MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) –  The Muscatine County attorney has requested that the Iowa attorney general’s office prosecute theft and burglary charges against the Muscatine police chief’s son, citing a conflict of interest. Drake Talkington, 19, has been charged with several felonies including second-degree burglary, trafficking in stolen weapons, second-degree theft and possession of methamphetamine.

COUNCIL BLUFFS (IA) – Efforts to create citywide Wi-Fi access in Council Bluffs are underway. The Daily NonPareil reports that the city has obtained the necessary equipment and will soon begin installation. The effort is a collaboration between the city and the Council Bluffs Community School District. In addition to assisting students who are issued laptops by the school, the collaboration is also seen as an incentive to economic development.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (IRN) – Two Iowans are among 5 men who have been charged in federal court in South Dakota with attempted commercial sex trafficking. KCCI-TV reports that the charges relate to responses to online advertisements during an undercover operation. Those indicted are 25-year-old Benjamin Iverson and 29-year-old Scott Larson of Sioux Falls; 27-year-old Nathanuel Downs of Sioux City, Iowa; 29-year-old Lance Hunter Jr. of Little Rock, Iowa; and 26-year-old Jose Oxlaj of Guatemala. All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The financial website bankrate.com has selected Des Moines as one of the top five places in America to retire. They ranked 196 of America’s cities in terms of walkability, cost of living, crime rate, health care quality, tax rates, wellness and weather. The other top cities were Mesa, Prescott, and Tucson Arizona, along with Arlington Virginia.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Polk County deputies responded to a call of a man yelling for help in the Des Moines River near the northern city limits of Des Moines Monday evening.  Shortly before sunset two separate men who were fishing contacted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to report the incident.  The two fishermen lost sight of the man after he went underwater.  Polk County deputies and Des Moines Fire and Rescue launched multiple boats but were unable to locate the man before darkness caused the search to be postponed. The search has now resumed.

COUNCIL BLUFFS (IRN) – Council Bluffs Police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found near a burning pickup truck early Monday morning. WOWT-TV reports the woman was with a dead dog, and both had gunshot wounds to the head. Foul play is not suspected. She was identified as Paula Arnett, 43, of Ingleside, Texas. A handgun was found under her body. Police have learned that Arnett, her husband, and 17-year-old stepson were traveling from Texas to Sioux City.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture is responding to a new case of the bird flu in Sioux County. The flock has a variety of species and an estimated 3,800 birds.

NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – A North Liberty girl received the trip of a lifetime last week when she met her idol, pop singer Justin Bieber. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports that Maria Kramer is the only person in the world known to have the deletion of her 17th chromosome, a condition that has caused her to spend much of her life at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. Family and friends started a social media campaign to help Maria meet Bieber, and the meeting took place last week in California. Bieber tweeted several photos of him with Maria accompanied by the hashtags #mialovesjustin and #justinlovesmia.

 

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University has a new men’s head basketball coach. CBS Sports reports that Murray State’s Steve Prohm has reached an agreement in principle with ISU. Prohm has been the head coach at Murray State the past four seasons and compiled a 104-29 record. The 40-year-old has made one NCAA Tournament.  He’ll replace Fred Hoiberg, who left last week to coach the Chicago Bulls.

ESTHERVILLE, IA (IRN) – An arrest has been made in the shooting death of a 19-year-old man from Estherville. KCAU-TV reports that Thomas Borvit was reported missing on Saturday night, with his friends and family telling authorities they were concerned for his safety. After locating his body on Sunday, authorities opened an investigation into the homicide. On Sunday evening, an arrest warrant for 18-year-old Lee Christensen of Estherville was filed for Murder in the First Degree.  Christensen is accused of using a firearm to kill Bortvit.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a drive-by-shooting on the city’s southeast side.  WHO-TV reports that two people were injured in a pre-dawn shooting. Neighbors say they heard four to five gunshots, and police found bullet casings at the scene. The victims are being treated at a local hospital, and their conditions are unknown. No arrests have been made.

PETERSON, IA (IRN) – A Clay County man was killed while he was working on a stalled car on Saturday. The Iowa State Patrol reports that a vehicle driven by Tyler Steven Lohr, 16, of Peterson struck a vehicle being worked on by Steven Francis Kozelka, 37, also of Peterson. Lohr was injured in the crash.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A 74-year-old Fort Madison man was killed Sunday when he failed to yield at a stop sign and pulled in front of oncoming traffic south of Burlington. The name of the victim has not been released. Injured in the accident were William Poland, 55, of Burlington, Regina Poland, 53, also of Burlington, and a 13-year-old juvenile whose name was not released.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Five people were injured Sunday afternoon when a jet ski collided with a dock on the Mississippi River near Bettendorf. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports that Daniel Scott Nelson, 44, of Davenport, was operating a jet ski when it hit a dock injuring an adult and four children. Nelson was not injured. At least three people were thrown into the water by the collision, but were able to get safely to shore. None of the injuries are considered to be life-threatening.

INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – Two inmates escaped from the Warren County Jail on Monday, and Frank Manders, 26, was taken into custody that same day, but Darian Crayton, 29, was still on the run until Sunday afternoon.  KCCI-TV reports that Crayton was apprehended Sunday by Urbandale Police and is now in the Dallas County Jail facing new charges.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst have asked the Congressional Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee to hold a hearing on the federal government’s response to the ongoing outbreak of the avian flu. Senators Grassley and Ernst stressed the critical, timely nature of this issue, citing the devastating impact of the disease on Iowa poultry farms.

 

CRESCO, IA (IRN) – Two people were killed in an accident east of Cresco on Saturday. The Iowa State Patrol reports a Lincoln Town Car driven by Donald Olsen, 88, of Decorah, was stopped at a stop sign, and then pulled out in front of a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Gerald Ollendieck, 75, of Ridgeway. The pickup struck the passenger side of the town car, killing both Donald Olsen and his passenger Wilma Olsen, 82, also of Decorah. Ollendieck was injured and taken to the Cresco hospital where his condition was unknown.

BOONE, IA (IRN) – Republican presidential hopefuls at Joni Ernst’s Roast and Ride event Saturday were taken to a secure location after a phone call about an explosion in Boone. KCCI-TV reports that the Department of Public Safety received a phone call Saturday about an explosion on the grounds. The phone call was not viewed as credible, but officials still cleared the area and moved the speakers to a secure location. Authorities searched the area for about an hour and found nothing.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One man was shot during an incident at a Des Moines hotel early Saturday morning. WHO-TV reports that 28-year-old Andrew Phillips was shot several times at the American Inn on Douglas Avenue. Phillips stated that he heard a knock on his hotel door, and as he approached to open it, he was shot through the closed door multiple times. He was shot in the left neck, left hand, left elbow and right flank. Phillips said he did not know who shot him.

CEDAR RAPIDS — The victim who suffered serious injuries after a vehicle accident in Cedar Rapids Friday night has died. KCRG-TV reports officers responded to the parking lot of Theisen’s around 9:30 p.m. on Friday. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found Shana Chavez, 16, suffering from critical injuries. Police said they believe Chavez was hanging onto the back of a moving vehicle when the accident happened.

 

DES MOINES (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Safety is investigating scam calls to MidAmerican Energy customers.  Since late May MidAmerican has documented a significant increase in calls from customers reporting fraudulent phone scam attempts in the Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Fort Dodge, Iowa City, and Davenport areas. It is estimated that 4-5% of the customers have provided money or personal information to the scammers.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The 2015 Iowa Legislative session is over, more than a month later than planned. Highlights include the passage of a 10 cent per gallon gas tax and a contentious debate over education funding. An education budget compromise was reached that stayed within limits Republicans desired, and allocated “rainy day” funds to education that Democrats wanted. The state of Iowa has a $7.3 billion dollar budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The Iowa Democratic and Republican parties jointly announced on Friday that the 2016 Iowa caucus results will be delivered via a new, mobile-enabled, cloud-based platform that will allow for accurate, efficient and secure reporting on caucus night. The parties collaborated with Microsoft to create the application.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) –  Four people have been arrested and charged in connection with a violent home invasion in Johnston last fall. KCCI-TV reports that police were called to the home as the robbery was in progress.  Johnston Police said the group, carrying assault rifles and pistols, invaded a late night patio party. McKenzie McCracken, 24, of Windsor Heights; Joseph Rendo, 35, of Altoona; Arthur Benson, 37, of Des Moines; David Moore, 22, of Ankeny, and Garvis Thompson have been charged. Police said a fifth person wanted in the case has yet to be arrested.

HUDSON, IA  (IRN) – The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office confirms a fatal workplace accident occurred in Hudson Friday. KWWL-TV reports the accident happened while maintenance was being done on a stationary helicopter, and that the death occurred near the tail of the helicopter. The accident was at RITEL Copter Service, a business that helps farmers and seed companies with aerial applications services.