Category: State News

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – An incident in Mason City that left a woman with minor injuries after being dragged by a vehicle Wednesday night was the result of transaction involving electronics gone awry. KIMT-TV reports a subject met the victim in the street and the victim allegedly gave the person the electronics valued at $40. However, the subject allegedly drove off before paying and the victim tried to hang on to the truck as long as possible.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny couple is being sued by their adopted daughter six years after being charged with neglect and false imprisonment. KCCI-TV reports the lawsuit alleges Ankeny residents Paul and Joann Drake beat and choked SavannahRose Willow and locked her in the basement. As a teenager in 2012, Willow said she was physically and emotionally abused and only allowed to leave the basement for school. The parents received a deferred judgment on a false imprisonment guilty plea.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two Git N Go convenience stores were robbed Tuesday night in Polk County. WHO-TV reports the robbers were armed. Police aren’t sure if the incidents are related.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A threat made against the Linn County Courthouse forced an hour long closure of both the main courthouse and the Juvenile Justice Center. KCRG-TV reports no threat was found, and the incident remains under investigation.

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa’s shift to private management of its Medicaid program has become increasingly unpopular. Just 28 percent of Iowa adults think the state should continue having private companies run the giant health care program for poor or disabled Iowans, according to a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa budget officials say the state budget will end its fiscal year for 2018 with a general fund surplus of about $127 million. Iowa Department of Management Director Dave Roederer says the boost came primarily from higher corporate income tax receipts, which he says was likely due to federal tax reform that created more business activity. Gov. Kim Reynolds says it’s a sign that the economy is growing.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Three men have been arrested after an armed home invasion on the south side of Des Moines. WHO-TV reports the residents were inside while it happened but were able to escape and call police. One suspect resisted arrest, and officers released one of their K9’s. The suspect suffered several dog bites and was taken to the hospital.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Thousands of text messages were sent out by Linn County’s Emergency Notification System Tuesday when a tornado warning was issued. KCRG-TV reports there was a problem: the texts were delivered after the storms had passed. Officials say the system was overwhelmed when more than 72,000 text messages were generated. The sheer volume of messages caused the delay.

AMES, IA (IRN) – ISU released a study Tuesday showing the effects President Trump’s tariffs are having on Iowa’s economy. The study shows losses to Iowa’s gross state product ranges from $1 billion to $2 billion. The biggest loser? Iowa’s hog industry.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Waldinger Corp. plans to build a $21 million corporate office and production facility in Des Moines and add 115 new jobs. The Des Moines Register reports the company will purchase 28 acres of vacant land on the city’s south side near Brown’s Woods. Waldinger is a mechanical, electrical and sheet metal contractor. Established in 1906 as Capital City Tin Shop, Waldinger Corp. is one of the oldest businesses in Polk County.

WASHINGTON, IA (IRN) – A trial began in Washington, Iowa today for a man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Burlington teenager. KCII-radio reports the Des Moines County trial was moved to Washington County because of extensive local media coverage. 25-year-old Jaron Narelle Purham is charged in the March 2016 death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson, a gender-fluid Burlington High School student, whose body was found with two bullet holes in the chest in a Burlington alley. Another man charged in the death, 24-year-old Jorge Sanders-Galvez was sentenced to life in prison in December 2017 after a jury trial found him guilty.

AURELIA (IRN) – An anhydrous ammonia leak in the small northwest town of Aurelia forced residents to be evacuated Monday. KCAU-TV reports he leak started around 10:00 a.m. at First Coop. Much of the town was evacuated, including about 300 students at Alta-Aurelia Elementary and the middle school. Residents were allowed to return home Monday evening.

MARION, IA (IRN) – A juvenile has been charged with harassment after a social media post indicated a possible threat toward the Linn-Mar Community School District. KGAN-TV reports
police investigated the post and determined the juvenile had no intention of writing a threat.
However, police said because of the concern it caused in the community, the juvenile was charged with harassment.

BOONE, IA (IRN) – A battle over pieces of history in Boone is going to court. KCCI-TV reports four Boone County residents are suing the Boone County Historical Society, citing a long list of alleged mismanagement dating back to 2016. Complaints include violating Iowa code and its own bylaws, terminating memberships for speaking out against the organization, and selling the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Birthplace without input from other members.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – For the second time in less than a month, the Cedar River is rising to dangerous levels in Cedar Rapids. KCRG-TV reports this is the third time this year the city’s had to prepare for another river crest. It’s expected to crest at 17.5 feet tonight. The Iowa Flood Center said flooding this time of year is no longer an anomaly. Instead of seasonal threats, flooding is now a possibility any time of the year.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Council Bluffs police arrested a man who took off in a truck with the victim on the hood. Officers were at a Walmart parking lot when they were approached by a man who said he had located his stolen truck in the parking lot. KETV reports the suspect got into the truck, and the victim and officer ran to try and stop it. The victim jumped on the hood as the suspect started the truck and fled. The victim continued to hang on as the suspect sped away. He victim was able to break the back window of the truck and enter the cab. The suspect jumped out of the truck and it left the roadway and struck a tree, but not before it ran over him. The suspect is in the hospital.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a drive-by shooting that happened Sunday just across the street from a Des Moines elementary school, according to KCCI-TV. At least one house and several parked cars directly across the street from Capitol View Elementary School were hit. No one was injured.

ALTON, IA (IRN) – Authorities responded to a train derailment in thenorthwest Iowa town of Alton Sunday after a week of heavy rains. The Des Moines Register reports an estimated 37 of the train’s 95 cars derailed as a bridge collapsed under the train. No one was hurt, and no toxic chemicals were spilled.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The former home of Holy Ghost Catholic School in Dubuque has been damaged by a fire, according to KWWL-TV. The building was vacant, and no one was hurt. Authorities suspect arson.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – Amid the devastation caused by the Marshalltown tornado were the trees; uprooted, snapped, or damaged beyond hope of recovery. WHO-TV reports Linda Harvey, who works the front desk at a hotel, has been turning damaged trees into works of art. Harvey started decorating trees when she realized she couldn’t do repair work, but wanted to do something. She says she wanted to “put a little something different and interesting and beautiful back in the community to make people feel a little bit better and hopeful.” She hopes that others who see the trees will realize that everyone has something they can contribute during tough times.

IOWA (IRN) – Democrat Fred Hubbell has a small lead over Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in a poll for the governor’s office that falls within the margin of error just more than six weeks before Election Day, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows. Forty-three percent of likely voters say they support Hubbell, and 41 percent say they support Reynolds. Seven percent say they support Libertarian Jake Porter, and 9 percent are undecided.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Federal prosecutors in eastern Iowa have announced prison sentences for two farmers convicted in separate cases. Prosecutors say 36-year-old David Pitz, of Elma in northeastern Iowa, has been sentenced to 10 months behind bars for using his more than $117,000 in farm profits for personal expenses instead of paying off his USDA-backed loan. In a separate case, 36-year-old Mark Laubenthal, of Bancroft in northern Iowa, has been sentenced to a year in prison for lying to his bank about how much land he was farming and how much crop he had in storage in order to secure a loan.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Davenport Hy-Vee was evacuated yesterday afternoon because someone sprayed pepper spray in the building. WQAD-TV reports the store was ventilated and closed early. No one was hurt.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Families gathered at an Iowa City cemetery to honor the memories of those who, in death, served the living. KCRG-TV reports the ceremony is part of the University of Iowa’s deeded body program. The program allows people to donate their body to medical education and research. This is the 51st year of the program. The ceremony honored more than 200 donors.