Articles by Iowa Radio News

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Wednesday, September 21, 2016

LEE’S SUMMIT, MO (IRN) – Two Iowans were killed in a plane crash Tuesday evening in Missouri. WHO-TV reports 53-year-old Vincent Basile of Des Moines and his daughter, 24-year-old Kelli Basile of West Des Moines, died when the single-engine plane Vincent was piloting crashed. The Basiles were traveling to Lee’s Summit to meet family. The FAA is investigating the cause of the crash. LIME SPRINGS, IA (IRN) – A man from the northeast Iowa town of Lime Springs was killed when his horse-drawn buggy was struck by a car Monday. The Iowa State Patrol reports a westbound car ran into the rear of the buggy, which also was headed west. The buggy driver was identified as 57-year-old John Borntreger. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former legislative clerk has been sentenced to more than a year in prison after he admitted to writing a threatening letter to a state lawmaker and bringing a white powder to the Capitol. 28-year-old Michael McRae was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for writing the letter in 2012 to his boss, Democratic Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad. McRae pled guilty in December to conveying false information concerning a biological weapon. ANKENY, IA (KRN) – An Ankeny woman is in jail on a $1.4 million bond for allegedly hosting a series of parties for teenagers, including one where a teenage girl was sexually assaulted. WHO-TV reports 48-year-old Darcy Duncan is facing 23 felony charges. She allegedly hosted parties where she sold alcohol and drugs to teenagers. PLEASANT HILL, IA (IRN) – A man wanted on several warrants led law enforcement officers on a motorcycle chase overnight that started in Des Moines and ended in a cornfield near Pleasant Hill. KCCI-TV reports the driver was wanted on warrants for a probation violation and narcotics. He was captured trying to flee on foot through a cornfield after abandoning his motorcycle. There was a female passenger with him, but she was not arrested. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A lost little boy at this weekend’s Hawkeye game wasn’t alone for long. KCRG-TV reports Iowa State Troopers Frank Burns and Cody Reicks were working Kinnick Stadium when they heard the call for a missing child go out over the radio. Trooper Burns says “We found him within a minute. It was super lucky.” The troopers calmed the little boy down, and one trooper sat with him while the other located his parents so the family could be reunited.


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Tuesday, September 20, 2016

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque jury has found Robert Stern guilty of murdering his daughter. KWWL-TV reports the 63-year-old was accused of shooting his daughter with three different guns in their home in June. The prosecution argued Stern felt his daughter was a burden because she was autistic, and that’s why he killed her. The defense claimed Stern was simply overwhelmed after his wife died of cancer. IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man is dead after an ATV crash that happened Friday night. KGAN-TV reports 20-year-old Jacob Baseman lost control of his ATV and crashed. He was the only one on the ATV. Baseman was found unresponsive at the scene and was pronounced dead a short time later. POCAHONTAS, IA (IRN) – An assistant police chief in northwest Iowa has been accused of punching his girlfriend. KCCI-TV reports 36-year-old Charles White, of Pocahontas, is charged with domestic assault causing injury. The woman told officers White punched her in the face Wednesday while they argued over his cellphone, which she says she took to check for information while he was dozing. White’s been placed on administrative leave. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – An Ottumwa farmer was taken to the hospital after his gravity wagon overturned in a ditch, according to KTVO-TV. The farmer was transporting roughly 1,200 bushels of corn when the wagon went off the road, pulling the tractor with it. The driver suffered non-life threatening injuries. IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man from the Poweshiek County town of Deep River was killed in a collision in rural Iowa County. KCRG-TV reports 74-year-old Warren Beadle’s vehicle was hit head-on by a vehicle driven by 26-year-old Ryan Grimm of Deep River. Grimm was driving north on the road, and was cited for failure to yield half of the roadway. Beadle died at the scene. Grimm has minor injuries. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny daycare provider has been charged with child endangerment after testing positive for methamphetamine. KCCI-TV reports 39-year-old Melinda Bales has been charged with three counts of child endangerment after a tip led the Iowa Department of Human Services to administer the drug test. Bales ran an unregistered in-home daycare out of her mobile home. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – The Waukee Police Department is asking for help finding a suspect in a disturbing car vandalism case, according to WHO-TV. Police say someone smashed the windows out of a parked car and spray-painted swastikas on it. A $500 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – In a massive $1.7 billion deal, Isle of Capri Casinos is selling its business to Reno-based Eldorado Resorts, according to WQAD-TV. The deal includes Isle Bettendorf among some 20 properties nationwide. While the news isn’t a complete surprise in Bettendorf, there is concern for nearly 1,000 employees at the casino-hotel complex. Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher says his hope is that the new management will retain the current staff.


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Monday, September 19, 2016

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A 43-year-old Mason City woman was arrested Sunday after a confrontation with a neighbor after she allegedly let her dog run at large. KIMT-TV reports when Mason City police approached her, she was intoxicated. And when they tried arresting her, she resisted and reportedly spit on an officer. She’s in jail. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque man has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for identity theft. 34-year-old Peter George used someone else’s birth certificate and Social Security card to obtain an Iowa driver’s license. The victim reported that he had his tax refunds withheld, several fraudulent lines of credit opened up, and his medical coverage was used by George. IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) The emerald ash borer, a destructive, exotic insect pest of ash trees, has been confirmed in Iowa County. This finding brings the total to thirty-six counties in Iowa. Nationally, the insect has been found in 28 states and has killed tens of millions of ash trees. GLENWOOD, IA (IRN) – Glenwood Police have arrested a 27-year-old Ohio man as a suspect in the shooting death of an 18-year-old woman in western Iowa. Kathryn Weber was fatally shot Saturday outside the assisted-living center where she worked. Officers found Weber lying on the ground and bleeding when they arrived. She died soon after. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder. DECORAH, IA (IRN) – Authorities have found the body of a missing Luther College student. KCRG-TV reports Winneshiek County sheriff’s deputies found 21-year-old Bjorn Norderhaug’s body Sunday morning in the Upper Iowa River near Decorah. His friends had not seen or heard from him since around 2 a.m. Saturday. He was last seen at a local bar. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was taken into custody Sunday night after leading Des Moines police on a chase through the city, according to KCCI-TV. The pursuit started around 9 p.m. when police officers spotted the man driving a stolen vehicle and tried to pull him over. The chase ended when the driver crashed into a building downtown. LE MARS, IA (IRN) – A scary moment occurred during the Gehlen Catholic Homecoming football game in Le Mars Friday night, when a motorcycle and pickup crashed into each other near the football field, causing a huge explosion. KCAU-TV reports during the band’s halftime performance, hundreds of people witnessed a big fireball shoot into the air. The motorcycle’s gas tank had exploded. All four involved are going to be OK.


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Sunday, September 18, 2016

IOWA (IRN) – Saturday wasn’t a good day to be a football fan in Iowa. Cam Pederson kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired, giving North Dakota State a 23-21 upset win over 13th-ranked Iowa. TCU beat Iowa State 41-20. The Cyclones, with first-year coach Matt Campbell, are 0-3 for the first time since 1997. To complete the trifecta, after rallying from a 17-point deficit, a fake field goal lifted Eastern Washington over UNI 34-30. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – An Iowa inmate serving a 10-year sentence for a burglary conviction has died in prison. KCRG-TV reports Christopher Cretin died Wednesday of natural causes due to chronic renal failure. He was 40. Cretin was serving a sentence for second-degree burglary in Pottawattamie County. SANDUSKY, IA (IRN) – Approximately 40 people were arrested Saturday during a protest along the Dakota Access Pipeline route in southeast Iowa. More than 150 protesters gathered in Sandusky to try to block the $3.8 billion pipeline. The project would stretch over four states once complete, transporting oil from North Dakota’s Bakken formations to Illinois, crossing 18 Iowa counties. WEBSTER CITY, IA (IRN) – A celebration of the Doodle Bug scooter took place last week in Webster City, according to WHO-TV. For 30 years the Hamilton County town has hosted a reunion of Doodle Bug owners and enthusiasts. The small bike was manufactured in Webster City by Beam Manufacturing from 1946-48. The company made about 40,000 of the bikes; only a thousand or so are left.


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Saturday, September 17, 2016

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Ottumwa murder suspect Kashenna Tucker has asked to be temporarily released from jail, according to KTVO-TV. Tucker is being held on a $500,000 cash bond after being charged with the death of three-year-old Wysdom Evans. Tucker says she is desperate to get out of jail to take care of her two children. She says they aren’t in a safe situation and she needs to be released for 30 to 60 days to find suitable day care. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A woman at the center of a deadly officer-involved shooting in Cedar Rapids is recovering. KCRG-TV reports RaeLynn Finn says she was stabbed a number of times, and suffered a broken jaw and a ruptured eardrum. She says that police had no choice but to kill 25-year-old Markell Bivins, and that they saved her life. Bivins kept stabbing her even after police had put two bullets into him. They then tased him into submission, and he died. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A mobile home was destroyed by fire in Waterloo Friday night, according to KWWL-TV. Neighbors say a woman was able to get out on her own, and two men helped rescue her dog. The dog received oxygen on site and was then taken to a vet. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but appears to be related to smoking. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – After a long battle with cancer, 69-year-old Iowa Senator Dr. Joe Seng from Davenport has passed away, according to the Des Moines Register. He represented Davenport and southern Scott County. Seng was known to bring music into sessions to amuse his colleagues. He played the accordion. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The 12th Annual World Food & Music Festival continues on the Court Avenue Bridge in Downtown Des Moines this weekend. Food vendors representing more than 20 countries and culinary regions will be there. Organizers say this is the perfect event for a family on a budget. Each food stand offers a sampling item for $1 and all plates will be $5 or less.