Author: Iowa Radio News

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A car drove into the BradyMart convenience store in Davenport on Monday, according to WQAD-TV. The entire vehicle was inside the store before it stopped. Police said the crash was caused by a medical issue, and the driver was taken to the hospital. No one inside the store was injured.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Gov. Terry Branstad is exploring a proposal that would provide money for water quality projects by using projected revenue growth from an existing statewide sales tax for schools, according to the Des Moines Register. The tax is now used for school infrastructure projects. Tom Narak, government relations director for School Administrators of Iowa, expressed some doubts. “We are not against clean water. We think that it is a very worthwhile thing for the state to do, but they should find other sources of funding.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Criminal charges won’t be filed in the stabbing death of a man who broke into a Des Moines home. KCCI-TV reports 31-year-old Travis Williams died Dec. 5 after an altercation with two people inside the home. A prosecutor said Monday that the two were acting in self-defense. Williams had a gun with him when he broke in.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Three men arrested in December for car burglaries and thefts in Sioux City were arrested again Monday, according to the Sioux City Journal. 18-year-old Kelly Kuester, 19-year-old Wiley Spencer, and 18-year-old Marcos Guthridge were charged with third-degree burglary of a vehicle. Sioux City police responded to a report that two men wearing ski masks and carrying a white bag were breaking into vehicles. The suspects were apprehended after a short chase.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The body of seventeen year old Tanner Wymer of rural Iowa City was recovered from the Coralville Reservoir Monday. Authorities began the search for him on Sunday following a report of two persons falling into the water when their canoe capsized. 51-year-old Michael Felton of Solon was able to swim to shore. The two were on the lake to photograph a nearby residence. It’s believed the wind, waves, and current combined to cause their light canoe to capsize. Neither was wearing a flotation safety device and there were none in the canoe.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – The Cerro Gordo County jail inmate who was found unresponsive in the male dorm on January 2 has been identified as 54-year-old Edward Michael Hochstatter of Bloomington, Minnesota. Hochstatter had been arrested on New Year’s eve for operating while intoxicated. He was one of five occupants in the male dorm, which is a large, well-lit, video monitored and recorded room with bunk beds, a table and a television.

NASHUA, IA (IRN) – The man killed by a gunshot wound in Nashua has been identified. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation reports the man is 56-year-old Karl Phillip White of Nashua. The preliminary investigation has indicated a possible accidental discharge of a weapon by another person. The case remains under investigation, and no criminal charges have been filed.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Secretary of State’s office unveiled a new electronic voter registration system Monday, giving Iowans an easier way to update their registration information. KCRG-TV reports Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says Iowa is a leader in voter accessibility and offering this new service increases that stature. He added the goal is to get all eligible citizens to participate in the electoral process.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police were called to downtown Des Moines early Sunday on a hit-and-run. KCCI-TV reports police found 42-year-old Janice Plew of Ankeny in the street. Plew complained of full body pain and had scrapes on her face. 25-year-old Nguyen Quang Luong of Pleasant Hill was stopped in a car that matched the description of the car involved in the hit-and-run. Luong told police that a woman had hit his mirror. He was arrested and taken to the Polk County Jail on OWI second offense, drug charges, and leaving the scene of an accident.

NEVADA, IA (IRN) – A 34-year-old Boone man is heading to prison for killing his friend, according to WHO-TV. A Story County Judge sentenced Leigh Lepon to 50 years behind bars Monday. Lepon was convicted of second degree murder in the 2013 death of Devlin Lockman in Ames. Police initially ruled Lockman’s death accidental, but later charged Lepon with the crime after they say the evidence contradicted his story.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A 22-year-old woman was found dead in her Waterloo home Saturday. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Lacey Marie Batton was found unconscious but with no other injuries. Police are calling it an unattended death but haven’t determined a cause. Batton was employed as a registered nurse. She was the mother of three boys.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A two-year-old boy is in the hospital after being shot late Sunday night in Dubuque. KWWL-TV reports the child’s injuries are serious and the boy is now in the hospital in Iowa City. Police are looking into whether the shooting was an accident.

NASHUA, IA (IRN) – Authorities are investigating a gunshot death in the northern Iowa town of Nashua. The Nashua Police Department and the Iowa State Patrol responded Saturday to a 911 call on the report of a shooting. Officers located a deceased victim, a 56-year-old male, with a gunshot wound. The person who fired the weapon has been identified and the circumstances of the incident are under investigation. No charges have been filed.

CERRO GORDO COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa DCI is investigating an inmate death in the Cerro Gordo County Jail. On Saturday, Cerro Gordo County correctional officers discovered an unresponsive man in the male dormitory, and began lifesaving efforts immediately. The man could not be revived. An autopsy is scheduled this week.

JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Authorities are searching for a missing person at Coralville Reservoir. KCRG-TV reports the search started after a report of a canoe that capsized in the Reservoir on Sunday. The capsize was reported near Bobbers Bar in North Liberty. Bystanders were able to pull one person from the icy water. The search for the other canoer is ongoing.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A central Iowa man is collecting something small and it’s making a big difference for a local organization. WHO-TV reports Don Williams of Humboldt has been saving soda pop can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Des Moines. Williams donated more than 186,000 tabs on Sunday. The pop tab donation is a long-standing tradition of the organization to help pay for rooms of guests with sick children. With Williams’ donations, 12 guests will be able to stay in the house for a week — free of charge.

LEGRAND, IA (IRN) – A rural LeGrand man was killed in a snowmobile crash Friday evening. KCCI-TV reports the rider, 25-year-old Travis VanDeWalle, was dead upon arrival of rescuers. VanDeWalle was found by a concerned family member after not returning when expected from a snowmobile ride. An investigation indicates that VanDeWalle was riding alone and that the vehicle overturned onto him while climbing a drift.

LINCOLN, NE (IRN) – An Iowa bank robbery suspect has been arrested in Nebraska. KCCI-TV reports officers took 46-year-old Dwight Rogers into custody Wednesday in Lincoln. Rogers is suspected of robbing the Frontier Bank in Council Bluffs on Dec. 10. Police say he used a handgun to back up his demand for cash from a teller, who gave him an undisclosed amount of money.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa wages are too low, according to a man whose company recruits employees for businesses. The Sioux City Journal reports Kelly Conolly, a vice president for J & L Staffing and Recruiting in Sioux City, said the pay gap with the two border states is making it hard for him to hire people through his employment agency. Conolly is asking Iowa legislators to raise the state’s hourly minimum wage when they return to Des Moines in January, saying higher wages in neighboring states put Iowa at a hiring disadvantage.

GARNER, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa family with a child suffering from cancer received a year-end surprise from the Iowa State Patrol trooper’s union. The union voted unanimously to give its yearly $500 charitable donation to the family of 5-year-old Cohen Smith of Garner for medical and travel expenses. Two troopers surprised the family with the check at their home on Thursday morning.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – Two people barely escaped their Mason City home after their bedroom caught fire New Year’s evening. KIMT-TV reports firefighters saw flames coming from the home when they arrived. The fire was extinguished quickly, and the cause is being investigated.

GRANGER, IA (IRN) – Autopsy results have determined the body found in a pond Dec. 17 is 17-year-old Sam Kemp, according to KCCI-TV. The cause of death was fresh water drowning. The manner of death was certified as an accident. Other significant conditions were alcohol and marijuana intoxication. Kemp was last seen at a party between Grimes and Granger with 150-200 people in attendance.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 15-year-old has been charged with shooting another 15-year-old inside a residence in Des Moines Thursday. WHO-TV reports police were dispatched to a local hospital to investigate a report of a shooting victim. Police were told the victim came to the residence already injured and asked to be taken to the hospital. Police later determined that the teen was shot inside the home and an arrest was made. The teen is expected to survive.

LOS ANGELES, CA (IRN) – The University of Iowa football team was crushed 45-16 by Stanford in the Rose Bowl Saturday. Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey took the first play from scrimmage 75 yards for a touchdown, and Iowa never recovered. McCaffrey finished the game with 368 all purpose yards, setting a Rose Bowl record. He set another Rose Bowl record becoming the first player in the game’s history to gain 100 yards both rushing and receiving.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Nine-year-old Avery Heiar of Dubuque had an unusual item on his wish list for Santa this Christmas–money to give to the poor. KCRG-TV reports when Avery discovered a crisp $100 bill under the tree Christmas morning, he brought it to the Dubuque Rescue Mission. Mission staff say the 100 dollars will provide 50 meals for men, women and children who come to the mission. Avery’s Grandfather matched the donation, and when others heard of Avery’s gift, contributions started rolling in, and so far over $3,000 has been donated.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The number of Des Moines homicides in 2015 was as high as it has been in two decades. KCCI-TV reports for the first time since 1995, there have been more than 20 homicides in one year in the city. In 2015, there were 21 homicides. In all but one homicide this past year, the killer and the victim knew each other. The one exception was a bar fight. All homicides have been solved, except for one that occurred this past weekend.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A car crash on Thursday led to a police chase in Cedar Rapids, according to KWWL-TV. Someone called officers saying a driver hit their car and drove away.
When police found the driver he ran away. A police K-9 had to track the suspect down in the woods. The K-9 ended up biting the man. The man was arrested and faces multiple charges. He has not been identified.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Three people had to be taken to the hospital following a New Year’s Eve incident in Cedar Falls. KWWL-TV reports police responded to a fight outside the Voodoo Lounge around the same time a car was leaving the area. At least one person was hit by the car. It’s unclear if the other two were injured by the car or in the fight. All three victims are males in their 20s. They are expected to survive.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a gunshot wound in a 14-year-old boy’s chest reported Thursday. The victim had approached a house asking for help. Residents of the house took the boy to a hospital, and he is expected to survive. Police have no suspects, and the shooting remains under investigation.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The number of people killed on Iowa roadways dropped this year, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. If there are no more fatal crashes in Iowa this year, it will be the fewest fatalities reported in Iowa since World War II, when 310 died in car crashes. In 2015, 316 people died in traffic accidents on Iowa roads, down five fatalities from last year. 42.6 percent of the fatalities in 2015 occurred when people were not wearing their seat belt.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – Iowa National Guard soldiers have been deployed to Missouri to provide assistance in flood response. Approximately 45 members and 20 vehicles from the Iowa Army National Guard are deploying to High Ridge, Mo. to provide water purification and water transportation services. These soldiers and their equipment will arrive in Missouri on New Year’s Day and begin transporting and producing potable water that same day.