Category: State News

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A missing Burlington woman who was reported missing along with her 10-month-old son on July 23, has been found alive and well in South Carolina. WQAD-TV reports Magen Clark and her son were with Daniel Cluney, a wanted felon, voluntarily.

WEST DES MOINES, IA – A fire in West Des Moines early Friday morning caused major damage to a home and several vehicles, but residents were able to get out safely. WHO-TV reports when firefighters arrived flames had engulfed the garage and spread to the attached home. A travel trailer alongside the garage and vehicles in the driveway were also destroyed by fire. Firefighters were able to rescue a dog in a kennel from inside the home.

ARNOLDS PARK, IA (IRN) – Leaders of a northwest Iowa county want to block the dumping of oil-contaminated soil in a landfill near Arnolds Park. The soil is being removed from fields near where railroad tankers cars derailed and around 160,000 gallons leaked near Doon into the flood waters of the Little Rock River, contaminating fields. The Dickenson County Board of Supervisors don’t want the contaminated soil in the landfill.

APPANOOSE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Parts of southern Iowa are in serious drought conditions. KCCI-TV reports Appanoose County hasn’t seen rain in over a month, and only 11 inches of rain has fallen this year, compared to 25 inches last year. Some farmers are calling it the worst drought they’ve seen in more than 30 years.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public safety reports that the number of missing is holding steady. In light of the missing person investigation of Mollie Tibbits, concerns have come to light about the number of juveniles reported missing in Iowa in recent weeks. In FY 2017 4,311 juveniles were reported missing to The Missing Person Information Clearinghouse. This is an average of approximately 12 juveniles a day. The vast majority are found or returned home within 24 hours. Typically these cases are runaway situations, and the number of missing juveniles reported in recent weeks is in line with historical numbers.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – An Ottumwa woman has admitted to killing her 5-year-old daughter. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations reports 22-year-old Kelsie Thomas has been charged with murder in the first degree. First responders found the girl hanging in the closet.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo toddler passed away after falling from a carnival ride in Mexico on July 23. The 3-year-old was on vacation with her family when she was ejected from the seat of the carnival ride she was on.

DECATUR COUNTY, IA (INN) – A Minnesota man died Thursday morning in a two-vehicle collision in southern Iowa, according to the Iowa State Patrol. Paul Charles Griebel, 62, of Savage, died after his semi, heading northbound on Highway 35 in Decatur County, hit a truck with a directional arrow that advised drivers to move into the left lane. Griebel’s vehicle did not move over, and when it struck the trailer, it entered a ditch and rolled.

PEOSTA, IA (IRN) – President Trump made a stop in Iowa Thursday to talk tariffs, and touted a newly reached trade truce with the European Union, saying it opened up Europe for American farmers. Farm groups responded that EU countries are already the fourth largest buyer of U.S. agriculture exports.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – This weekend Des Moines will be the center of the competitive cup stacking world. WHO-TV reports the AAU Junior Olympic Games are being held Friday and Saturday in Des Moines. On of the marquee events is “Sport Stacking.” Competitors face off one-on-one or in teams to stack, un-unstack and re-stack cups in specific patterns as fast as they can. Sport stackers from 30 different states will be in Des Moines for the competition.

BROOKLYN, IA (IRN) – Federal and state investigators are hoping that her Fitbit will reveal crucial information in the sudden disappearance of a University of Iowa student, according to KCCI-TV. 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, an incoming sophomore from Brooklyn, vanished July 18 without a trace while she was on a run. The case is becoming more and more foreboding after investigators say the circumstances surrounding her disappearance appear to be suspicious and concerning.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A victim walked into a Cedar Rapids hospital with a gunshot wound last night, according to KWWL-TV. Police are investigating.

SHELDON, IA (IRN) – Three teens were arrested for burglary near Sheldon in O’Brien County after being caught in the act by the owner. KCAU-TV reports a man caught the teens while stealing copper wire, pipes, and tools from his farm, and he was able to detain them until law enforcement arrived.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Business leaders, educators and protesters plan to greet President Trump Thursday in northeast Iowa’s Dubuque County. The Des Moines Register reports
the president, on his third trip to the state since the 2016 election, will attend a roundtable discussion on workforce development. This will be Trump’s first visit to Dubuque County since 2016, when he became the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the traditionally Democratic county since President Dwight Eisenhower did in 1956.

HERSHEY, NE (IRN) – An Iowa woman was pulled over and cited twice for speeding in western Nebraska – the second time after hitting 142 mph. The 31-year-old from Council Bluffs was first stopped around 1 a.m. Saturday on westbound Interstate 80. A deputy cited her and let her leave. Deputies say she accelerated away rapidly and soon exceeded the speed limit. They gave chase again as she hit 142 mph before she was finally stopped. She was arrested on suspicion of willful reckless driving.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A man who admitted to fatally stabbing his grandparents in the Mason City home they shared was sentenced Monday to life in prison. The Des Moines Register reports that Codie Matz, 25, changed his plea from innocent to guilty. Matz says he wants to accept responsibility for the deaths, and that “I realize hell is hot and the devil is mean. If I’m going down, then I’m going down, and that’s something I’ve got to accept.”

MOUNT AYR, IA (IRN) – A motorcycle and a golf cart collided in Mount Ayr Saturday and the motorcyclist was killed. The Iowa State Patrol reports both vehicles were traveling in the same direction. As the motorcycle attempted to pass on the left, the golf cart turned left and the vehicles collided. The motorcyclist, 54-year-old DeWayne Clark of Mount Ayr, wasn’t wearing a helmet.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it will tap an existing program to provide $12 billion in direct payments and other efforts to farmers and ranchers hurt by foreign retaliation to President Trump’s tariffs. Governor Kim Reynolds says it’s a start, but what farmers really need are open markets.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A University of Iowa football player faces a public intoxication charge after police say he drunkenly mistook a police car for an Uber. KGAN-TV reports 22-year-old Brady Reiff, a junior defensive tackle, was arrested in Iowa City early Saturday. According to police, Reiff tried to open the doors of the parked cruiser. When an officer asked what he was doing, Reiff said he was looking for a ride. When the officer asked whether Reiff thought he was an Uber driver, Reiff replied, “Yes.” Reiff allegedly registered a blood-alcohol content of .204, more than twice the legal limit to drive.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Council Bluffs motorcyclist is in intensive care after one driver hit him and then another ran him over. KETV reports Council Bluffs police are searching for the two drivers who fled the scene on I-29 South on Saturday. The man’s son, who was on another motorcycle at the time, says a car merged from the left lane into the right lane, clipped his father’s front tire, put the bike down and then somebody came up behind him and ran over him. The son says his father’s helmet probably saved his life.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque police have arrested a man in connection with a homicide after a woman’s body was found inside an apartment early Monday morning. KCRG-TV reports Garry James, 53, faces a first-degree murder charge. Police found the body of Michelle Kinney, 53, with multiple puncture wounds to her body.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A man was arrested for embezzling money from a Sioux City bar to buy more than $46,000 worth of meats and cheese. KCAU-TV reports Carlos Barrera, 52, worked at the Ickey Nickel as a head chef when he made those unauthorized purchases at Staber Meats. HIs unauthorized purchases were of large quantities of beef chuck rolls, pork butts and feathered mozzarella cheese.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – RAGBRAI co-founder and longtime Des Moines Register columnist Donald Kaul has passed away. Kaul started RAGBRAI in 1973 with John Karras, after Karras suggested Kaul ride his bicycle across Iowa and write columns about what he saw. Kaul was also a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. He passed away on Sunday morning–the same day RAGBRAI began this year–after stopping treatment for prostate cancer. Kaul was 83 years old.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has not missed a vote in the United States Senate in 25 years. July 20, 1993 marks the date when his current consecutive voting streak began. The last vote Grassley missed occurred in 1993 when he was in Iowa due to the floods that ravaged the state. To date, Grassley has cast 8,169 consecutive votes and holds the record for longest length of time without missing a vote in the history of the Senate.