp. An investigation located the owner of the vehicle in Mason City, who said it had been stolen in Clear Lake.

ELKADER, IA (IRN) – A pilot survived a single engine airplane crash near Elkader, according to KGAN-TV. The 62-year-old pilot was flying his 1966 single engine Cessna plane and crashed while attempting to land. He then freed himself from the wreckage and came out uninjured.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A softball game in Des Moines took an unexpected turn Sunday when a player allegedly assaulted the umpire after a “bad call.” WHO-TV reports the umpire kicked a player out of the game after a dispute over a foul ball and then the player shoved the umpire to the ground. Witnesses say the umpire hurt his wrist in the fall. The player was arrested.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City is turning to bow hunters to help manage the deer population within the city. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports the City Council approved adding winter bow hunts beginning in 2020 and continuing through 2024. In addition, sharpshooters will be brought in to cull the herd this next winter. The hunting will help ensure that the deer population remains at a density of fewer than 10 deer per square mile.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Heavy rain prompted flash flood warnings in central Iowa Saturday, resulting in water rescues across the metro. Des Moines police said there more than 100 calls for cars or people stranded on flooded roadways.