Category: State News

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A 39-year-old Waterloo man is in custody after a deadly crash involving a bicyclist this summer. KWWL-TV reports the crash happened on July 2 near Washburn. Connie Inks was killed in the collision. Joshua Summerhays is now facing a vehicular homicide charge. An investigation showed Summerhays was distracted by an electronic device at the time of the accident, and was allegedly under the influence of methamphetamine, opiates, and benzodiazepines at the time of the crash.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A birthday outing that started in a metro skating rink ended with a family trip to the emergency room. KCCI-TV reports Jen Taylor, of Waukee, said her family started feeling sick Saturday after visiting Skate West in West Des Moines for her daughter’s sixth birthday. Doctors said they were experiencing side effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. MidAmerican Energy responded and reported above-normal carbon monoxide readings inside the building. A gas-fired heater was the problem.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A report from USA Today says the VA is auditing hospitals across the country. The concern is some of the agency’s hospitals didn’t follow proper procedures when they cancelled some patients’ medical services and Iowa City is among those on the list being investigated. The accusation is that the VA hospital in Iowa City cancelled important medical procedures that were ordered by doctors for their patients when they shouldn’t have.

WASHINGTON, DC (IRN) – President Donald Trump on Monday hinted at a possible upcoming trip to Iowa to announce “something very important” while touting a new U.S. trade deal with Canada and Mexico. The Des Moines Register reports the comments came as Trump thanked Sen. Joni Ernst during a news conference announcing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The president told reporters that he would be in Iowa “very soon.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines high school is looking for creative ways to get students thinking ahead to possible career choices. WHO-TV reports Roosevelt High School has launched a “Barber Shop” program. The program will be led by local barbers.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man died in a construction site accident in Fort Dodge. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports 43-year-old Jose Gomez of Latimer died Friday. Workers were pouring concrete at a job site when the boom of a concrete pump truck landed on Gomez.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 28-year-old man died Sunday after he was shot several times on the east side of Des Moines, according to the Des Moines Register. He was in the passenger’s seat and a 25-year-old woman was sitting in the driver’s side of a parked vehicle during the attack. The woman and two children in the car weren’t injured.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating the death of a seven-month-old child in Davenport Sunday, according to WQAD-TV. First responders transported the baby to the hospital, where it was pronounced dead.

EVANSDALE, IA (IRN) – A memorial park dedicated in part to two young cousins in Black Hawk County is finished. KCRG-TV reports family and friends came together for the grand opening of Angels Park in Evansdale Sunday. It’s dedicated to people who lost their lives too early in life. Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins are the original inspiration. They were kidnapped in July of 2012, and their bodies found in December of that year. Their killer is still at large.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Two Waterloo girls aged 11 and 12 were caught driving a stolen SUV. KWQC-TV reports the two were spotted in a 2017 Black GMC Terrain at 1:50 a.m. on Thursday. The SUV had been stolen from an auto dealership. When an officer tried to pull the vehicle over, a brief pursuit ensued. Waterloo Police Major Joe Leibold said officers were “surprised” to see how young the girls were. He added, “this case is very unusual, but we take them as they come.”

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A motorcycle crash resulted in one fatality Friday evening in Mason City, according to the Des Moines Register. Shawn True was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by Brandon Kellar, 40, when Kellar struck the rear end of a Pontiac G6 at an intersection.
Keller was then transported to Mercy Medical Center for treatment, but the 36-year-old True was pronounced dead at the scene.

MITCHELL COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two people were hurt after a tractor and car collided Friday near New Haven in northern Iowa, according to KIMT-TV. One person was flown to a Mayo Clinic facility and one was taken by ambulance to Osage. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Friday was the last night the Mission of Hope’s homeless shelters in Cedar Rapids will operate. KCRG-TV reports the Cedar Rapids charity is shuttering its overnight men’s and women’s facilities because of a lack of funding. The Mission of Hope budget requires about $40,000 a month in donations to keep operations going. The gifts in August totaled only $16,000.

FORT WORTH, TX (IRN) – TCU connected on a 28-yard field goal in the closing seconds and beat Iowa State 17-14 Saturday night in Fort Worth. The Cyclones travel to Oklahoma State next Saturday. The Hawkeyes had a bye week.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Two people were injured after a shooting overnight in Iowa City, according to KWWL-TV. Just before 2 a.m. Saturday, the Iowa City Police Department received a report of shots fired. On scene, officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. A short time later, a second person with a gunshot wound was discovered about one block away from the original location.

ELGIN, IA (IRN) – An Elgin woman charged in her infant daughter’s death admitted to throwing the infant who then hit her head on a table. KCRG-TV reports a deputy arrived at the home to find Alicia Rios “kneeling on the ground crying hysterically.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Diocese of Des Moines is revealing a decades old complaint against a retired priest. WHO-TV reports the Diocese says it was made aware on September 6th, 2018 of a complaint against Father Leonard Kenkel. The allegation dated back more than a decade and the church says it was advised the statute of limitations in the case had passed.
Kenkel was ordained to the priesthood in 1960. He served several parishes, and taught at Dowling Catholic High School for 27 years.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Two people protesting at Senator Chuck Grassley’s Office in Davenport during the hearing for Brett Kavanaugh were arrested for trespassing. KCRG-TV reports a 57-year-old man and 63-year-old woman were arrested after they wouldn’t leave when the office closed. They were charged with trespassing and booked into the Scott County Jail. They were both released after about 90 minutes.

BISMARCK, N.D. (IRN) – An Iowa firearms company has given the Bismarck N.D. Police Department nine AR-15 rifles for school resource officers. The Bismarck Tribune reports that Iowa-based Brownells Inc. donated the AR-15s after police requested funds to buy the rifles. A Brownell’s spokesperson says the company heard about the request, and decided to help. Police say the donation will allow the department to spend more money on medical kits.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Police have found another credit card skimmer on a gas pump in the Des Moines metro, according to KCCI-TV. They say it happened at the Casey’s in Urbandale on Urbandale Drive. It was there from September 12th through the 13th.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A homeless woman was sexually assaulted in a vacant apartment in downtown Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. Police say the woman was taken to an apartment by a man she knew from a homeless shelter. Police said the man told her they were going to look at apartments but sexually assaulted her instead.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man led Polk County authorities on a high-speed car chase into northeast Des Moines on Thursday night after he didn’t stop when deputies tried to pull him over. The Des Moines Register reports the man eventually pulled over and ran, but was apprehended. Deputies tried to stop the SUV because it didn’t have license plates.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A major construction project will soon be underway at the Eastern Iowa Airport. KCRG-TV reports it’s thanks to an Airport Infrastructure Grant worth nearly $9 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The money will go towards building a new air cargo complex. Officials say the need for expansion is clear. E-commerce this year alone has increased demand on the airport’s cargo capabilities by 30% and all indications are that demand will only increase.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University is the No. 1 option for price-conscious families in the state looking for the best value in higher education, according to a study from Time MONEY magazine. The report said in-state students can obtain a degree for less than $85,000.