Author: Iowa Radio News

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Wisconsin man convicted of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. 26-year-old Carson Sibley, of Lacrosse, Wisconsin admitted that he persuaded a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity in 2017. Sibley twice travelled to Grundy County hoping to have sex with a minor. He met them while playing online video games.

VINTON, IA (IRN) – A couple has been charged with three counts of Child Endangerment each after a search warrant found hundreds of animals in unsanitary conditions in a Vinton home. KCRG-TV reports in January 16, police and found around 700 animals, dead and alive, in the home of Barbara and Marshall Galkowski. The couple lived in the home with their three kids under the age of 14.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Davenport police were led on a chase that at times exceeded 100 mph yesterday. WQAD-TV reports the chase ended when the vehicle with four people inside hit a tree. Police have arrested the four people who were in the car, but are still looking for a silver Ford Focus that got away. The original call came from a report of shots fired.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa House has approved more than $35 million in mid-year cuts to Iowa’s $7.2 billion budget. The Republican-controlled chamber voted 59-41 Tuesday along party lines for the reductions. The cuts affect various government agencies, but the University of Iowa and Iowa State University will suffer the most with a cut of more than $10 million.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Two murals celebrating diversity at the University of Iowa have been defaced by Nazi graffiti, according to WHO-TV. The campus is no stranger to hateful messages. Last year, a white supremacy card was found in the library and another unity mural was vandalized. In January, white nationalist fliers were spread across an Iowa City neighborhood.

SOLOMON ISLANDS (IRN) – Wreckage from the USS Juneau — a World War II cruiser sunk by a Japanese torpedo in 1942, has been discovered by a team of explorers led by billionaire Paul Allen on the floor of the South Pacific off the coast of the Solomon Islands, according to CNN. The Juneau was lost on November 13, 1942, during the Battle of Guadalcanal in an attack that killed 687 men, including five brothers from Waterloo: Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison and George Sullivan.

CLAYTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A driver is facing charges for a deadly February crash in Clayton County that killed two teens. KGAN-TV reports the Iowa State Patrol and the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office arrested Kory Doeppke, 20 of Elkader, on two counts of homicide by vehicle.

WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – The first daughter and presidential assistant Ivanka Trump spent Monday morning with Gov. Kim Reynolds and Waukee students. KCCI-TV reports Trump toured the Waukee Innovation and Learning Center, which serves as the hub for the Waukee Community School District’s APEX program. APEX, or Aspiring Professional Experience, allows high school students to learn job skills by working directly with companies.

DECORAH, IA (IRN) – There will be no baby eagles to view this year at the Decorah North Nest Eagle Cam. KWWL-TV reports that only one egg laid was laid, and it has been crushed. Something was possibly wrong with the shell, or the egg was broken by an intruder attack.

STORY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Story County Conservation Board is outlawing the use of lead shot for hunting on all public grounds, according to WHO-TV. Only non-toxic ammunition will be allowed. The Iowa DNR already prohibits the use of lead shot on state land, and it has been illegal on federal lands for the last 27 years. Ingesting even a small amount of lead shot can be lethal to wild animals.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Efforts by the city of Dubuque’s Housing and Community Development Department to revitalize a downtown neighborhood are working. KCRG-TV reports the Department buys foreclosed homes, renovates them, and offers no-interest loans to qualified buyers. The program has helped 85 families purchase homes since the program’s beginning in 2006.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One person is dead and another was injured after a shooting in Cedar Rapids. KCRG-TV reports witnesses saw a man lying unresponsive on a street corner and called police.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – No one was hurt in a fire at an apartment complex in Council Bluffs early this morning, according to KETV. All residents were able to exit the building unharmed, and investigators are looking into what caused the blaze.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman has been charged with child endangerment after she left her two young children unattended in “unkempt” conditions with drug paraphernalia nearby. KCCI-TV reports when officers arrived, they found a naked three-year-old girl awake and twenty-four-year-old Kabra Grabill asleep in bed with another child. Two meth pipes were found in the home, one in plain view. Adult Tylenol was strewn across the floor, and the children told police they had eaten some. The children are with DHS, and Grabill has bonded out of jail.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A new report shows Dubuque saw the sixth biggest spike in violent crime in the nation. The report from USA Today shows in a five-year span, between 2011 and 2016, violent crime in the Dubuque metro area went up by more than 56%.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – One person was killed after a motorcycle crash in Davenport Sunday night, according to WQAD-TV. Police say the motorcyclist was speeding, lost control of the bike, and slammed into a car. The driver of the car was not hurt.

ALASKA (IRN) – An Iowa City woman mushed through 1,000 miles of snow-covered terrain and arrived at the Iditarod finish line in Alaska this weekend. WHO-TV reports thirty-two-year-old Emily Maxwell and her team of dogs completed the race early Friday morning. Emily came in 33rd place with a time of 11 days, 13 hours, 55 minutes, and 56 seconds. She says finishing the race was “the best day ever.”

FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ (IRN) – An Iowa couple and a Canadian woman died after being struck by an SUV on a sidewalk in Fountain Hills, Arizona. KIMT-TV reports 72-year-old Robert Bonta and his 71-year-old wife Karen of Wever, Iowa, were killed in the accident along with 60-year-old Patti Doornbos. Charges are pending against the 27-year-old man who was driving the SUV when it jumped a curb and struck the two couples as they waited to cross a street.

IOWA (IRN) – On Friday, a leading Democratic congressional candidate almost missed the deadline to file her paperwork to be on the ballot. WHO-TV reports Theresa Greenfield submitted new petition signatures just before the deadline because a large number of her signatures were invalid. Greenfield is vying for the Democratic nomination in Iowa’s third U.S. Congressional district.

CENTER POINT, IA (IRN) – A group of people in Eastern Iowa are doing everything they can to save some horses from Wisconsin. KCRG-TV reports rescuers discovered dead horses on a Wisconsin ranch and many more near-death. The horses are in Center Point slowly regaining their strength.

CLEVELAND, OHIO (IRN) – In the NCAA finals at 125 pounds, the University of Iowa’s Spencer Lee beat Rutgers’ Nick Suriano 5-1 for his first national title. His win over Suriano, who entered Saturday night with a perfect 25-0 record and hadn’t allowed a point all tournament, made him the first Hawkeye true freshman to win an NCAA title since Lincoln McIlravy in 1993 — five years before Lee was born. Iowa took third overall in the tournament, behind first place Penn State and second place Ohio State.

CENTERVILLE, IA (IRN) – Two people were killed and two condominiums were destroyed late Thursday after a four-alarm fire raged through the Diamond View Condominiums in Centerville, according to KCCI-TV. Fire officials said the complex’s layout made it tough for crews to get to victims’ apartment before it was too late. Centerville police were able to rescue two other residents before fire engulfed the buildings.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two people were injured in a shooting early Friday morning outside of a Des Moines bar. WHO-TV reports the shooting happened outside of the Triple Double bar at closing time. Police say they’ve been called to the bar 35 times over the last six months.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A search warrant has been issued in an Iowa cold case, according to the Des Moines Register. Mason City police are looking into two vehicles that may be connected to the disappearance of an Iowa news anchor 23 years ago. Jodi Huisentruit was a 27-year-old anchor at KIMT-TV when she failed to show up for work. She hasn’t been seen since. The search warrant was issued on two cars owned by 72-year-old John Vansice, who may have been the last person to see her before she vanished.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A medical supply company says its plans for a $20 million facility would bring more than 100 new jobs to Dubuque. The Telegraph Herald reports that Medline Industries currently has about 480 workers. The company opened its first Dubuque location in 2000 with 25 employees.