Category: State News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Statehouse Republicans passed a bill Tuesday that could send a person to prison for life if they cause the death of a fetus, even if they did not know the mother was pregnant. Republicans say it has nothing to do with abortion. Democrats say the bill lays the groundwork for criminalizing abortion.

SHELDON, IA (IRN) – A body was found in the Floyd River Tuesday near the campus of Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon. KCAU-TV reports police believe the body to be that of a male in his 30’s or 40’s.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture has confirmed a highly contagious virus in a horse barn in Altoona. Equine Herpes Virus can be fatal to horses and can easily spread from one horse to another through humans and even inanimate objects. It’s not a threat to humans or other animals, but it can be deadly to horses. The horse is boarded at the Pine Hollow Stables.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa City Community School District needs to cut its budget by more than $5 million, and the superintendent is recommending leaving a large number of positions vacant. KCRG-TV reports 61 teachers have either announced they are resigning or accepting an early retirement package. The school board will leave 21 elementary teaching positions, and nine secondary school teacher positions vacant. It would also reduce three librarians, an art teacher, a music teacher, and a physical education teacher.

MANLY, IA (IRN) – The owner of a northern Iowa dog breeding operation has been charged with animal neglect. KCCI-TV reports 66-year-old Barbara Kavars, of Manly, is charged with 17 counts. Kavars was holding Samoyed dogs in inhumane conditions when officials raided her operation.

MAQUOKETA, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque man has been given 50 years in prison for killing a 59-year-old man at the victim’s home in Bellevue. KCRG-TV reports 24-year-old Drew Mangler stabbed James Remakel to death during a break-in. Remakel had been stabbed at least 32 times in his upper body, neck and head. He was believed to be dead for several days before police found him. Investigators found a shoe with Remakel’s blood on it during a search of Mangler’s house.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A woman was stabbed Sunday during a fight near the entrance of Davenport Walmart, according to WQAD-TV. There were about 10 to 12 people involved in the fight, but the crowd broke up before officers arrived. She’ll be OK.

AMES, IA (IRN) – A crackdown on cannabidiol oil is underway as CBD oil is being illegally sold in stores across Iowa, according to KCCI-TV. Products containing CBD oil are illegal in Iowa unless they come from a dispensary, but that hasn’t stopped retailers. A Family Video in Ames advertises CBD products in the window, claiming gummies and water sold there can help with migraines, asthma, stress, or Crohn’s disease.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Falls firefighters put out a fire at a popular bar early yesterday morning. KWWL-TV reports improperly stored cleaning rags spontaneously combusted at Horny Toads American Bar and Grill. No one was injured.

MONTROSE, IA (IRN) – A 15-year-old Fort Madison girl has died following an accidental shooting at an Iowa gun club, according to KCRG-TV. Deputies and medics were called Sunday to the Tri-State Gun Club northwest of Montrose in Lee County. They found Haley McManus suffering from a single gunshot wound. The incident is being treated as an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound.

SOUTHEAST IOWA (IRN) – Amtrak has announced that it will be temporarily suspending service to Burlington and Mount Pleasant due to a temporary track closure. The passenger train service has detoured its California Zephyr onto tracks owned by Union Pacific Railroad to the north to maintain service between Omaha and Chicago. Amtrak says the move is being made in response to historic flooding which is affecting railroad tracks throughout the state.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Two people were injured yesterday morning after a shooting in Cedar Rapids. KCRG-TV reports police responded to a call of shots fired in the parking lot of Woody’s Night Club, around 4:30 a.m. Two people suffered apparent non life-threatening gunshot wounds. Police say the incident isn’t random and is under investigation.

IDA GROVE, IA (IRN) – A small town in northwestern Iowa has ended its decades-long practice of treating the city’s drinking water with fluoride. The Sioux City Journal reports that the Ida Grove City Council narrowly voted last week to halt fluoride treatment in the city’s water supply. The move comes after city leaders and residents questioned whether the fluoride was effective at preventing tooth decay or presented health risks.

COLUMBUS, OH (IRN) – The Iowa men’s basketball team roared back from a 25-point deficit, but the comeback was not enough to get past Tennessee, falling to the Volunteers 83-77 in overtime of the NCAA tournament in Columbus, Ohio.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – In women’s basketball, Iowa pulled away from Missouri in the fourth quarter to win 68-52 and advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament.

DALLAS COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny woman died late Friday in a single-vehicle crash in Dallas County, according to an Iowa State Patrol crash report. Troopers said 40-year-old Melissa Jean Sears was driving around a curve when her SUV left the roadway, hit a sign and a tree. Sears, who was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, was pronounced dead at the scene.

IOWA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds received notification Saturday that President Trump has granted her request for an expedited Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for 56 counties that have been severely impacted by recent flooding along the Missouri River and other parts of the state. The declaration makes assistance available to homeowners, renters, businesses, public entities, and select nonprofit organizations.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Roadways can turn hazardous and deadly during winter’s wrath, and a project under way in Iowa is looking at one possible solution: Heating the pavement. The Ames Tribune reports the Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa State University are working together on heated pavement technology.

PITTSBURGH, PA (IRN) – For the second straight year, Iowa’s Spencer Lee is an NCAA Wrestling Champion. The Hawkeyes placed fourth as a team. Drew Foster became UNI wrestling’s first Division I National Wrestling champion in nearly two decades.

FAIRBANK, IA (IRN) – The father of a man who was found dead from a gunshot wound on Friday night was arrested, according to KCRG-TV. Brock Niebuhr, 36, of Dike, was found with a gunshot wound. He died at the scene. Authorities arrested Daniel Niebuhr, 59, of Fairbank in connection with the shooting, and charged him with first-degree murder. Daniel is Brock’s father.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A man accused of throwing water on U.S. Rep. Steve King while he was eating lunch in Iowa has been arrested. The Des Moines Register reports Blake Gibbins, 26, was arrested Friday at the Mineral City Mill and Grill in Fort Dodge. The Lafayette, Colorado, man has been charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct, both simple misdemeanors.

IOWA (IRN) – An Iowa judicial nominee who was aware of an ongoing criminal death investigation but failed to preserve video footage of a drunken patron has lost her bid to become a district court judge. KCCI-TV reports Logan attorney Donna Bothwell was one of two nominees considered by Gov. Kim Reynolds to fill a court vacancy. The family of Charlotte Anderson, a Logan grandmother killed in 2015 by a patron of a small-town bar Bothwell owned, spoke publicly against her nomination. Bothwell testified in a wrongful death lawsuit that she reviewed but did not save her bar’s video surveillance that showed customer Austin Arndt drinking what court records show to be as many as 17 beers in the hours leading to Anderson’s hit-and-run death.

IOWA (IRN) – The Iowa State Men’s Basketball team lost to Ohio State 62-59 in the NCAA Tournament, while the Iowa Hawkeyes advance after a 79-72 win over Cincinatti.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – On the women’s side, the Iowa Hawkeyes survived an upset scare in the first round of the NCAA tournament, beating Mercer 66-61.

PITTSBURG, PA (IRN) – In NCAA wrestling, Penn State is dominating with five advancing to the final round. The Hawkeyes are in fourth place, with UNI in 13th, and ISU at 15th place.