Author: Iowa Radio News

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s credit unions contributed more than $1.1 billion to the state economy in 2014, according to a new economic report. The report, compiled by Iowa State University economist Dave Swenson, found that  every $1 spent by the state’s credit unions contributed another 77 cents to other parts of Iowa’s economy.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Department of Human Services says it has no documentation to support its claim that Governor Branstad’s controversial plan to hire private companies to manage Iowa’s Medicaid program would save taxpayers $51 million during its first six months. The Des Moines Register says the absence of public data behind the estimate is significant because the Legislature relied on the projection when it approved the budget for the current fiscal year.

INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – The state’s highest court is hearing arguments over whether Warren County Supervisors broke the law when they fired a dozen workers last year. WHO-TV reports the Iowa Supreme Court will determine whether Warren County Supervisors illegally fired the staff without first talking with department heads or holding a public meeting.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Twenty-one people in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area were arrested and two underage victims were rescued in an FBI operation targeting human trafficking, according to KETV. Authorities targeted hotels, apartment buildings and truck stops, looking for victims. Across the country, 149 victims were recovered — the youngest is 12 years old, and three of the victims are transgender boys. 153 pimps were arrested, three of them were locals.

GRINNELL, IA (IRN) – A Grinnell family is speaking out after they say a grade school educator made racist comments to their children, according to KCCI-TV. The parents say two of their children, whom they describe as mixed-race, were told by an para-educator at Bailey Park Elementary School that black people were “stupid” and shouldn’t go to school with white people. The school is investigating.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The Waterloo Community School District is looking into who shot off fireworks inside a moving school bus Wednesday afternoon. KWWL-TV reports someone at the back of the bus set off the fireworks while the bus was moving. The driver pulled the bus over and called the police. No one was injured.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City group is already working to make sure the families of veterans and current military members stay warm this winter, according to KMEG-TV. It’s called Operation Warming Hearts and it’s put on by Support Siouxland Soldiers. The program provides winter coats for children and grandchildren of veterans and active military personnel.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police answered an unusual crime call on Tuesday. KCCI-TV reports police were called to a home where a woman was looking at a property with a “build to suit” sign. The woman said the cellar door was open and she walked in. Inside the basement, she found a large ATM machine.  It appeared to be vandalized to get the money out. The case remains under investigation.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Two graduates of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop were named as finalists for the National Book Award Wednesday morning, according to the Iowa City Press Citizen. Angela Flournoy’s debut novel “The Turner House” and Karen Bender’s collection of short stories “Refund,” were named as two of the five finalists for the 2015 National Book Award for Fiction.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A Newton police officer has been acquitted of domestic abuse charges, according to WHO-TV. Dustin Hamell was charged with domestic abuse in July for allegedly assaulting his then-fiance. She called police claiming Hamell slammed a door on her arm and pushed her. A Jasper County Jury found Hamell not guilty Tuesday morning.

CRESTON, IA (IRN) – A 45-year-old south-central Iowa woman who’s been sentenced to 20 years in prison has been told to pay back the vehicle dealership she stole from while working there. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports Lyndsay Huntsman was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $432,000 to Creston Automotive in Creston, where she’d worked for several years in the bookkeeping department.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Former Hawkeye and New York Giants football player Tyler Sash died Sept. 8 from an accidental “mixed drug toxicity involving methadone and hydrocodone,” according to the Iowa Medical Examiner. Additional studies for chronic traumatic encephalopathy  (en-SEF-uh-LAWP-uh-thee), a degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma, are pending. Sash was 27.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A threat allegedly made against West High School in Iowa City via Snapchat sparked a change in policy at Tuesday’s school board meeting. KCRG-TV reports parents weren’t notified of the threat until days after the incident, because school policy said threats must be validated, and Snapchats disappear after they are opened. New policy doesn’t require verification before parents are notified.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A local police department is taking money from parking tickets and giving it back to the community. KCCI-TV reports Fort Dodge police plan to take some of the fines collected from parking warrants and give it to local food pantries. The warrants are for parking tickets that haven’t been paid in a long time. There are currently over 1,200 outstanding warrants.

WAPELLO COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A little bit of the old west came to Wapello County this week. KTVO-TV reports three individuals have been arrested for horse theft. On Monday, Wapello County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report that two horses had been stolen from the Pioneer Ridge Nature Center south of Ottumwa. One Missouri man and two Ottumwa men have been charged. The horses are OK and back with their owners.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A Williamsburg man has been charged with breaking out windows at a parking garage with his head Tuesday, according to KCRG-TV. Ryan P. Mulligan, 24, was arrested and charged after witnesses reported the crime to University of Iowa police.  He is charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief and public intoxication. Mulligan admitted to breaking the windows, saying he thought it was his house in Williamsburg.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University is proposing a three-year, $1,500 tuition surcharge that would affect thousands of international students. KGAN-TV reports the Board of Regents wants to add an extra $500 annually for three years to the nonresident rates international students already pay. The new tuition charge would generate millions in revenues.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner has released information as a result of their investigation into the death of former University of Iowa football player Tyler Sash, age 27, of Oskaloosa. After receipt of laboratory test results, the cause and manner of death was determined to be due to an accidental mixed drug toxicity involving methadone and hydrocodone. A recent shoulder dislocation and a history of chronic shoulder pain were also significant contributing conditions.  

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An inmate serving a forgery sentence in Iowa has died. KGAN-TV reports 46-year-old Todd Hamann died Saturday at a hospital in Iowa City from pancreatitis. Hamann was convicted of two counts of forgery in Woodbury County and began serving his sentence in 2013.

DECORAH, IA (IRN) – It was a dangerous weekend in Winneshiek County with 10 separate auto accidents, including a fatal crash. KIMT-TV reports there were three accidents on Friday, five on Saturday, and two more on Sunday, including one where 26-year-old Alexandra Moran Loden of Decorah was ejected from her vehicle and died. Three of the accidents on Saturday were in the same half-hour.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A six-year-old child from Cedar Rapids is recovering at an area hospital after he was hit by a truck on Thursday, according to KCRG-TV. Max Tuetken was walking home from Erskine Elementary School with his older brother, when Max saw his parents and took off running toward them into the street. Unfortunately, the driver of a truck didn’t see him. Max is expected to recover from two broken feet and burns.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Falls doesn’t have enough firefighters, according to KWWL-TV. Cedar Falls Firefighters Association President Jim Cook says the initial number of firefighters who responded to a recent house fire “[wasn’t] enough to save our citizens personal property, their homes, or potentially their lives.” Only six people initially responded to the fire. Cook says the national standard is 15 to 17 people.

WESTERN IOWA (IRN) – 11-year-old Katie Bozen prevented an almost certain crash from occurring in Western Iowa over the weekend, according to WHO-TV. Katie jumped into the driver’s seat when her mother suffered a seizure along Interstate 29. Katie says “When I saw her shaking, I unbuckled my seatbelt and I had to crawl over and sit on her lap.” She managed to steer the Chevy Suburban onto the shoulder, before waving down help. Her mother is expected to recover.

MASON CITY, IA – A north Iowa woman is facing multiple drug charges, according to KIMT-TV. 23-year-old Casondra Kay Carolina Wilmarth of Mason City was arrested Friday and is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of contraband in a correctional institution and a controlled substance violation. When Wilmarth was arrested she had in her possession a bag containing meth, five baggies of marijuana, and empty baggies. When she was booked into the jail, authorities discovered another bag of meth hidden in her mouth.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A woman jumped to safety from a second-floor window and a man was rescued by firefighters during a blaze at a Waterloo apartment building on Sunday. KCRG-TV reports the woman limped away after landing on a satellite dish and later was taken by private vehicle to a hospital. The fire appears to have started in a laundry room.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – An Illinois man was injured late Saturday after a fall from a cliff at Wildcat Den State Park near Muscatine. Aaron Plumb, 26, of Geneseo, Ill., fell approximately 35 feet from an area known as “the Devil’s Punch Bowl” shortly before midnight. Plumb was transported by helicopter to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City. He was treated for back trauma as well as injuries to a hand and fingers.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 17-year-old boy has been charged with murder after killing his grandmother, according to WHO-TV. Des Moines police responded to an east side address on Saturday to investigate a reported assault.  Authorities found the victim, 79-year-old Rachel Pray, dead. Her grandson, Noah Laprei of Des Moines, is charged with first-degree murder. Neighbors say he was acting out of character, and appeared to be on drugs.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man who was seriously burned after an explosion rocked a Cedar Falls motel Saturday afternoon has died. KCRG-TV reports Matthew David Ferleman, 43, died late Saturday night after the motel room he was in exploded, blowing out the front and back walls of the unit. Officials suspect it was a natural gas explosion.

WINNESHIEK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after being ejected from a car in Winneshiek County. The Iowa State Patrol reports the 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix was traveling northbound on a rural road when it drifted across the center line into the other lane. It then entered a ditch and rolled, causing the driver to be thrown from the car. The name of the victim hasn’t been released.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN)  An Iowa State University program will receive some of the $17 million in grants the federal government is handing out to help new farmers and ranchers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced ISU will receive nearly $700,000 to help aging farmers plan for succession at their operations.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A Michigan man is dead following an Iowa City crash on Interstate 80 on Saturday. According to the Iowa State Patrol the pickup driver collided with an overpass bridge. Terry Agal, 69-years-old, of Muskegon died in the crash, and Kay Lynn Agal, 68, was injured.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines Police are investigating a drive-by shooting that happened overnight Saturday, according to WOI-TV. A woman woke up to sounds of gunshots at her home. She told police she thought they sounded like a machine gun. The bullets went through her home and hit a stereo and picture. They also broke multiple windows. The homeowner says she doesn’t have any enemies or know anyone who would want to shoot her house.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines police confirm an ATM stolen early this week was recovered by Omaha police Friday. WHO-TV reports the ATM was stolen from a Casey’s General Store. Security footage shows the thieves broke in with a sledge hammer, attached a chain to the ATM and pulled it out with a truck. They then lifted the ATM into the back of the truck and drove off.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Drake University super fan Paul Morrison attended his 700th Drake football game Saturday. WOI-TV reports Morrison is known as “Mr. Drake.” He attended the university as a freshman in 1935 and got a full-time job working for the school soon after. At 98 years old, he has a goal of attending 750 games in his lifetime.