Category: State News

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (IRN) – Former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy could miss the entire 2023 NFL season. Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship this past season before injuring his elbow.

SHELDON, IA (IRN) – A Sheldon man has pleaded not guilty to murdering his mother. Nathaniel Kassel, 41, entered the plea Friday. Authorities say Jody Lynn Duskin, 62, of Sheldon, was found dead inside her home in March. Duskin is Kassel’s mother. Court documents say that Kassel had told family he was planning to kill her. Kassel was staying with Duskin on the day of the murder.

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A former eastern Iowa middle school teacher has pleaded guilty to enticing a minor after investigators say he initiated an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old student. Adam Hildebrandt, 41, was a Science and Language Arts teacher at Center Point-Urbana Middle School. The victim told investigators she confided in Hildebrandt about some personal issues and then things got “weird” with inappropriate touching, and he allegedly began to send her messages of a sexual nature.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowans will soon face a new $5 million cap on pain and suffering damages in lawsuits involving crashes with trucks and other commercial vehicles. The Senate’s passage of Senate File 228 on a 31-19 vote Monday evening sends the legislation to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her signature.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – City officials are hosting clean-up events this week in honor of the Third Annual Cedar Falls Earth Week. Organizations, businesses, and citizens are being encouraged to participate in the city’s effort to clean up its litter.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – One person is dead Monday morning after a three-vehicle accident on I-80 near Bettendorf, according to Iowa State Patrol. Troopers say a bus was broken down on the shoulder of the road and it was being assisted by a tow truck. Then a 2015 Jeep Patriot hit a tow operator who was not in a vehicle.

HAZLETON, IA (IRN) – A motorcycle crash killed the driver and injured his passenger in Buchanan County on Saturday evening. Troopers believe the driver of the motorcycle, Bradley Johnson, 50, of Hazleton, lost control. Both Johnson and his passenger were ejected and Johnson was killed in the crash. The passenger was injured and taken via air ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An environmental clean-up at the site of a proposed soccer stadium in Des Moines is estimated to cost $15 million. The 43-acre parcel south of downtown was home to the former Dico manufacturing facility.

SHERRILL, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque County family got a visit last week from something they never expected — a black bear. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports only 49 bear spottings in the last 20 years. The couple were sitting on their couch in their Sherrill home watching TV when they got a notification on their phone from their infrared trail camera, where they saw the bear walking across their yard. The DNR has named the bear “Google-eye.”

CEDAR PARK, TX (IRN) – The Iowa Wild defeated the Texas Stars 5-2 on Sunday to clinch a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2019 and just the second time in franchise history. Iowa will be the number 4-seed in the Central Division Quarterfinals and take on the number 5-seed Rockford Ice Hogs.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in locating two children who were taken from a roller skating rink in Des Moines Friday. Police are looking for 8-year-old Zafira Serrano and 4-year-old Paul “PJ” Serrano. Zafira and PJ were last seen at the Skateland roller skating rink in Des Moines at around 5:30 p.m. during a supervised visit. Police believe they were taken together by someone known to them.

AMES, IA (IRN) – An Ames High School student ended the day in handcuffs. Police say he brought a stolen gun to school. Eighteen-year-old Tae-Shyne Johnson faces now faces two felony firearms charges. He was booked into the Story County Jail.

JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Bettendorf man was arrested after leading law enforcement on a chase in Johnson County yesterday. Iowa City Police initiated a traffic stop on a 2015 Dodge Challenger after it was spotted speeding at 103 miles per hour. The driver fled, ultimately reaching a high speed of 148 mph in a construction zone. 20-year-old Antonio Metcalf was arrested by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Dowling Catholic High School teacher turned herself in to West Des Moines Police Friday, following an investigation into an inappropriate relationship with a Dowling student.  Kristen Gantt, 36, is being held in the Polk County Jail on a felony charge of sexual exploitation by school employee and an aggravated misdemeanor charge of sexual contact by school employee. She taught English at the high school. Gantt allegedly had inappropriate contact with a 17-year-old male student at least five times in her classroom.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court denied an appeal from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to dismiss a lawsuit claiming her office systematically ignored Iowa’s Open Records law and hid public information during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Iowa Freedom of Information Council, along with other groups sued the Governor’s Office in December 2021, citing several records requests that went unanswered regarding Iowa’s COVID-19 response. In some cases, requests went unanswered for 18 months. The lawsuit seeks an order for the Governor’s Office to comply with Iowa’s Open Records law as well as court costs and attorneys fees.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – Urbandale and Johnston police are investigating a Thursday night shooting in Johnston. The shooting took place inside the Hilton Garden Inn in Johnston. Police believe the suspect and victim knew each other. The victim was hospitalized with serious injuries, and the suspect is in custody.

MARSHALL COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person was seriously burned in a large farm building fire that quickly spread to surrounding fields in Haverhill in Marshall County Thursday afternoon. Local farmers helped battle the blaze by using tractors and tillage equipment to create a fire break to slow down the spread of the flames.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN)) – Iowa lawmakers are moving forward with a bill that would allow guns on school property. The House approved the Republican-led effort Wednesday. The bill, House File 654, would allow Iowans to keep their guns on school grounds as long as the weapons are locked up in their vehicles. It would also establish firearm safety courses for seventh through 12th graders.

IOWA (IRN) – Our stretch of 80-degree days are coming to an end. Since Tuesday we have seen the 80s and Friday will be our last day for now. Expect the dry and windy conditions to be with us on Friday keeping the fire danger high. A storm system is approaching from the west. Showers and storms will be possible on Saturday, lingering into Sunday. There may be a bit of snow mixed with the rain at times on Sunday as colder air moves in.

NORWALK, IA (IRN) – The Norwalk woman charged with the death of her newborn baby boy wants her $1 million bond lowered. Megan Staude’s lawyer said she is not a danger to the public or a flight risk. Staude and her father Rodney Staude are both charged with first-degree murder in her newborn’s death. They have both pleaded not guilty. Police say 25-year-old Megan Staude gave birth to the baby boy inside a rundown house and left him in a box without care, then placed his body in a ditch.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa House Republican lawmakers are moving forward with a bill to require NRA gun safety classes before Iowa students can graduate. It also outlines legal firearm carry access on school grounds. Educational leaders are opposed, saying it will make schools less safe.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Months after Iowa Democrats lost their first-in-the-nation status in the presidential nominating process, Iowa House Republicans are now pushing for more changes. The two major changes proposed by Iowa House Republicans would require in-person caucus participation and voters to register with their party 70 days before the caucus. Iowa Democrats have proposed a vote-by-mail process instead of the traditional in-person structure.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The American Society of Civil Engineers graded Iowa’s infrastructure a “C.” About 25% of the state’s roads are considered poor or mediocre. The state’s bridges got a “D plus.” Iowa leads the nation in the number of structurally deficient bridges.