Category: State News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A student was injured Friday afternoon after a fight broke out between a handful of students on the front lawn of a Des Moines school, according to KCCI-TV. The Hoover High School principal said in an email to parents that the incident happened after school was dismissed. One student had a knife, and another student was injured as a result.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – Kidnapping charges in Muscatine have been dropped after the county attorney says the victim sabotaged the case. WQAD-TV reports the victim was bound by the hands and feet, thrown into a car trunk and then dumped in a field in the middle of the night. The victim now refuses to cooperate.

SIGOURNEY, IA (IRN) – Two eastern Iowa kids are recovering from severe burns after trying a viral online trend, according to KCRG-TV. It’s called the “salt and ice challenge.” Participants put table salt on exposed skin, add an ice cube, and then hold it there as long as they can tolerate the pain. A Sigourney 15-year-old tried it with a group of friends. The group raised the stakes by using snow and the results were gruesome. She received severe burns.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The city of Dubuque has a goal of creating a new smart parking system, which could include an app that would show drivers available parking spaces, and allow payment through the app. But at least one city council member worries the implementation of this could hurt the taxpayer. The app will also issue tickets.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Police in Council Bluffs are investigating after a body was found inside a shuttered business. KCCI-TV reports the body was found at the old No Frills supermarket, which closed in 2016. Workers on site to remove shelving and coolers found the body. They say it had been there for some time.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – One person was hurt in a stabbing Thursday night in Iowa City. KCRG-TV reports a suspect is in custody.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa legislators are considering whether Iowans can continue to redeem deposits on cans and bottles during their trips to the grocery store. Sen. Mark Segebart, R-Vail, introduced a bill that removes grocery and convenience stores from the law that now mandates retailers to redeem cans and bottles. Opponents say the bill would make it tougher for Iowans to redeem the nickel deposit they pay on beer, soda and liquor purchased in Iowa, and undermine the 41-year-old program’s success.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Robert Stanton is a trailblazer within the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, now serving as it’s first African – American chief. Stanton says, “I am humbled and honored that I have the opportunity and the privilege to serve as a law enforcement officer in the community I was raised.” Stanton is a 20-year veteran of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

BOONE, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after an overnight house fire northwest of Boone. The identity of the person who died has not been released, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A 13-year-old boy who disappeared in the middle of a snowstorm is still missing, as brutally cold temperatures and blustery winds sweep the state. KCCI-TV reports Corey Brown, of Marshalltown, was last seen around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday. His parents noticed he was missing when they woke up for work Wednesday morning.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Sen. Joni Ernst says in an interview with Bloomberg that she was raped in college by a man she dated while attending ISU. This comes in the wake of the release of Ernst’s divorce papers, which allege abusive behavior by her ex-husband Gail, and mutual allegations of affairs.

MONROE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is taking care of seven animals rescued from rural Monroe County near Albia after being found abandoned in the cold without food, water or shelter. WHO-TV reports three horses, two dogs, a steer and a burro were rescued on Monday. The horses were underweight, and all animals suffered from neglect. No charges have been filed.

MOLINE, IL (IRN) – A Davenport man delivered a load of groceries to the Quad City International Airport yesterday. WQAD-TV reports Eric Schwab is hoping to make life a little easier for TSA agents during the government shutdown. Eric was homeless for nearly a decade. Now that he’s in a better place, he knew he had to give back. Schwab unloaded nearly 600 dollars worth of groceries from his jeep for TSA agents.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Two people who worked for a Sioux City hotel have been accused of a scam using guests’ credit cards. KCCI-TV reports they overcharged guests’ credit cards at the Howard Johnson hotel in downtown Sioux City. They’d then force refunds and split the money. The total stolen was more than $32,700.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s “fetal heartbeat” law — the most restrictive abortion limit in the country — violates the Iowa Constitution and may not be enforced, a state judge ruled Tuesday. The judge ruled “a woman’s right to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy is a fundamental right under the Iowa Constitution.” The decision is a major victory for backers of legal access to abortion. But anti-abortion advocates have vowed to continue fighting the issue in higher courts.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) A woman was allegedly set on fire by another woman at the apartment they shared in Burlington. KCRG-TV reports 51-year-old Deborah Powell is charged with domestic assault, willful injury and reckless use of fire. The victim told police they were arguing, and Powell sprayed her with rubbing alcohol and set her afire. She’s recovering in a burn unit.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man allegedly stole a pickup and crashed it intentionally into a homeless shelter in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. No one was injured, and 59-year-old Timothy Jones is in jail.

CLINTON, IA (IRN) – A Clinton woman is out more than $100,000 because she fell in love. WQAD-TV reports she fell for a man online, and he took almost everything she had. Her “mystery man” told her he loved her, and promised her he would double her money. Broken-hearted, and just flat out broke, she has filed for bankruptcy.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Senator Joni Ernst says she turned down Donald Trump’s request to run as his vice president in 2016 because of family concerns. Cityview, a Des Moines alternative newspaper, reports the information was revealed after Ernst and her former husband, Gail Ernst, settled their previously contentious divorce. She says it was a sacrifice she made for her husband, who wasn’t fond of her political career. The Des Moines Register reports court documents show that years before her divorce, Ernst was assaulted by her husband after she confronted him about his alleged affair with their daughter’s babysitter.

STORM LAKE, IA (IRN) – A man and child died after the vehicle they were in broke through lake ice in northwest Iowa. KCCI-TV reports first responders were sent to Storm Lake a little before 6 p.m. Sunday after receiving a report about the vehicle. The emergency workers went onto the ice, found the man and three small children and took them to shore. The man and one of the children were pronounced dead later at a hospital.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – California Senator Kamala Harris will be in Iowa in one week, following her announcement Monday that she is running for president in what is already a crowded Democratic field. Harris will take part in a town hall event with CNN at Drake University in Des Moines on Monday. That will make Harris the eighth Democrat to schedule an Iowa stop in January.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A proposal at the Iowa statehouse would bar schools from scheduling extra-curricular activities and classes on the night of the presidential caucuses in an effort to boost turnout. Sen. Robb Hogg, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, said he introduced the bill to encourage participation in the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating contest in Iowa.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – As the partial government shutdown approaches one month in length, UNI is giving federal workers a break. KWWL-TV reports any federal government employee can get two free tickets to the Panther athletics event of their choice, through the end of January.