Author: Iowa Radio News

WEBSTER CITY – A wrong way driver caused a fatal crash near Webster City on Wednesday. KCCI-TV reports the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office were notified of a truck heading east in the westbound lanes of Highway 20. Before they could stop the vehicle, it collied head-on with another, with the drivers of both killed in the crash.

ATLANTIC – The former Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Director has changed her plea to guilty in a felony theft case. WHO-13 reports 33-year-old Bailey Smith was charged with ongoing criminal conduct, fraudulent practice, first degree theft, and unauthorized use of a credit card for making more than 700 personal transactions from 2020 to 2025, totaling nearly $27,000. She pled guilty to two of the four original charges and faces up to 10 years in prison.

WEST DES MOINES – Residential customers of Central Iowa Water Works can resume watering lawns again, as a ban is reduced for those individuals. The water authority overseeing most of the Des Moines metro area announced a reduction in those restrictions on Wednesday after an increase in banning measures was re-introduced on June 8th due to high nitrates.

IOWA CITY – Planned Parenthood will close its clinic in Iowa City at the end of this month. KWWL-TV reports the organization supporting reproductive health will be down to one location in Des Moines. The regional hub of the organization is citing political and financial pressure as to why the Iowa City Health Center will close on July 31st.

NEVADA – A fire destroyed a drive-in restaurant in Nevada this week. KCCI-TV reports Starbuck’s Drive-In suffered thousands of dollars in interior damage. The restaurant located on old Highway 30 was damaged due to electrical overload, according to first responders. The restaurant was closed due to excessive heat in the area.

DES MIONES – An award-winning chef was sentenced to prison for sexual abuse. WHO-13 reports 55-year-old Enosh Kelley was arrested and charged with sexual abuse and invasion of privacy last November. He was accused of abusing a woman in 2023 while she was sleeping and incapacitated from pain medication. Kelley was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2009. He pled guilty to the charges in April and faces a maximum of ten years in prison.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa announced a civil complaint and a civil settlement, as part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges are part of a coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. In Iowa, that included 70-year-old Eugene J. Cherny of Des Moines and his plastic surgery practice, Heartland Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, P.C., as well as Genesis Health System, Mercy Health Network, Inc., and Trinity Health Corporation located in Davenport.

HOUGHTON – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a fish kill near the City of Houghton in Lee County. On June 25, the DNR Field Office was notified of a possible pesticide rinsate spill near the ChemoGro facility in Houghton. Rinsate is a diluted mixture of pesticide which can be produced during the washing and cleaning of pesticide storage tanks or spray equipment. A number of dead fish were observed in the creek sections intersected by a public roadway.

DES MOINES – Drivers in Iowa will have a new speed limit on most two-lane highways in the state starting on Wednesday. KCCI-TV reports Senate File 378 will go into effect, which ups the limit to 60 MPH. New consumer protections for Iowans with vehicles towed, the Iowa Child Care Assistance Program expansion, and new age verification laws online are among the other bills to go into effect this week.

ADAIR COUNTY – A 17-year-old resident of Lewis died in a rollover crash in rural Adair County on Saturday night. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Chevy Equinox with six occupants were traveling on a rural road before leaving the roadway and rolling after hitting a culvert. Five of the individuals inside were able to escape, but a teenager died in the crash.

DAVIS COUNTY – Police found the body of a missing person on Saturday during a grid search in Davis County. WHO-13 reports 76-year-old Alvin Haines was reported lost on June 25th after he left his home without telling family members. Haines had dementia, according to the Davis County Sheriff’s Office. A search involving GPS, drones, and volunteers started on Friday.

IOWA – Extreme heat has settled into the state, with most of Iowa’s residents in a warning for those conditions today. According to the National Weather Service, heat index values well above 100 degrees are in the forecast through this evening. Overnight temperatures will drop into the upper 70s and low 80s, providing little relief. A warm stretch will continue through the 4th of July.

LORIMOR – A Lorimor man was killed after he was trapped by a skid loader on a farm. KCCI-TV reports the Madison County Sheriff’s Office found 69-year-old Ronald Bane and pronounced him dead on the scene Thursday night. He was unable to free himself before he was discovered by his family first.

ALBIA – A hidden camera found in a tanning and hair salon in Albia has led to an arrest. WHO-13 reports 49-year-old Kevin Zaputil was charged with stalking and invasion of privacy after Albia Police found a hidden camera, disguised as an electrical outlet. Police say it was placed in an area for personal use, and that Zaputil used it to monitor videos of individuals disrobing.

SIOUX CITY – The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that a state law banning pornography in prisons is constitutional. KTIV reports the law passed in 2018 barred the use of state funding for adult material in prisons. Twelve inmates sued the state, claiming it was a restriction of their First Amendment rights. Court records indicated prisoners were trading the materials, which lead to violence.