Articles by Iowa Radio News

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Monday, September 17, 2018

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 14-year-old East High School student is in custody after being found with a hand gun in his backpack this morning. KCCI-TV reports the School Resource Officer at East was alerted by other students and intercepted the teen outside of the school building. He was also found to have a knife in his backpack. The student told officers the incident is part of an ongoing dispute with another student, and the student had the gun for protection. FAIRBANK, IA (IRN) – A 12-year-old boy died Saturday when a lawnmower rolled over him in the northeastern Iowa town of Fairbank, according to KCCI-TV. Authorities believe the boy may have shut the mower down and stepped away from it before it rolled, pinning him underneath. CLINTON, IA (IRN) – A Clinton man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. WQAD-TV reports Steven Armsted, 48, is accused of killing two men in March of 2017. The two were found stabbed to death in a home. BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (IRN) – Two U.S. basketball players, one of whom played for ISU, have been stabbed in a club in Romania. KCRG-TV reports former ISU player Darrell Bowie, 24, and another man who plays for local club ACS Cuza Braila, were attacked Saturday night in Bucharest after a fight broke out with locals. Bowie suffered multiple abdominal wounds. Romanian authorities say one person attacked the two men without prior conflict, and a larger group joined in the attack when Bowie and McClain tried to leave. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines based Meredith Corp. has reached a tentative agreement to sell Time magazine for $190 million to Salesforce founder Marc Benioff. Benioff is the founder, chairman and co-CEO of the sales, service and marketing software giant.


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Sunday, September 16, 2018

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An armed robber at a Hy-Vee gas station store pointed a gun at Ankeny officers before he was fatally shot by police. A caller told police there was a suspicious man dressed in black who appeared to have a gun fall out of his pants. A responding officer found the suspect, the suspect drew his handgun and pointed it at the officer. The officer discharged his firearm, striking and killing the robber. DOW CITY, IA (IRN) – A woman is dead after her car rolled east of Dow City. The Iowa State Patrol reports that Christina Foote, 27, of Dunlap was driving a Chevy Malibu about two miles east of Dow City Friday when her car left the road on a curve, went into the ditch, and rolled. Foote was pronounced dead at the scene. She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. ST. JOSEPH, MO (IRN) – A Missouri man faces two felony charges after a fatal boating accident during the Memorial Day weekend killed an Iowa college student. The St. Joseph News-Press reports that Cletus Barsch, 41, was charged with boating while intoxicated resulting in death. Barsch was driving a boat that struck another boat at the Lake of the Ozarks on May 26. A passenger in the second boat, Alec Potthoff, 20, of Van Meter, suffered a serious head injury. He died last month at a care facility in Des Moines. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Barbers from all over the country are coming to Des Moines for the “Clash of the Clippers,” a barbering contest with thousands of dollars up for grabs as well as trophies and bragging rights. WHO-TV reports along with local barbers, celebrity barbers will be competing, including the man who cut the hair of late rappers Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., as well as the barber to Will Smith and P-Diddy.


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Saturday, September 15, 2018

MARION, IA (IRN) – A jury has convicted a Marion man in the death of his ex-girlfriend. KCRG-TV reports Greg Davis, 29, was found guilty of first degree murder. He stabbed Carrie Davis to death, rolled her body up in carpet and put it in a utility trailer in front of his parents’ home. Davis never denied killing his former girlfriend, but he was trying to use an insanity or diminished capacity defense. He said he killed Carrie Davis to “cut the devil out of her” and “wrapped her body like Jesus.” DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A federal agency has denied disaster assistance for residents and business owners of Marshall and Polk counties who endured tornadoes in July. Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office announced Friday FEMA has denied the governor’s request for assistance for losses from the July 19 tornadoes. FEMA stated that the impact from the tornadoes wasn’t severe enough to warrant help. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health is investigating 73 cases of West Nile Virus, and that’s the highest it’s been in about 15 years. Heavy rains and warm days create a perfect environment for mosquitoes to breed and grow to high numbers. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Seventy Iowans were taken prisoner during the Korean War, and unfortunately 31 of them never made it home. KWWL-TV reports the Sullivan Brothers Veterans Museum held a ceremony Friday to honor those men, including one who was present at the celebration, Cecil Phipps. Phipps says, “you don’t know how important freedom is until you lose it.”


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Friday, September 14, 2018

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Two pedestrians have been killed in Davenport. KCCI-TV reports the two men were struck by a pickup truck. It’s unclear whether they were trying to cross the roadway without going to a nearby traffic signal. They were pronounced dead at the scene. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A 60-year-old pedestrian is recovering after being hit by a semi-truck on Interstate 80 in Davenport. WQAD-TV reports the man had gotten out of a vehicle parked on the side of I-80 when a passing semi hit him. CLIVE, IA (IRN) – Clive police issued a warning Thursday about the discovery of three skimming devices found at two Casey’s General Store locations. KCCI-TV reports police found skimmer devices inside the gas pumps and that the devices are nearly impossible for customers to detect. The skimming device was likely there overnight, and customers should assume that their PIN number has been compromised. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa’s candidates for governor have already spent at least $5.4 million to put nearly 20,000 ads in front of Iowa television viewers in the closely contested race — and there are more on the way. The Des Moines Register reports Democrat Fred Hubbell and Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds have aired roughly 19,500 ads between Jan. 1 and Sept. 9. It will be the most expensive Iowa Governor’s race in history. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Hometown heavy-metal rockers Slipknot are lending their skills to a popular haunted attraction in Des Moines this Halloween. WHO-TV reports the Grammy-winning band announced it is partnering with “The Slaughterhouse.” The haunted attraction was already plenty scary, but Slipknot is looking to amp up the terror. Band members will be on site for a VIP weekend in mid-October to lead tours. It’s a match made in heaven – or perhaps – the *other* place.


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Thursday, September 13, 2018

IOWA (IRN) – A new survey report says the Iowa farmland average values have dropped 1.7 percent in the past six months. The report from the Iowa Chapter of the Realtors Land Institute says the decline over the past six months left values at a little over $6,800 an acre. The report blamed the decline in part on tariffs that affected crop prices and on rising interest rates. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Associated Press review has found that Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds received approval from a state regulator to fly for free to Iowa State’s bowl game on a jet owned by a company that is a longtime state vendor. That’s despite a law barring public officials and their relatives from accepting gifts. Reynolds flew to Tennessee to watch the Cyclones play in the Liberty Bowl on a plane owned by Sedgwick, which administers workers’ compensation claims filed by injured state employees. The trip was approved by a ethics board member because Reynolds claimed it as a “campaign expense.” NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A Newton couple is accused of sexually abusing runaway children and teenagers. KCCI-TV reports Zachary Morecock, 21, and Ariel Utterback, 22, are each facing ten counts of third degree sexual abuse. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A former church treasurer in northwestern Iowa has pleaded guilty to defrauding the Bethel Lutheran Church in Graettinger of nearly $500,000 over 13 years. As part of a plea deal, 65-year-old Andrew Matheason admitted he wrote checks to himself and paid his credit card balances from church funds. He faces up to 20 years in prison. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The Dubuque public schools are considering moving back start times for middle and high school students. Across the nation, 300 districts in 44 states have moved secondary school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says junior high and high school students should start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.