Author: Iowa Radio News

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A man has been arrested on a murder charge after police found a woman stabbed to death. WQAD-TV reports Darian Drew Lensgraf, 19, of Muscatine was arrested for first-degree murder. Police responded to a call at a approximately 3:30 a.m. reporting that a woman had been stabbed to death at a home. Sixteen minutes later, a clerk at a convenience store a few blocks away called 911, reporting a man with a bloody knife was there. Police arrested Lensgraf at the store. After he was read his rights, he admitted that he had taken the knife to the victim’s house with the intent to kill her.

DELAWARE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Dyersville man is dead after a fiery crash in Delaware County Tuesday night. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a semi had turned right onto a highway when a van hit the back of the vehicle. The van caught fire with the driver trapped inside. The driver of the van, 60-year-old Russell Faust, was killed. The driver of the semi was uninjured.

INDEPENDENCE, IA (IRN) An Independence couple were arrested for growing and using drugs around two children. KWWL-TV reports David and Carrie Stick were arrested for felony possession of twelve marijuana plants and two counts of child endangerment.

MARION, IA (IRN) – A student was taken into custody after threatening to use a firearm inside an eastern Iowa school. The Des Moines Register reports the threat was at Vernon Middle School in Marion and the school went into lockdown.The child who made the threat was charged with first-degree harassment and transferred to Linn County Juvenile Detention Center. No one was hurt and no weapon was found.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Law enforcement officials closed off the Target, Lowes, and Staples stores in Altoona just before noon Tuesday. A bomb threat was made to the Target store. The store was evacuated and two bomb-sniffing dogs found nothing.

WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – A man is facing attempted murder charges after an incident in Waukee.
KCCI-TV reports 41-year-old Bobby Littrell stabbed another man in the heart at the bar Kenny’s Garage last month. Littrell was talking and shaking hands with the victim, and then stabbed him in the chest. The impact of the knife punctured the sack surrounding the victim’s heart. The victim survived.

NORWOODVILLE, IA (IRN) – Two Polk County deputies were treated for smoke inhalation after a house fire early Monday in Norwoodville. A child was home at the time of the fire but managed to escape. The deputies ran into the home to make sure no one else was inside. The home is a total loss.

WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – Parents of Waukee students called for the superintendent and chief operating officer to be fired in the wake of a state audit that found over $130,000 in payments made by the school district that were not in the best interest of taxpayers. The Des Moines Register reports a standing-room-only crowd of hundreds of student’s parents and taxpayers made the demand at last night’s school board meeting.

MARION, IA (IRN) – Marion Police say they have seen a spike in storage unit burglaries the past few months. KCRG-TV reports the burglaries peaked at eleven in November.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Over 2,000 babies have been born at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital in Sioux City so far this year. What were the most popular baby names? KCAU-TV reports Oliver is the most popular boy’s name, followed by Jaxon, Liam, and Jacob. For the girls, Emma and Mia lead the list, followed by Isabella, Olivia, and Sophia.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – A death investigation is underway in Urbandale this morning, according to KCCI-TV. No other information has been released.

MARION COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person was killed in an apparent hunting accident near Lake Red Rock Sunday afternoon, according to KRLS Radio. The person was shot in the chest. The DNR is investigating.

MADISON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An apparent hunting accident Sunday has injured a Madison County man. WHO-TV reports 39-year-old Ronald Butler dropped his shotgun getting out of a vehicle. The gun went off and struck him. His condition is unknown, and the DNR is investigating.

OELWEIN, IA (IRN) – The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office is looking into what could be another shooting of a captive zebra in rural Oelwein on Sunday. KCRG-TV reports the zebra has been transferred to the ISU Veterinary Laboratory in Ames to determine the cause of death. The owner of the animal said the shooting marked the fourth time one of his seven zebras had taken a bullet.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University has extended head football coach Matt Campbell’s contract through 2024. Campbell’s previous extension, signed last year, was for six seasons and $22.5 million. Campbell has led Iowa State to a 8-4 record so far this season. Iowa State will face Washington State in the Alamo Bowl on December 28 in San Antonio.

CLARINDA, IA (IRN) – There was no pastry in the Pop Tart box that landed Linda Lee Whitlatch behind bars. The Des Moines Register reports the 30-year-old pleaded guilty to drug-related charges last week after she was accused of trying to sneak a Pop Tart box with more than 7 grams of meth in it into the Clarinda Correctional Facility. She dropped the drug-filled Pop Tart box into a garbage can and officers believe an inmate was supposed to receive it.

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Allamakee County man was killed Saturday when a tractor ran over him near Dorchester. KCRG-TV reports first responders found the man pinned under the tire of a tractor.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are searching for an armed robber, according to WHO-TV. The victim says he was robbed at gunpoint while standing on his front porch. Officers brought in a K9 unit but were unable to locate the suspect. Investigators are now checking for fingerprints left on the porch to identify the gunman.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An American Airlines flight on its way from the Des Moines International Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina made an emergency landing Saturday morning. KCCI-TV reports a cabin pressurization issue forced the pilot to turn the plane around as a precautionary measure. Fire crews were on the scene for the aircraft’s emergency landing.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Five kids were taken home by their parents after police found them on the roof of Bettendorf High School. WQAD-TV reports Bettendorf police responded to the high school Saturday night when a caller alerted them of the disturbance. Six police cars and a fire truck were dispatched, and soon after arrival, five kids came down. No arrests were made, and no damage was done.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s fetal heartbeat law, an anti-abortion bill considered one of the strictest in the country, faced its first major test Friday as a state court judge heard arguments in a legal challenge to the controversial legislation. The law, signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May, would prohibit most abortions once a heartbeat is detected. The judge says it may take 60 days to reach a decision.

WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – The Waukee Community School District placed Chief Operating Officer Eric Rose on paid administrative leave Friday, a day after a state audit revealed improper spending and a culture of mistrust in the district. Iowa Auditor Mary Mosiman said her office found over $130,000 in payments that were not in the best interest of taxpayers, including over $83,000 spent on team-building trips out of state and nearly $49,000 at local restaurants.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Senate Democrats have released committee assignments for 2019, but state Sen. Nate Boulton, who faces allegations of sexual misconduct, is not assigned to anything. Some members of his own party, including Senate Minority Leader Janet Peterson, have called on him to resign. Peterson says she won’t give Bolton any committee assignments until the Senate Ethics Committee completes its investigation.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is planning to run for re-election in 2020, according to the Des Moines Register. She says she will continue to support President Trump, and that his policies are working. She is telling anyone who wants to challenge her to “bring it on.” Iowa voters elected Ernst in 2014.