Author: Iowa Radio News

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old man has been given five years in prison for trying to coerce a University of Northern Iowa student into having sex with him. Black Hawk County District Court records say Christian Gossweiler was sentenced Monday in Waterloo on one count of extortion.

CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – A jury has found a Floyd County woman guilty of trying to kill her mother. KIMT-TV reports Jennifer Katherine Bean, 44 of Charles City, was arrested in November 2018 after authorities say she injected her mother with insulin, something that could have resulted in coma and death if left untreated.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol says it is catching more drivers traveling 100 mph or faster than ever before. In 2013, the State Patrol reported catching 342 drivers traveling at over 100 mph. In 2018 that number more than doubled to 729. Iowa State Patrol Lt. Nathan Ludwig said eight drivers were pulled over for traveling over 150 mph in 2018, with 188 mph being the highest speed reported.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – More people visited the Iowa State Fair than ever before in 2019.
A total of 1,170,375 people attended the fair this year, beating the record set last year.

IOWA (IRN) – Both Iowa and Iowa State are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 College Football Rankings. The Hawkeyes are ranked 20th, and the Cyclones came in at 21. Reigning national champion Clemson reclaimed the top spot in college football with #2 Alabama and #3 Georgia rounding out the top three.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – A clerk died after being shot during a robbery at an eastern Iowa convenience store. The robbery occurred Saturday at a Big 10 Mart in Bettendorf. The name of the 28-year-old woman who was shot hasn’t been released. No arrests have been reported.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was booked into the Polk County Jail on Sunday on charges of child endangerment and domestic assault. KCCI-TV reports Aaron Logan, 21, was living with the mother of his child, and had a disagreement over her phone. He took her phone and put it in his car. He then attempted to hit her with his car while she was holding the baby.

BUENA VISTA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Iowa Congressman Steve King has spent the last week fending off social media backlash after comments he made about rape and incest went viral and sparked outrage. Now, the congressman says he is owed an apology, which likely isn’t coming. King has been condemned by Republicans as well as Democrats. Senator Joni Ernst says, “Never ever is incest or rape OK. It’s never OK. And I just wish we could stop with this. Let’s focus. Let’s focus on the work that we have to do in Congress.”

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A woman has been arrested following a fire in Cedar Rapids. KGAN-TV reports two dogs were rescued from the home, but no people were inside. Kari Kutcher was arrested after making several attempts to reenter the home during the fire after police told her not to.

CLINTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities confirmed an EF-0 tornado touched down in eastern Iowa Sunday morning. The tornado hit a farm in Clinton County at 5:40 a.m. downing several tree branches, uprooting a tree, and damaging a home. No one was hurt. It’s the 38th tornado to hit in Iowa in 2019.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol reports one man is dead and another injured after a collision in Fort Dodge. A motorcyclist, 51-year-old Sean Mannel, entered the intersection at the same time as a Jeep and the two collided.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A Morton style building in Marshalltown was destroyed yesterday. KCCI-TV reports the 5,000-square-foot building is a total loss. No one was injured.

VINTON, IA (IRN) – Virginia Gay Hospital in Vinton is warning patients of a potential security breach.The hospital says personal information may have been exposed by a third party.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A homeless shelter in downtown Des Moines is building a 24-unit, $4.3 million apartment building made out of shipping containers for the chronically homeless.
The Des Moines Register reports that Central Iowa Shelter and Services was recently awarded $2.7 million from the National Housing Trust Fund program and the Iowa Finance Authority to complete the project. The furnished studios will be about 250-square-feet each.

ACKLEY, IA (IRN) – An Ackley father and his girlfriend will spend up to three decades in prison for locking his son in a dungeon-like space under their stairs. WHO-TV reports Alex Shadlow and Traci Tyler each received three ten-year sentences Friday. The couple admitted to locking Shadlow’s then 8-year-old son in a makeshift room for at least 30 days. The dark, 6-by-6-foot room had no furniture or blankets and a tin can for a toilet. The child spent up to nine hours a day in the space.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Police are increasing their presence in a Bettendorf neighborhood after receiving two separate reports of cars approaching children and trying to lure them in. WQAD-TV reports one 12-year-old says they approached him while he was riding his bike and said, “Hey, I have a whole lot of candy in the back. If you want some, you can get in the car and sit on my lap.”

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A railroad officer who shot a subject being investigated for trespassing will not be indicted. KIMT-TV reports a grand jury deliberated and declined to indict the railroad officer.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – Sen. Charles Grassley says farmers were “screwed” by the Trump administration’s decision to allow some refineries to not blend ethanol with gasoline as required under federal law. During a taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program Friday, Grassley was asked his thoughts on 31 refinery exemptions the Environmental Protection Agency issued for 2018 and approved after a review last week.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Altoona police asked the public Friday morning to stay away from Adventureland and Prairie Meadows due to an armed robbery police called an “active situation.” Police said Spectators Restaurant was robbed at gunpoint, and the search for the suspect continued in the surrounding area. No one was injured and no shots were fired.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A Burlington man tricked a woman into entering her home under false pretenses then he physically and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint, according to WQAD-TV. Steven Mauck, 37, is in jail.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids Police arrested a 16-year-old suspect for shooting at a minivan Thursday afternoon. No injuries were reported but police found the vehicle with damage from bullets. The teen now faces charges for reckless use of a firearm, carrying firearms and possession of marijuana.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has blocked Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller from joining 21 states and six large cities in a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration policy easing restrictions on coal-fired power plants. Trump has replaced an Obama administration plan that required states to cut emissions from fossil fuel-burning power plants with a rule relaxing the state restrictions. The federal lawsuit claims the Trump rule violates the federal Clean Air Act.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Thursday marked the first day of legal sports betting in Iowa. Anyone of legal age within the state borders can bet on professional, college, international and fantasy sports. Most bets are expected to be made online, but anyone who wants to gamble online still must stop into one of Iowa’s six casinos to prove their age and identity and register an account.