Category: State News

BRITT, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa teacher has again been accused of driving while intoxicated. 27-year-old Raylea Hepker is charged with operating while intoxicated, third offense. Britt police say Hepker was taken into custody after an officer stopped her on Jan. 28. Police had received a complaint about a vehicle with its license plate covered was being driven on the wrong side of a road. A breath test showed a blood alcohol level of more than three times the legal limit. The West Hancock Community School District website lists her as an English language teacher.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – Authorities in eastern Iowa are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found by the side of a highway near Muscatine. The Muscatine Journal reports that the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 1 a.m. Tuesday to report a woman lying on the side of Highway 38. Arriving deputies found the woman’s body. An investigation is underway.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A wanted fugitive was taken into custody after a traffic stop led to a pursuit in Mason City that involved a vehicle crashing into a snowbank and the suspect intentionally trying to hit a deputy’s vehicle. KIMT-TV reports Frederick Olson, 46, of Mason City, is facing charges of felony eluding and possession of methamphetamine, among other charges.

IOWA (IRN) – Women who work in state government in Iowa are paid less than men. The Des Moines Register reports the median salary for female state employees in fiscal year 2018 was nearly $51,000 — about $5,000 less than the median salary for male employees.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Students at a Des Moines elementary school wished Iowa veterans a happy Valentine’s Day yesterday. WHO-TV reports first grade students at Jackson Elementary in Des Moines spent Thursday morning putting together valentines for veterans at the Iowan Veterans Hospital. The students’ cards were handed out to veterans later Thursday night.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A house subcommittee advanced a bill to prohibit traffic enforcement cameras. KCRG-TV reports House Bill 125 states that, in July, “all local ordinances authorizing the use of automated or remote systems for traffic law enforcement shall discontinue”.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – The trial for an Ottumwa mother who confessed to strangling her five-year-old daughter with pajama pants has been scheduled for September. WHO-TV reports Kelsie Thomas will stand trial for her daughter Cloe Chandler’s murder on September 10th.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A man is now facing charges after a woman’s body was found in a Waterloo cemetery in January 2018. KWWL-TV reports police charged Fredrick Williams for First-Degree Murder and Abuse of a Corpse Wednesday. The charges date back to a grim discovery on January 26 of last year, when the body of his wife Lakisha Williams was discovered in the Garden of Memories Cemetery. She had been missing for five days.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill that targets slow-moving drivers in the left lane has advanced in the Iowa Statehouse, and it could cost offenders $100 if they refuse to move over. Iowa legislators call the offense “left-lane loitering.”

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – An Iowa mail carrier is okay after a scary accident that left them in the Mississippi River in Burlington. KBUR radio reports that the driver of the truck lost control and slid off the road Wednesday morning. The driver managed to jump from the vehicle before it went into the river. The truck didn’t sink because ice kept it partially afloat until it could be pulled from the water.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two people were killed in a house fire in Saylor Township north of Des Moines this morning. The fire is under investigation.

OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – Clarke County authorities are investigating after dozens of cattle were found starved to death near Osceola. The Des Moines Register reports that the farmer could face charges.

IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a semi that struck a patrol car and then drove away yesterday. The semi driver stopped briefly before fleeing the scene but didn’t check on the deputy. The deputy is OK.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, IA (IRN) – A city surrounded by Iowa City has banned racial and other types of profiling by police officers. The University Heights City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt the ordinance. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that the ordinance is the first of its kind in Iowa. It requires anti-bias training for officers, funds the purchase of data collection and creates a complaint review board.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines’ historic Riverview Park is making a comeback. City leaders voted Monday to begin work on a $4 million outdoor concert venue at the site. Riverview opened in 1915 and closed in 1978. Plans for the new Riverview Park include Rivera Stage — a 6,000-seat outdoor concert venue, a shelter house, playground and concession stand. Each will have touches from the old amusement park. Construction will begin this spring, and the park will open by the summer of 2020.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst has repaid $1,900 to the Office of Tax and Revenue after the Des Moines Register questioned her about a tax break she had been claiming on her condo in Washington for years. An Ernst spokesman says the homestead tax credit claim was made in error and immediately returned when it was brought to the senator’s attention. It’s unclear if Ernst will face any penalty for the claim.

CRESCO, IA (IRN) – A Cresco man was seriously injured after the horse and buggy he was driving was hit by a truck Saturday. The horse and buggy driven by a 23-year-old man pulled out in front of a Ford F150 truck. The 50-year-old driver of the truck was not able to stop in time and hit the horse. The young man was thrown from the buggy onto the road and the horse crawled into a nearby ditch and died. The buggy driver was airlifted with serious head injuries.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Fire Department crews fought flames and snow Monday at a trailer home fire. KCCI-TV reports three children in the home escaped safely.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill that would eliminate the requirement to obtain a permit to buy or carry a gun in Iowa has been moved out of a Senate subcommittee. The Senate bill has the support of 15 senators, the National Rifle Association, the Iowa Firearms Coalition and Iowa Gun Owners groups. It’s opposed by Catholic, Methodist and Episcopal church groups along with domestic violence and gun safety organizations.

IOWA (IRN) – A Winter Storm Warning continues for parts of Central and Eastern Iowa through the day today with a Winter Weather Advisory in counties in Western Iowa. A range of 1″ in Western Iowa to 7″ in Eastern Iowa fell across the state Monday night through the early morning Tuesday. The Des Moines Metro saw 3 to 5″ fall.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A pedestrian was struck by a car in a crosswalk in Davenport Saturday, according to WQAD-TV. The victim will be OK, and police are investigating.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A woman’s body was discovered in a Marshalltown hair salon Sunday morning, according to the Des Moines Register. The body of 39-year-old Ginger Carter was found after police received a call reporting an “unattended death” at Center Cuts & More.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Volunteers at the neonatal intensive care unit at a Des Moines hospital are cuddling infants who were born suffering from opioid withdrawal. KCCI-TV reports every 15 minutes, a baby is born suffering from the condition. It’s called neonatal abstinence syndrome, and babies who have it may cry excessively, have trouble sleeping and gain weight slowly. Vicki Agnitsch, a retired nurse who is one of 22 volunteers part of the Cuddler Volunteer program at Blank Children’s Hospital, says “touch is so important to babies…without it, there would be failure to thrive.”

IOWA (IRN) – A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for central and eastern Iowa for today and tomorrow. A mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow are on the way. Accumulations of 2-8 inches are likely.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Someone bought a Powerball ticket in Burlington worth $2 million.
Iowa Lottery officials say the ticket matched the first five numbers in Saturday’s drawing but missed the Powerball number. The ticket was bought at Hy-Vee.