Author: Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new report says Iowa farmland values fell 2.7 percent over the past year, in part because of trade disputes. The Iowa Chapter of the Realtors Land Institute says the decline occurred despite the federal government’s trade bailout program, limited land and higher yields in some parts of Iowa.

WEBSTER CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa woman says her rapist’s four-year prison sentence is a “slap in the face.” KCCI-TV reports Mason Reilly, 27, of Gilbert, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to lesser charges in two separate sexual assault cases. Three other cases happened in Madison, Ringgold and Story counties. In two cases, he reached a plea deal; the other was dismissed. One of his victims said, “He is a serial rapist…I didn’t want the plea deal to happen. I was so upset.”

MISSOURI VALLEY, IA (IRN) – Floodwaters have hit many Iowa communities, but the western Iowa town of Missouri Valley has been hit harder than most. KCAU-TV reports there is a mandatory evacuation in place for much of the town.

IOWA (IRN) – Alliant Energy customers will pay more starting next month. On average, homeowners will pay an extra eight dollars a month for electricity. Alliant wants to raise that rate another $12 next year. That adds up to about a 25% increase in less than two years.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new addition to the black rhino family at the Blank Park Zoo could arrive any day. WHO-TV reports the rhino Ayana is showing physical signs she could have the calf soon. She has started producing milk and the size of her baby bump leads them to believe the not-so-little baby will arrive sooner rather than later.

LINCOLN, NE (IRN) – A Montana man dubbed the AK-47 bandit and accused of holding up banks in several states has pleaded guilty to robbing a bank in Nebraska. KIMT-TV reports Richard Gathercole could face up to 35 years in prison after admitting Monday in federal court that he used an AK-47 to rob a Nebraska City bank in 2014. Gathercole is suspected of robbing the Iowa Heartland Credit Union in Mason City in 2015.

ALTOONA (IRN) – A 42-year-old Des Moines man has died after a workplace accident at an Altoona manufacturing facility, according to the Des Moines Register. William George Wilson Jr. was crushed in a machine.

WEBSTER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person died Tuesday morning in a crash involving a school bus near Fort Dodge. The Iowa State Patrol reports a vehicle crossed the centerline and struck the school bus head on. The driver of the vehicle died at the scene, and the school bus driver was injured. No students were on the bus.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Legislature has sent to the governor a bill designed to prosecute people who get hired at a farm or puppy mill in order to record animal living conditions. The bill approved by both the Senate and House on Tuesday would create a trespass charge for undercover investigators at such operations. Governor Reynolds intends to sign it.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – People of multiple faiths in the Iowa City Community came together Tuesday night for a prayer vigil at the Church of the Nazarene. KGAN-TV reports attendees sang and spoke words of love in response to the racist and anti-semitic vandalism that was graffitied on the church earlier this month. The graffiti depicting bible verses, swastikas and hateful words targeting African Americans are no longer visible outside the church, but the memory of it is still vivid for some.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two minors were captured a short time after a bank robbery was reported this morning in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports at around 9:30 a.m., an armed robbery was reported at a Great Western Bank. Police caught up to two juvenile suspects in a Mercury Mountaineer a short time later, using a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle. The two juveniles were taken into custody.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – After losing nearly 25 percent of its stores, 44-year-old Valley West Mall in West Des Moines could soon undergo substantial changes. Mall management said Monday that Valley West Mall may transform into Valley West Commons — a mixed-use space for entertainment, restaurants and housing.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines University announced Monday its plans to relocate the campus to a space in West Des Moines. WHO-TV reports DMU signed a letter of intent to purchase a 90-acre piece of land that sits on the north side of West Grand Avenue, located near South Jordan Creek Parkway. DMU has been located at its current location since 1972.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s unemployment rate remained at 2.4 percent in January, leaving the state tied for the lowest jobless rate in the country. The rate leaves Iowa tied with New Hampshire for the lowest percentage of unemployed, just ahead of North Dakota and Vermont. The national unemployment rate in January was 4 percent.

AUSTIN, TX (IRN) – Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke is making his first trip to Iowa of the 2020 campaign, visiting the state that kicks off presidential voting amid intense speculation that he’ll enter the race for the White House. KCCI-TV reports O’Rourke will visit the University of Northern Iowa on Saturday to campaign for Eric Giddens, the Democratic candidate running in a state Senate special election there. O’Rourke released a video Monday night from Texas backing Giddens and wearing a UNI cap.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – Mason City police officers found themselves in a dangerous situation this weekend when a man allegedly threw knives at officers after they responded to a domestic incident. KIMT-TV reports Joshua Martin, 35, of Mason City faces multiple charges after authorities responded to the residence after Martin allegedly hit a woman in the face before grabbing her throat.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police have identified a 16-year-old found dead early Sunday morning. KCRG-TV reports police found Tayshaun Jenkins lying face down and unresponsive on a sidewalk. Officials called the death suspicious.

GRUNDY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person was thrown from an SUV and six others were injured during a weekend accident in Grundy County. KWWL-TV reports the driver of the SUV lost control of the vehicle in the slush, and it went into the median and rolled. All of the injured are from Des Moines.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man is in jail following a serious crash that left one person injured. WHO-TV reports Eber Ceniceros, 21, faces multiple charges after his vehicle left the roadway and rolled. His passenger, an 18-year-old man, was ejected from the vehicle, and is in critical condition. Ceniceros was treated at the scene for minor injuries before being taken to jail.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The field of Democrats seeking the party’s nomination for president in 2020 is large, but for Iowa’s most likely caucus goers, two names stand above the rest: former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. According to the Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll, 27 percent of those surveyed say Biden is their first choice. Sanders has 25 percent support. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, trails with 9 percent support, and Sen. Kamala Harris, of California, followed Warren at 7%.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Sen. Bernie Sanders was back in Des Moines on Saturday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. He says his campaign, and those who support it, have unfinished business.
Sanders says, “I am delighted to see the signs that say ‘Bernie’ and hear you yelling out ‘Bernie!’ But it `aint Bernie. It’s not me, it is us together!” Sanders spoke about many issues he campaigned on during the 2016 election such as income inequality, green energy and closing tax loopholes for the extremely rich.

BREMER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 76-year-old Bremer County man died after being thrown from his SUV in a single vehicle accident Saturday morning. The Iowa State Patrol says Eugene Lampe of Frederika, lost control of his SUV and went into the ditch rolling several times.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids business owner says someone stole more than $200,000 in merchandise after breaking in. KCRG-TV reports ownership at A-1 Performance Motorsports reports multiple motorcycles and mopeds were stolen this week. The owner said it marked the tenth time they have seen their business burglarized in a five-year span, and after the most recent incident, they are contemplating closing the business down entirely.

U.S.A (IRN) – Daylight Saving Time went into effect early this morning. Firefighters say it’s time to change the batteries on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.