Author: Iowa Radio News

ELGIN, IA (IRN) – The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man from Cedar Rapids as part of a sexual assault investigation in Elgin, according to KCRG-TV. Deputies were called to a home early Thursday morning for a report of a sexual assault. A 45-year-old female was transported to a hospital where she was treated for her injuries. Deputies arrested 49-year-old Devin Cummings, who faces a 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse charge, a class C Felony. He’s in jail.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A 64-year-old Mason City woman died in a house fire Tuesday evening, according to KIMT-TV. First responders found Nancy Thompson on her bedroom floor shortly after they were called to her home. The fire was caused by combustibles that were placed too close to a wall lamp in the kitchen.

DELHI, IA (IRN) – Officials are planning to start refilling Lake Delhi, now that the $16 million restoration project has been finished. The 9-mile-long lake on the Maquoketa River emptied in July 2010 when heavy rain caused the previous dam to fail. KCRG-TV reports the lake could refill in as little as four days or take three or more weeks, depending on rainfall and river flow.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The former University of Iowa student who killed his girlfriend will spend the rest of his life in a Chinese prison. WHO-TV reports Xiangnan Li was sentenced this week in China. Li admitted to killing 20-year-old Iowa State student Tong Shao in September 2014 before fleeing to China. Shao’s body was found in the trunk of her car three weeks after her death.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A 37-year-old Iowan has been given life in prison for killing a Minnesota man outside a nightclub in Waterloo, according to KGAN-TV. Rodolfo Gonzalez was convicted of shooting to death 35-year-old Celio Posada, of Minneapolis, in 2014. The two met at the nightclub and later left for the parking lot, where witnesses reported hearing gunfire. Gonzalez says he was defending himself after Posada menaced him with a knife.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Three Iowa students traveled to Washington D.C. to be recognized at a ceremony Sunday after being named Presidential Scholars. Sonali Durham of Iowa City, Sarah Gao of Cedar Falls and Joseph Tibbs of Iowa Falls were honored among 160 of the country’s brightest high school students. Gao will be attending Rice University next year to major in sociology. Tibbs will go to UNI to study biochemistry and physics. Durham will attend Yale University in the fall.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 4-year-old boy is recovering after nearly drowning in a West Des Moines pool Tuesday. KCCI-TV reports paramedics were called to the Valley View Aquatic Center, where they found lifeguards attending to the boy, who was unresponsive but breathing. The child was found underwater in the kids’ pool area, pulled from the water, and lifeguards performed CPR, saving his life. The boy was hospitalized, then released.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man is facing first degree murder charges for the murder of 62-year-old Robyn Furmanski of Cedar Rapids, according to KGAN-TV. Furmanski was rescued from a fire in her condo but died from blunt force head trauma, smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. Police have charged 43-year-old Onyale Hughes for her murder. Her prescription medications were found in Hughes’ possession and her blood on his clothing. The fire was set on purpose.

CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A man drowned in Clear Lake yesterday. KIMT-TV reports 85-year-old George Baker of Mason City appears to have slipped and fell while trying to take his boat out of the water. His boat was found approximately 300 feet from the shore, unoccupied.

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A black bear was spotted in a cornfield in eastern Iowa Tuesday. KWWL-TV reports Brian Gibbs saw the animal near the Yellow River State Forest in Allamakee County and took several photos of it. The DNR says it’s only had two bear reports this year. Most bears visit from Wisconsin or Minnesota, but usually don’t stay put in Iowa.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police report a man seriously hurt in an overnight shooting has died, according to KCCI-TV. 41-year-old Victor Robinson Jr. of Des Moines was the man killed. Residents of the Birchwood Apartments heard gunshots, and then went outside and found a man lying in the parking lot next to a car. He had been shot several times. Several witnesses were taken to the police station to be interviewed. No arrests have been made.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Republican congressman Steve King is trying to block the Treasury from redesigning U.S. currency, a move that could prevent the government from replacing Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill with abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Tubman would become the first African-American on U.S. paper currency and the first woman on paper currency in a century.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Marine Corps’ motto is to ensure no one is left behind. It would take more than seven decades to make good on that promise for one Iowa Marine. WHO-TV reports the family of Private Palmer Haraldson waited on the tarmac in Des Moines yesterday to welcome him home. He was killed in action in 1943 on the Pacific Ocean island of Tarawa. 1,100 American lives were lost. His remains were found in 2015 and recently identified.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque is exploring ways to cut down on pesticide treatments at public parks, according to KCRG-TV. The push started in December of 2015 when a group called “Dubuque Poison Free Parks” urged the Parks and Leisure Department to look for pesticide alternatives. Since then, the Parks Department designated nine pesticide-free parks, and are looking to add more.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – Police are looking for a man they say shot another man today in Muscatine. KWQC-TV reports police found the 37-year-old male victim when they arrived on scene, and learned that the suspect had fled on foot. The victim was taken to the hospital with an apparent non-life-threatening injury.

LEHIGH, IA (IRN) – A 23-year-old Lehigh man was found dead today. KCCI-TV reports the search started on Sunday when Colin Murphy went into the Des Moines River and failed to surface. Murphy was found just downstream from where search crews were focusing their main effort. Murphy disappeared during the Lehigh River Days celebration. Events were canceled due to the search. Murphy was a reserve police officer and volunteer firefighter for the city of Dayton.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – Authorities in southeast Iowa are trying to find the mysterious men in black trench coats who have been spotted alongside roadways. KGAN-TV reports
people on social media have been sharing news of sightings along Iowa Highway 22 west of Muscatine. They’ve been dubbed the “men in black.” In some cases they just stand along the highway. In other instances they’ve stepped onto the pavement as motorists pass.

EVANSDALE, IA (IRN) – Police recovered a stolen handgun following a foot chase that followed a traffic stop in Waterloo Saturday afternoon. Black Hawk County sheriff’s deputies pulled over a vehicle with six people inside. At least one of the passengers ran off through a wooded area and farm fields. A juvenile was taken into custody for carrying weapons and trafficking stolen firearms.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a terrifying home invasion Monday. KCCI-TV reports a 23-year-old woman who lives alone thought a man at her door was a neighbor and let him in. He pushed her down, tied her up, and pistol whipped her, calling her “Alicia,” which isn’t her name. He then took her TV, purse, and phone. Police think it was a case of mistaken identity. They have his license plate number.

OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – One person was killed Monday in Osceola after being hit by a train. WHO-TV reports no name has been released, but the victim is a student in the Clarke Community School District.

ALBURNETT, IA (IRN) – The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is trying to figure out who painted hate speech on a transgender woman’s car and home in Alburnett. KCRG-TV reports the woman was watching TV when she heard loud pounding on her windows. Scared, she went outside to see what was going on. Vandals had painted the door to her house with the words “kill urself’,” and “get out” on her car. The woman says seeing the words was painful. She adds “this has been my home for 23 years…I had no idea anyone in this town hated me so much.”

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – City workers in Cedar Rapids have rounded up hundreds of nuisance geese, with some headed for distant waterways and others destined for a meat processor, according to KWWL-TV. The roundup takes place every year. Lucky geese were banded and will be taken out of the area for a study on migration patterns. The not-so-lucky ones were taken to a meat locker, where they will be processed and the meat given to needy families.

IRETON, IA (IRN) – A Sioux County man was killed over the weekend after being struck by a tree branch. The Sioux City Journal reports 49-year-old Christopher Soppe of Ireton was cutting down the tree branch outside a residence Saturday afternoon when it fell and hit him. Soppe was a high school special education teacher at Boyden-Hull and coached baseball. He was helping a neighbor clean up storm debris when the accident occurred.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two armed robbers ganged up on a man at a stoplight in Des Moines yesterday. The Des Moines Register reports the 20-year-old Altoona man told police that men carrying silver revolvers came up on both sides of his car. The man says the robbers threatened to shoot him if he went to police and said they’d gotten his address from items in the car. They got away with the man’s Social Security card, credit cards and $50 in cash.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A construction worker was injured after falling through the roof at the historic Hostess Wonder Bread bakery building in Waterloo this morning. KWWL-TV reports witnesses say he landed on the concrete floor. His condition is unknown. Other construction workers say he was conscious, but in a lot of pain after the fall. The historic building is currently in the remodeling process to become a Single Speed Brewery location.

WASHINGTON, IA (IRN) – One person is dead and another was injured in a house fire in Washington early Sunday morning. KCII-radio reports the fire was in a two story building, and a ladder truck was deployed to fight the fire. An adjacent building was damaged. The state fire marshal’s office is investigating.

WEBSTER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Search and rescue efforts by authorities continue for a man missing in the Des Moines River in Webster County. WHO-TV reports a 23-year-old man was last seen in the river near Lehigh just before 6 a.m. Sunday. Witnesses saw the man struggling to swim under a bridge. Once he went under water, he never resurfaced.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A motorcyclist was killed in a crash while fleeing police in Des Moines Saturday. The Des Moines Register reports a patrol officer attempted to stop 25-year-old Vincent Quang for a traffic violation. Quang rode into a parking lot, indicating that he was stopping, but then fled at a high speed. The officer didn’t pursue Quang and quickly lost sight of him. Police say they later found the motorcycle had crashed nearby. Quang was dead.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – There are at least 3,400 untested rape kits in storage around Iowa, according to KCCI-TV. The Crime Victim Assistance Division within the Iowa attorney general’s office says preliminary data indicate law enforcement agencies don’t have standardized rules for handling such evidence. The division received $2 million in federal funding to conduct research into how kits were being processed and some testing.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The American Association of University Professors added the University of Iowa to its list of sanctioned colleges. KCRG-TV reports the AAUP based that decision on the Board of Regents hiring of President Bruce Harreld, in spite of faculty objections. Harreld has faced heat since he became president last fall for not having any academic administrative experience. Placement on the AAUP sanction list makes it more difficult for universities to hire professors.

CHICAGO, IL (IRN) – An Iowa City man drowned after he fell off a boat in Montrose Harbor in Chicago. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that 23-year-old Ryan Klingensmith fell off a boat Friday. A lifeguard pulled Klingensmith from the water, but could not resuscitate him. The death was ruled an accident.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A federal judge has ordered endangered lemurs and tigers housed at a private northeast Iowa zoo to be moved within 30 days. KGAN-TV reports the judge directed owners of Cricket Hollow Zoo near Manchester to move the animals to zoos in Wisconsin and Indiana. The decision stems from a 2014 lawsuit filed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, which alleged the zoo maintained deplorable living conditions.

CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – Police in Clear Lake are asking for the public’s help in finding those responsible for a string of mailbox vandalism, according to KWWL-TV. Police Chief Pete Roth says the department has taken nearly 40 reports of mailboxes being damaged by a bat or heavy object this week.

WEST BRANCH, IA (IRN) – It was a day of celebration in West Branch yesterday. It’s been nearly 2 1/2 years since a newborn boy kidnapped in Wisconsin was found alive and well in West Branch after a night in subzero temperatures. KCRG-TV reports family and police met to share the story at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. West Branch Police Chief Mike Horihan found 4-day-old Kayden Powell in a plastic bin at a gas station. Kayden is fine. His aunt is serving 25 years in prison for kidnapping him.