Category: State News

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – The Diocese of Sioux City made public this afternoon a list of priests the Diocesan Review Board deemed to be credibly accused of sexually abusing minors during the past 117 years.

IOWA (IRN) – A winter storm hit much of Iowa yesterday. Drifting snow caused many roadways in northern Iowa to close, as snow plows were pulled from roadways as they were ineffective. I-35 north of Ames into Minnesota is expected to open late afternoon Monday. Polk County Emergency Management asks professional drivers who need a place to park to use Hilton Coliseum in Ames, or Prairie Meadows in Altoona. The rest area at Elkhart and all ramps are full.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – At around 4 a.m. yesterday the Sioux City police department was called to a report of a shooting. Two people were transported to the hospital with gunshot-related injuries. Police are investigating.

FAIRBANK (IRN) – Firefighters from the Buchanan County town of Fairbank helped a stranded ambulance transporting a pregnant woman Sunday. The ambulance was stranded in the blizzard near the Wapsipinicon river with a female patient in labor. Members of the department gathered tractors and trucks with plows to get to the ambulance’s location. Winds of 50mph created near zero visibility. The woman was transported to an area hospital, and is reportedly doing fine. There’s no word yet on if she gave birth.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A couple said “I do” in aisle two of the Muscatine HyVee over the weekend, according to WQAD-TV. The supermarket wedding had everything a wedding would have like flowers, a wedding party, two ring bearers, and a reception. Anyone shopping at the store was able to catch a glimpse of the wedding.

MOUNT VERNON, IA (IRN) – A Marion man has been arrested after police say he took pictures of women dressing in an eastern Iowa college locker room. KCCI-TV reports 45-year-old Jeffrey Pospisil was arrested Friday. Students at Cornell College reported seeing a cellphone held in an open doorway leading to the locker room. Students alerted a coach, who found Pospisil in the area. Pospisil told police he had only been texting on the phone, but a search of the phone found more than 100 images taken in the locker room as students were fully or partially nude. He was fired.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa City Police Department has located a missing girl. KWWL-TV reports Grace Morrison was found safe in Iowa City.

IOWA (IRN) – Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said he will not run for the U.S. Senate against Sen. Joni Ernst in 2020 because he’s not prepared to fully commit to another run for office.
He told the Des Moines Register, “I didn’t feel that I could make that commitment, and without that commitment, I would be doing a disservice to the party, my family and myself.”

DECORAH, IA (IRN) – The Raptor Resource Project announced that the first bald eagle egg of 2019 has been laid in Decorah. Mom Decorah and her new mate, DM2, are now tending to their first egg together. The egg was laid at 10:32 p.m. Friday in their Decorah North nest.

WINNESHIEK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A tow truck driver was knocked to the ground while assisting a vehicle Wednesday after his truck was hit by a semi. KIMT-TV reports Bill’s Towing of Decorah was assisting a vehicle that went in the ditch. A semi lost control, slid off the roadway and hit the tow truck. The tow truck driver was knocked to the ground but is OK.

ALTOONA (IRN) – A woman was found dead outside an Applebee’s restaurant in Altoona late Friday night. WHO-TV reports a caller said a woman in the parking lot had been shot. The shooter had left before police arrived. Officers found the body and, after an investigation, Des Moines police checked on a person of interest. That person was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body found inside a burning vehicle Friday afternoon. KGAN-TV reports the name of the victim is not being released at this time, and an investigation is underway.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Longtime Iowa play-by-play radio sportscaster Gary Dolphin’s controversial comment likening a black Maryland basketball player to King Kong resulted in him being suspended for the rest of the season. Dolphin says he meant no offense.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo Community School District administrators and staff are scrambling to keep classes going after the roof collapsed on Lowell Elementary Wednesday.
Fortunately, the roof collapsed over the course of a snow day, so no students or teachers were in the building at the time. KWWL-TV reports the school administration has identified a location to hold school until the roof is repaired, but is asking the public’s help in providing school supplies.

IOWA (IRN) – Thousands of Iowans are calling for Gov. Kim Reynolds to excuse school days missed during last month’s polar vortex. The Des Moines Register reports an online petition asking Reynolds to pardon students from making up cancellations of three bone-chilling days in late January had nearly 14,000 signatures Thursday afternoon. While the governor doesn’t have that power, Iowa state legislators do. That’s what’s happening in Michigan, where lawmakers are considering a bill to forgive snow days.

IOWA (IRN) – Rep. Steve King has confirmed that he will run for a 10th term, despite controversies over his history of caustic remarks, including about race and immigration. The Kiron Republican has been criticized by national and state leaders of his own party, has been stripped of committee assignments in Congress and has drawn three primary challengers. In a Thursday taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program King said he has nothing to apologize for.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Georgia man is in a northern Iowa jail for fraud. KIMT-TV reports he’s accused of tricking a Mason City woman out of $3,000. According to court documents, he pretended to be an agent from the United Nations diplomatic courier service and promised the woman he would deliver a box in exchange for the money.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Iowa hair stylists are at the forefront of spotting signs of domestic violence. WQAD-TV reports the relationship between stylists and clients offers a comfortable, safe place to talk. In December 2018, the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office sent salons across the state a pamphlet that shows stylists how to approach clients who may be dealing with abuse and how to get help.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – The World Championship Chili Cookoff is coming to Ankeny later this year, according to WHO-TV. Annually the chili championship brings in 10,000 people over the three-day event. It’s filled with chili cookoffs, craft beer, and live music. Ankeny anticipates an economic impact of $1.5 million. The World Championship Chili Cookoff is September 6th- 8th.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The partial collapse of a roof has forced classes to be canceled at a Waterloo elementary school. Waterloo Community Schools Superintendent Jane Lindaman told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that no one was injured when the roof section buckled Wednesday morning under the weight of snow at Lowell Elementary.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Bellevue man accused of trying to run over someone in front of a Dubuque church has reached a plea deal. KCRG-TV reports 35-year-old Eric Schmidt pleaded guilty to first degree criminal mischief and going armed with intent. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a charge of attempted murder. Schmidt was trying to run over a man with whom he had an ongoing dispute, but he ended up causing $10,0000 damage to the church instead.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two people were injured in a shooting early Wednesday morning near Grand View University in Des Moines after police said a possible drug deal went awry. KCCI-TV reports two victims, Travis Houston, of Ackworth, and Abby Freel, of Indianola, were shot in the torso and suffered non life-threatening injuries.

LEHIGH, IA (IRN) – A Story City man suffered spinal injuries after being thrown from a snowmobile near the Webster County town of Lehigh. KCAU-TV reports Timothy Gerdes, 50, of Story City, was going 60 to 65 mph on the Des Moines River when he hit a three-foot-tall ice heave that was hidden by the snow. The snowmobile went airborne and he was ejected. Ice heaves are caused by freezing, thawing and re-freezing of river waters.

IOWA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds hit her highest job approval rating yet in the new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll. Fifty-nine percent of Iowans approve of the job she’s doing. Sen. Joni Ernst’s approval rating has hit its highest point ever. Fifty-seven percent of Iowans say they approve of the job she’s doing — a 10 percentage-point increase since September.