Author: Iowa Radio News

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Four people were taken to local hospitals after a single-vehicle crash on I-235 westbound in West Des Moines Saturday. KCCI-TV reports a vehicle lost control near Valley West Drive. There were ‘multiple ejections’ in the crash, however, there were no fatalities at the scene. The conditions of the four injured are unknown.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A University of Iowa Dentistry professor who filed a discrimination complaint against the school has agreed to a $166,000 settlement, according to The Cedar Rapids Gazette. Andrew Lidral, a professor in the Department of Orthodontics, filed the charge with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in July 2014. Details of the complaint have not been made public, and the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by the university.

RICKARDSVILLE, IA (IRN) – Firefighters are trying to determine the cause of a house fire near Rickardsville in Dubuque County on Saturday, according to KWWL-TV. The homeowner says the fire likely started in a bedroom. He wasn’t at home when the fire started, but says it may have been electrical. The home is a total loss. No one was injured, including two puppies inside the home.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Wrestling history was made Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. And along with the record-smashing attendance of 42,287 — more than doubling the previous NCAA dual mark of nearly 16,000 set by Penn State in 2013 — the record will show the final score: No. 4 Iowa 18, No. 1 Oklahoma State 16.  Later that day at Kinnick in football the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes defeated Minnesota 40-35 and became the first Iowa football team to start a season 10-0.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – After the horrific Paris attacks that left more than 100 dead Friday, Saturday’s Democratic presidential debate to be held at Drake University in Des Moines will change its tone, now focusing on America’s role in the war on terror.  KCCI-TV reports Drake University political science professor Rachel Caufield says questions for candidates are being rewritten.

ALBIA, IA (IRN) – A Friday afternoon bomb scare at an Albia school resulted in the evacuation of hundreds of students, according to KTVO-TV. A bomb threat was called in to Lincoln Center Middle School at 11:09 a.m. The school’s staff evacuated students to a nearby church. Officers swept the building and did not find any signs of explosives. The call was traced, and charges are pending against the caller. The threat is related to an ongoing domestic dispute.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A 17-year-old boy from Manson was charged Friday in connection with an armed robbery at a gas station in Fort Dodge. KCCI-TV reports the robber displayed a handgun, demanded money, and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. The juvenile has been charged with second-degree robbery.

DECORAH, IA (IRN) – The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office is losing its K-9 service dog. KIMT-TV reports a terminal medical condition is forcing Ricky, a Belgian Malinois, into immediate retirement.  Ricky has worked for seven years as a drug-detection and tracking dog. The Sheriff’s Office says the estimated cost of getting a new dog is between $15,000 and $20,000 and they have not made a decision on the future of the K-9 program.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – It’s the biggest day ever at Kinnick Stadium. Grapple on the Gridiron, an attempted record-breaking wrestling match, and a Hawkeye football game are both taking place at Kinnick, on the same day. The highest attendance for an NCAA wrestling dual is 15,996, set at Penn State in 2013. Grapple on the Gridiron will crush the record, with over 35,000 tickets already sold. In football the 9-0 Hawkeyes will take on the 4-5 Golden Gophers of Minnesota.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman woke early Friday to the sound of loud banging on her glass patio door. KCCI-TV reports she was walking into her living room when the door shattered. Three men, one armed with a pistol, walked through the broken door. “Where is he?” asked one of the men. The woman sat down on her couch as the three men searched the home before they left.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque is the “drunkest city” in Iowa, according to the financial news and opinion company 24/7 Wall Street. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports the rankings were compiled using data from a University of Wisconsin report. Nearly 31 percent of adults in the Dubuque metropolitan area reported binge or heavy drinking in the past 30 days. Dubuque’s rate is the second-highest in the U.S. among metro areas, behind only El Paso, Texas.

WASHINGTON, DC (IRN) – Harrisvaccines, the vaccine developer based in Ames, is selling itself to pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., according to the Des Moines Register. The purchase, which the firms expect to close this year, comes as Harrisvaccines recently announced it will supply a vaccine to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help prevent poultry from getting the deadly bird flu virus that battered Iowa and 14 other states this year.

ELKADER, IA (IRN) – A top Clayton County official will meet with an investigator from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office to discuss concerns about the county auditor’s continued absence. The Dubuque Tribune Herald reports Gary Bowden, chairman of the county supervisors, said he and the investigator will discuss the performance of Auditor Dennis Freitag, who largely has been out of the office since the end of June. Freitag is caring for his terminally ill wife.

MARTENSDALE, IA (IRN) – The Martensdale – St. Mary School District is apologizing to parents for sending students home on school buses during Wednesday’s tornado warning. WHO-TV reports Superintendent Tom Wood says he did not see any warning for tornado threats until after the buses left on their routes. Wood apologized for frustrated and concerned parents but said the time frame of the storm made decision making tough. He adds “We made the best decision we could with the information we had at the time.”

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A University of Northern Iowa student was found dead in his dorm room, according to KWWL-TV. On Thursday UNI Police and medical personnel found the body of Kyle Raarup inside his room on campus.  Raarup was a sophomore from Wyoming, Minnesota.  No foul play is suspected and the investigation is ongoing. This is the second student death on campus this semester.

LUCAS COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A combine and car collided on Highway 34 near Russell in Lucas County around 6 p.m. Thursday night, according to KCCI-TV. Russell Fire Department officials said three people in the car were treated for minor injuries. The cause of the crash is unknown.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Cedar Rapids School District is embarking on a new effort for some of its students–the homeless ones. KCRG-TV reports the district will work with the non-profit Neighborhood Transportation Service beginning Monday. The service will be picking up children at homeless shelters and motels among other locations. There are approximately 620 homeless students in the district.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Court of Appeals Thursday upheld the 35-year prison sentence of a Minnesota man who confined a woman in a Clear Lake motel room and attacked her on Easter Sunday 2014. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports 63-year-old Albert Mesenbrink lured a woman to a Clear Lake motel room by pretending during phone conversations to be someone she knew and then beat her and choked her with a rope.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man was caught with a wide variety of drugs and paraphernalia on him Wednesday afternoon. An Iowa City police officer spotted 31-year-old Nicholas Rotter, and recognized that he was wanted on an arrest warrant. The officer tried to stop Rotter — who was on a bike — but he continued riding. Rotter was found hiding in a shed. Eight syringes, meth, psilocybin mushrooms, two spoons, a glass containing a white residue, and brass knuckles were found in his backpack.

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A woman died after being hit by a semi near Palisades-Kepler State Park in Linn County late Wednesday night, according to KCRG-TV. Deputies responded to the eastbound lanes of Highway 30, near the park’s entrance west of Mount Vernon. The woman was walking in the eastbound lanes when she was hit. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – A Coralville man has been charged with sexual abuse for inappropriately touching a 4-year-old child. KGAN-TV reports 71-year-old Raymond Wagehoft was caring for the girl when he made inappropriate sexual contact with her. The victim was crying when Wagehoft’s wife came home. The girl told her that Wagehoft hurt her. He faces up to 37 years in prison if convicted.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – Widespread damage was reported as severe weather hit much of southcentral Iowa Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service reports much of the area was battered by high winds with gusts up to 80 mph, and a dozen tornadoes were reported, including three in the Des Moines area. Corning and Knoxville were two other towns hit by tornadoes. Additional ones were reported in more rural areas, including two in Monroe county.  

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Altoona Police and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating the death of a female, whose body was found at an Altoona home. WHO-TV reports an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday. Her name has not been released.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City police are investigating an armed robbery at a home Wednesday, according to KWWL-TV. According to the victims, three men kicked in the door to the house. One was holding a gun. The men went through the house and demanded money. After the victims emptied their wallets, they ran away.

DES MOINES (IRN) – This year is likely to be a record breaking year for agricultural production in Iowa. According to the Iowa Production Report the predicted statewide average for corn is 189 bushels per acre. This breaks the previous record of 181 bushels per acre, which was set in 2004 and tied in 2009. Soybeans are predicted at 56 bushels per acre, which would break the 2005 record of 52.5 bushels per acre.

FAIRBANK, IA (IRN) – A bridge made with a new ultra-high performance concrete from Korea has been christened in Buchanan County. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the 52-foot-long Hawkeye UHPC Bridge near Fairbank was christened Tuesday. The new bridge may endure for 200 years, and is almost maintenance-free.

FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – Two people were injured in a two-vehicle crash near Forest City Tuesday afternoon. 52-year-old Michelle Kingland of Forest City, and 30-year-old Michael Piper of Lake Mills were both transported to the hospital where their conditions are unknown. The crash occurred when both entered an uncontrolled intersection.

DES MOINES (IRN) – A 3-year-old Des Moines child survived a fall from a third-story window Wednesday morning, according to the Des Moines Register. Law enforcement responded to a report of an emergency and found the little boy. It’s unclear how or why the child fell, but he was alert when medics arrived on scene. He was taken to Blank Children’s Hospital for an examination.

CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – Firefighters responded to an apartment complex in Charles City early Tuesday morning to a report of smoke alarms sounding with smoke in the hallways. According to KIMT-TV, one person has died. Residents knew he might have a hard time getting out, so rushed to his aid. They heard him coughing, but couldn’t break the door down before they needed to flee the fire.

BOSTON, MA (IRN) – Two Iowa men have pled not guilty to making threats on social media against people attending the World Pokemon Championships in August. WHO-TV reports 27-year-old James Stumbo and 19-year-old Kevin Norton appeared in court in Boston Tuesday. The judge ordered they be held on $150,000 bond. Police say they found a shotgun, a rifle and 300 rounds of ammunition in their car when they tried to register for the event.

POMEROY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation is investigating the death of a man by gunshot wound in Pomeroy in Calhoun County. No arrest has been made, and the identity of the victim is being withheld pending family notification.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – After a man was killed by gunshot and three others were injured at a north Des Moines nightclub over the weekend, neighbors are saying something needs to be done about the club’s constant police activity. The shooting at the Evolution Nightclub claimed the life of 20-year-old Dashawn Smith. KCCI-TV reports since the nightclub’s opening in April, Polk County Sheriff’s deputies have responded 70 times to the business.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – It’s Veterans Day, and for the first time in 44 years, the two Vietnam veterans who flew the Cobra attack helicopter that overlooks Dubuque’s Veteran’s Memorial Plaza, are back with their chopper. KWWL-TV reports Ken DeHoff and Wayne Burk are in Dubuque to speak at the annual Veteran’s Day ceremony. Their helicopter was shot out of the air, crashed, and burned. To make the event even more special, the man who helped fly them to safety after they were shot down will also be in attendance.