Category: State News

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are searching for the person who is seen on a Ring doorbell camera video firing several gunshots at a West Des Moines apartment complex last night. The video shows the shooter driving through the parking lot in what officers think is a red Toyota Camry. The person gets out and fires five-to-six shots at an apartment, then quickly gets back in the car and drives away. Police are investigating.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Russia’s deadly attack on Ukraine Wednesday night shook up trade markets around the world, which led to immediate impacts for Iowa’s farm economy. Livestock prices went down and corn prices shot up, mostly because Ukraine is a global supplier of corn. Chad Hart, economist at ISU, says rising gas prices will be the biggest factor for agriculture if the war in Ukraine continues.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – State lawmakers are one step away from having a final tax plan passed and sent to the governor’s desk. Despite pushback from Democrats, the Republican-controlled Senate just approved the new tax plan. This new plan would create a 3.9% flat income tax rate by 2026. Those with lower incomes will pay more in taxes, and the wealthy will pay less.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A person backed up into the glass windows of a Cedar Rapids Dunkin Donuts on Thursday. The driver damaged both the building and their vehicle. Police are investigating.

IOWA (IRN) – Widespread snow moved into Iowa Thursday right as the evening commute started, leading to slick roadways and hundreds of crashes across the state. A semi crash near Newton closed a lane of I-80 for over an hour.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – One person has died in a house fire in Waterloo. The fire broke out Wednesday in a duplex. Firefighters called to the scene around 2:15 p.m. arrived to find smoke coming from the two-story structure’s windows.The fire was found in the first-floor apartment.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Girl Scouts Troop 709 in Carlisle was robbed on Saturday. Three girls, two parents, and their troop leader ran a cookie-selling booth in front of the Hy-Vee on Army Post Road in Des Moines. A teenager was pretending to be a customer in line, and as the girls were helping another customer, he grabbed the donation box and ran.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One of the highest-ranking members of former President Trump’s cabinet joined two prominent Iowa Republicans during a panel discussion in Des Moines. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the featured guest of a forum hosted at the River Center Wednesday evening. He was joined by Sen. Joni Ernst and former Iowa Governor and past Ambassador to China Terry Branstad. The forum focused on discussing America’s foreign policy.

ELDON, IA (IRN) – The Cardinal Community School Board in Eldon has voted to move to a four-day week for students and staff starting next fall. The teachers and staff are excited as the four days are achieved by making each day a little longer.

LAWRENCE, KS (IRN) – Ashley Joens scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds and led the No. 9 Iowa State women’s basketball team to an 85-59 win over Kansas in Lawrence on Wednesday night. The Cyclones (23-4, 12-3 Big 12) sit atop the conference along with Baylor after winning for the seventh time in eight games.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids native and two-time major champion golfer Zach Johnson is taking over as Ryder Cup captain, leading an American side trying to end 30 years without a victory on European soil. Once self-described as a “normal guy,” he joined Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead as the only players to win at Augusta National and St. Andrews.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A burning bus in Ottumwa was moments from turning into a tragedy when heroes ran toward the flames to help rescue vulnerable passengers on board. The bus had just pulled up to First Resources Corporation, when the fire started shooting out from under the hood. Jerry Carder, the bus driver, worked to free a person in a wheelchair. Betty Barnes and Liz Cox, employees at First Resources, ran toward the fire to help twelve passengers escape. Seconds after everyone left the bus, it burst into flames.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol covered 48 crashes from 12:00 am till 12:00 pm Tuesday during icy weather. Four crashes led to injuries.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – The Johnston City Council gave the green light for a multi-million dollar golf and entertainment complex Tuesday night. Leaders say it brings plenty of promise to help stimulate the local economy. The development site is on Merle Hay Road in Johnston, where an old hotel and North End Diner used to be. It will soon be the home of the new entertainment complex called Bombers.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will provide the Republican Address to the Nation following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on March 1. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy made the announcement Tuesday.

LOVELAND, IA (IRN) – Three people were injured Tuesday morning when a vehicle struck an Iowa State patrol cruiser. The incident happened along Interstate 29 near Loveland. Troopers were assisting in a crash when another vehicle lost control, struck a guard rail and then slammed into a parked patrol vehicle. One trooper suffered minor injuries. The second vehicle had two occupants, and the passenger has life-threatening injuries and the driver has minor injuries. Slick conditions were reported.

SPIRIT LAKE, IA (IRN) – A school bus driver in Dickinson County is accused of inappropriately touching a minor. Steven Titterington, 71, of Milford has been charged with third-degree sexual abuse, sexual exploitation by a school employee, and child endangerment. The driver for the Okoboji Community School District allegedly touched a 15-year-old girl multiple times.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A suspicious weekend fire destroyed a vacant building on Marshalltown’s Main Street. The burned building and the building next door were scheduled to be torn down this year. Both were damaged by the 2018 tornado that tore through Marshalltown. Since then, the Marshall County seat has been struck by the 2020 derecho and numerous smaller fires all over town. Officials fear it’s arson.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny man is accused of firing a gun at an occupied car and threatening employees of a bar with a knife in separate weekend incidents. Maximilian Kragel, 29, is facing seven felony charges. He shot at the car of people leaving his apartment, and the knife incident was at the Good Times bar.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowan who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor has died. On February 13th, Raymond “Ray” Matthew Reiland passed away just 10 days shy of his 100th birthday. Reiland enlisted in the Navy on Dec. 18, 1940, and was assigned to the USS Raleigh. Nearly a year later, that ship was among the first to be hit on the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Several people were shot early Sunday morning as the bars closed. Des Moines police say they found a woman shot near Wells Fargo Arena around 2 a.m. While police were on scene with her, two additional victims arrived at MercyOne Medical Center with gunshot wounds. The victims told police somebody in a car driving by shot them, and a friend who was with them shot back. Everyone is expected to survive.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against Gov. Kim Reynolds by a group of six Des Moines-area bars that challenged her brief shutdown of their businesses in August and September 2020 when COVID-19 was rapidly spreading.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Legislature’s first funnel week is coming to an end. With a few exceptions, bills that didn’t advance through a committee in the house or senate won’t be considered for the rest of the 2022 legislative session.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines is home to a new $33 million railport. The new south side Transload facility is designed to bring major new train traffic and lower priced cargo into the metro. The new 30-acre Transload station is a giant 115,000 square foot warehouse and transfer center. It’s surrounded by more than 15,000 feet of new railroad tracks. It’s a massive public-private transportation project that has taken years to complete.