Author: Iowa Radio News

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, Joe Acosta and his two daughters rang in the New Year in Council Bluffs with fireworks. KETV reports after shooting off the fireworks, they went inside to go to bed. Their dog started barking, and alerted the family their home was on fire. Acosta says he thought he had extinguished all of the fireworks, but apparently hadn’t.

WEBSTER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting the Webster County Sheriff’s office investigating an officer-involved shooting west of Dayton. Deputies were responding to a domestic disturbance and tried to stop a man fleeing the scene in his car. He started shooting at deputies and they fired back. The man crashed into a farm field and was found dead inside his car.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Two people were shot just before bar closing time Tuesday on College Hill in Cedar Falls, according to the Des Moines Register. Less than two hours after the new year was rung in — at about 1:45 a.m. Tuesday — one person fired multiple shots from a handgun into a crowd. Two people were struck and taken to local hospitals.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was jailed Monday after he assaulted a convenience store clerk with a banana. KCCI-TV reports police responded to reports of a dispute at a QuikTrip around 3 a.m. The store clerk reported being chased around the store by 26-year-old Rogelio Tapia after trying to intervene in a domestic situation. Witness say Tapia chased the clerk and threw items at the clerk, including a banana.

TAMPA, FL (IRN) – The Iowa Hawkeyes upset 18th ranked Mississippi State to win the Outback Bowl 27-22 on New Year’s Day. Iowa finishes 9-4 and will likely finish with a spot in the final Top 25 rankings.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – An 18-year-old Johnston man is facing charges for his role in a Nov. 5 crash that killed a 38-year-old Ankeny woman and injured two passengers. The Des Moines Register reports Charles Hunter Everman was charged with vehicular homicide and serious injury by vehicle after an investigation into the crash revealed he had been driving twice the posted speed limit.

ONAWA, IA (IRN) – Residents of the Monona County town of Onawa have had enough of brown water. KCAU-TV reports citizens complain that the water has been getting worse year after year. City officials say they are working on the problem.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A beauty school in Iowa City isn’t allowing students to finish their 15-month program. KCRG-TV reports the owner of The Salon Professional Academy told students the school would permanently close on Friday due to budget issues. Students were stunned, and are unsure if their hours will transfer to another beauty school.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – An Urbandale man is entering the new year with a new ability, according to WHO-TV. Nicholas Noah is colorblind. His new eyeglasses use an optical filter that allows colorblind people to perceive color. Noah says, “one of the most amazing things I’ve seen so far is a sunset. I never really knew that a sunset had multiple colors.”

NORWALK, IA (IRN) – A Norwalk man is accused of sexually abusing a girl for six years, according to KCCI-TV. Jayson Crow, 18, is facing a second-degree sexual abuse charge. Authorities say he abused the girl from the time she was 6 until she was 12.

ITALY, TX (IRN) – An 11-year-old boy is dead and several others injured in a crash in Texas involving an Iowa man. KWWL-TV reports a 2016 Chrysler Town & Country passenger van was disabled in the center lane of I-35. A 2013 Dodge 1500 pickup struck the rear of the van. The 20-year-old driver of the van from Guttenberg, his 36-year-old front seat passenger from Dike, and a 13-year-old rear seat passenger were transported to local hospitals. The 11-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Davenport Police responded to Northpark Mall twice over the weekend, according to WQAD-TV. In the first incident, one juvenile was cited, another sent to the hospital with minor injuries, and a squad car was damaged. In the second incident, approximately 15 girls were involved in an argument.

BROWNVILLE, NE (IRN) – Utility crews extinguished a fire at a nuclear power plant in southeast Nebraska over the weekend. The Nebraska Public Power District says the fire was discovered at the Cooper Nuclear Plant and extinguished quickly. The plant is located about 20 miles south of Hamburg, Iowa.

GREEN BAY, WI (IRN) – Sunday was a big day for former Cyclone and Urbandale J-Hawk Allen Lazard. He not only made his NFL debut for the Green Bay Packers, he also made his first career catch. Early in the fourth quarter, Lazard took the field and caught a 7-yard pass. Unfortunately, the catch didn’t make a difference. The Packers were pounded 31-0 by the Detroit Lions.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A Muscatine man has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 66-year-old grandmother. WQAD-TV reports Darian Lensgraf was formally charged Friday with the December 12th murder of his grandmother at her Muscatine home. Police arrested him at a nearby convenience store where a clerk said he had been holding a bloody knife.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man was injured following gunfire in Cedar Rapids Saturday, according to KCRG-TV. Officers headed to Mercy Medical Center after a male patient reported being shot at. Broken glass had injured the patient after someone fired at a rental vehicle in which he was riding. The vehicle was hit three times. No arrests have been made.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Sioux City’s Sears store is set to close in the coming months, according to KCAU-TV. It is one of 80 Kmarts and Sears stores that will be closing in March.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – There’s a new attraction coming to the recently closed Ankeny Springwood 9 theater: an indoor trampoline park that will also feature a rock climbing wall, “American Ninja Warrior”-style obstacle course and zip line. Urban Air Adventure Park has announced plans to transform the recently shuttered movie theater into a family-focused indoor park by summer 2019.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was charged with two counts of murder Friday after he killed two of his relatives, according to the Des Moines Register. Joshua Lee Adams, 30, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of his mother, 49-year-old Tracy Linn Adams, and his uncle, 54-year-old Gaylord George Jolly, Jr.

DUBUQUE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids teenager was killed in two-vehicle accident in Dubuque County Friday. The 17-year-old boy lost control of his vehicle due to icy conditions, crossed the centerline, and struck another vehicle. The second driver has serious injuries.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A special investigation by the state auditor into the Mason City School District found more than $2.2 million in improper spending. It includes $1.3 million in unapproved payments to 66 district employees. In addition to cash benefits, the employees also received vehicle and cell phone allowances that were not approved by the school board. The investigation also found significant retirement account contributions and vacation payouts for administrators.

SAN ANTONIO, TX (IRN) – Iowa State rallied late, but failed to tie the game on a 2-point conversion in a 28-26 loss to Washington State University in the Alamo Bowl on Friday.
Freshman quarterback Brock Purdy scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:02 remaining in the game to bring the Cyclones within two, but David Montgomery was tackled short of the end zone on the conversion attempt. The Cyclones end the season with an 8-5 record.