Category: State News

NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – The North Liberty Fire Department is investigating after a garage partially collapsed, injuring one person. Crews were sent to the scene for a report of an explosion with injuries. Firefighters found a partially collapsed detached garage with pieces of the garage scattered in the yard.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A wanted Mason City man was taken into custody early Friday following a vehicle and foot pursuit that ended with a truck in a creek. Cody Dakin, 26, was wanted on four failure to appear warrants in Cerro Gordo and Worth counties.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Christine Grant, a pioneer in the fight for gender equity in athletics and former University of Iowa women’s athletic director, died Friday at age 85. Grant, a native of Scotland, played and coached field hockey in her native country and in Canada before coming to the University of Iowa where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education. In 1973, Grant became Iowa’s first women’s athletic director.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids woman has become a Tik Tok sensation with more than 11 million likes and nearly half a million followers. In 2021 Amy Strauch began a year-long project of crocheting a temperature blanket, where each row coordinates with the average temperature of Cedar Rapids that day.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Iowa courts will hear COVID-19 complaints against Tyson Foods. The company wanted a lawsuit filed by the families of workers who died from COVID-19 heard in federal court. Tyson said it was acting under former President Donald Trump’s executive order to keep the nation’s food supply running. Families of Tyson employees say Tyson didn’t do enough to protect workers.

ADAIR COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An armed man was shot and is in custody after leading police on a chase in Adair County Wednesday night. Charles Bradshaw II, 57, failed to stop for a traffic violation. The pursuit ended when Bradshaw abruptly turned around, causing a Stuart Police officer to crash into his car, which then hit a Guthrie County deputy’s car. An Adair County deputy got out of his car, saw Bradshaw with a handgun, and shot him in both arms.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 77-year-old pedestrian died in a crash in rural Polk County Thursday evening. The victim was crossing the street when a 2007 Chevy Tahoe struck him.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A California man arrested in Iowa had an assault rifle, ammunition and a “hit list” that included President Joe Biden, former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and others. The man was pulled over while driving aggressively on Interstate 80 on Dec. 21. Police say the man made concerning comments about Biden during the traffic stop, so he was taken in for questioning. He told investigators that he left his home in Sacramento on Dec. 18 to drive straight to the White House to kill people in power, and that if freed, he’d carry out his plan.

IOWA (IRN) – A Winter Storm Warning goes into effect for parts of central and southern Iowa beginning Saturday morning at 6 AM and lasting until midnight. Parts of the warned area could receive a foot of snow.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – Jasper County’s largest employer will soon be down to about 50 employees. TPI Composites in Newton is ending wind turbine manufacturing Friday. About 700 people are losing their jobs.

CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – A Charles City woman has been charged with homicide for a Labor Day crash that killed two people and injured her young child. Casey Lindhal was allegedly drunk when her car crossed the centerline of a road north of Charles City and crashed head-on into another car. The crash killed 76-year-old Anita Anderson and 77-year-old Chris Anderson and injured Lindhal and her child.

BUCHANAN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The driver of a semi semi-tractor trailer was able to escape injury in a flaming crash Tuesday in Buchanan County. 49-year-old Ryan Thieman fell asleep and lost control of the semi. The semi struck a guardrail of a bridge causing leaking fuel which ignited a fire. The semi was fully engulfed as well as the median between the northbound and southbound lanes. No one was injured.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Hy-Vee is introducing a new retail security team to its stores as part of its effort to ensure the health and safety of its customers and employees. Hy-Vee says that the retail security officers will be present during store hours and will be trained to defuse situations and protect the safety of Hy-Vee employees and customers.

ORLANDO, FL (IRN) – Iowa State rallied in the fourth quarter, but #19 Clemson was able to hold on and beat the Cyclones 20-13 Wednesday night at the Cheez-It Bowl. The Hawkeyes play Kentucky on Saturday at the Citrus Bowl.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A Polk City man is charged with sexually exploiting children. Ankeny police say they found child pornography in Daniel Little’s home. Police said a cyber tip through Iowa Crimes Against Children led to his arrest.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The number of people shot in Des Moines jumped significantly in 2021, but fewer people were killed by gunfire. The number of people shot in the city, as of Dec. 28, sits at 86, compared to the 49 people shot in 2020. However, those dying in shootings have declined. In 2020, 17 people were shot and killed; that number is 11 in 2021.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for conspiring with his daughter in a conspiracy that involved around 1,000 drug-related transactions over an eight-month period. 47-year-old Kendell Lamont Thomas of Dubuque pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A convicted felon who possessed a gun and drugs he intended to distribute inside a Cedar Rapids Wal-Mart was sentenced to seven years in federal prison on Tuesday. 41-year-old Sylvester Cunningham received the prison term after a guilty verdict at a two-day trial in July. Cunningham, who was in a wheelchair, was selling powder and crack cocaine.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City Catholic Worker has opened up a second location to serve immigrants and refugees. The group closed on the 6 bedroom, 7 bathroom house known as the Burford House Inn on Monday. The downtown home is larger than their first and is already welcoming refugees who are seeking asylum.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An arrest has been made in connection to a car crash that burned down an Ankeny home on Dec. 20. Police say that 18-year-old Miguel Delos Reyes was driving a car that crashed into the side of the home. Reyes allegedly left the scene of the crash but was identified by other occupants from the vehicle. The crash sparked a house fire that burned down a home. The crash also caused injuries to a minor, sending her to the hospital.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa woman has been charged with helping a teenager attack a man with a hatchet in a Sioux City apartment. Sioux City police said the attack was carried out on Dec. 18 to retaliate against the apartment’s occupant because the man had previously kicked the 52-year-old woman out. Police say Blair let the 16-year-old into the locked apartment building and then knocked on the door of the victim’s apartment before stepping aside to let the teen enter. The victim suffered a broken shoulder when he was struck several times with a hatchet.

IOWA (IRN) – A grim milestone looms as the year comes to a close. The Iowa DOT reports that 341 fatalities have been reported on Iowa roads. It’s on track to surpass last year’s total of 343.

AMES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State men’s basketball team moved up one spot higher in the top ten of the new AP rankings released Monday. The Cyclones (12-0) are ranked No. 8 in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll. Iowa State was picked to finish last in the Big 12 Conference this season, but after an undefeated start to the season the Cyclones broke into the AP top ten for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

IOWA (IRN) – The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for much of central and eastern Iowa today. Light snow will begin early this morning, then change to light freezing rain or a wintry mix by the morning commute. Slick roads and travel impacts will be possible at times.