Category: State News

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A gas leak is to blame for a death in Newton. The Newton Daily News reports it happened at the Meadowbrook Apartments Monday afternoon. There was a high level of carbon monoxide gas throughout the building, and one man was found dead. Officials haven’t found the cause of the leak.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Publicity around high-profile child abuse cases in Iowa has caused a surge in such reports. The Des Moines Register reports that confirmed child abuse cases in Iowa increased 26 percent, from almost 8,900 in 2016 to more than 11,200 last year. Gov. Kim Reynolds cut $4.3 million in March from the Department of Human Services, which oversees child protection.

SPARTA, WI (IRN) – An Iowa man accused of making threats to kill relatives at a high school graduation in Sparta, Wisconsin has been arrested. KCCI-TV reports Benjamin Sidie was taken into custody by Dubuque police on Monday. School district officials cancelled Friday’s graduation because of the alleged threats. The threats were made by text message over a period of several days, and police say Sidie threatened to die by suicide by cop, and he was going to do it at the graduation.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A 15-year-old boy from Omaha drowned at Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs yesterday. KETV reports two hours after he was reported missing, divers located his body within the swimming area of the beach in less than five feet of water. There were three lifeguards at the beach when the boy disappeared.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – A 13-year-old boy is recovering Monday after he was struck by a car near the Altoona Walmart, according to KCCI-TV. The teen suffered significant injuries to his head and legs.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Vandals burned two American flags in Dubuque on Memorial Day. KWWL-TV reports police are investigating.

STILLWATER, OK (IRN) – West Des Moines Valley graduate Broc Everett won the golf individual NCAA Championship Monday, according to the Des Moines Register. Everett was an an unlikely winner, as he has never secured an individual victory and barely cracked the rankings among the top 200 amateur golfers in the nation. Everett won in a playoff by sinking a birdie shot on the first playoff hole to secure the win at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Crews were able to save a man who jumped off the Court Avenue bridge Sunday afternoon in a dramatic rescue. KCCI-TV reports emergency teams were on scene around 3:30 p.m. near the Scott Street dam across from Principal Park. Officials speculate it might have been a suicide attempt.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police arrested a 15-year-old male after a carjacking at Walmart in Cedar Rapids Friday night. KGAN-TV reports an uninjured female victim said her vehicle had been stolen by a male with a handgun. The stolen vehicle was then reported as a reckless driver on I-80 near Davenport. After a short pursuit the vehicle crashed, and a 15-year-old male was taken into custody.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Authorities are investigating a train derailment in Ottumwa, according to WQAD-TV. Around 1:45 Sunday afternoon, a BNSF Railway coal train was headed east when it derailed. No one was injured.

IOWA (IRN) – The National Weather Service reports record heat will continue today with highs in the mid to upper 90s to low 100’s under a sunny sky. The average high for the end of May is 76°. Heat Advisories will be under effect.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Two people are dead after a crash between a vehicle and a motorcycle in Waterloo Saturday. KCRG-TV reports the driver of the motorcycle and a passenger in the vehicle died on the scene. The driver of the vehicle is in the hospital with serious injuries.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man is facing multiple charges after a trip on acid. KGAN-TV reports 18-year-old Phillip Antonio Lopes-Round took four acid tablets early Friday, after which he took off his pants and underwear, went to his neighbor’s house and asked her to have sex with him. When she said no, he ripped his her mailbox from its post, broke the house number and a light. Police arrested him and took him to the hospital, where he attempted to headbutt a doctor.

DECORAH, IA (IRN) – The Raptor Resource project says two eaglets at the Decorah North nest died Friday. Blackflies combined with the heat and humidity may have been why.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa is home to many different Asian cultures, and this weekend is the annual CelebraAsian Festival at Western Gateway Park. WHO-TV reports dozens of food tents line the streets allowing visitors to taste foods from around the world, but the event is more about pride. Guests gathered downtown to taste authentic Asian cuisine, hear traditional music, and socialize.

IOWA (IRN) – The flu killed twice as many Iowans this winter as last year. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported Friday that the state recorded 270 confirmed flu deaths in the season starting last fall. That compares to 133 at this point a year earlier. Just 44 flu deaths were confirmed in Iowa two winters ago.

CENTERVILLE, IA (IRN) – The children of a Centerville woman accused of killing her husband and lighting him on fire are now without both parents. Firefighters found Timothy Pasa dead May 5 in Centerville. His body was badly burned. Two weeks later his wife, Barbara Pasa, was arrested for his murder and arson. Their father’s death and subsequent charges against their mother left 14-year-old Kate Pasa and 17-year-old Owen Pasa without parents.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating an armed carjacking at a Cedar Rapids Walmart yesterday, according to KCRG-TV. No one was injured, and no arrest has been made.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – An eastern Iowa woman says she learned a hard lesson this week.
KWWL-TV reports the Waterloo woman’s SUV was stolen from her apartment, and found less than 30 minutes later on fire. She says she will never leave her car running again. The fire is being investigated as an arson.

CLARKSVILLE, IA (IRN) – Iowa has its first ever “American Idol,” and her hometown is making changes to celebrate, according to WHO-TV. On Monday night, Maddie Poppe was named the winner of the singing competition. In her hometown of Clarksville, she’s receiving another honor: a park. The Maddie Poppe Trailhead Park will soon fill an area near Highway 188. Plans include a picnic shelter and a bike trail.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Two adults from Davenport are in jail after police say they were neglecting an adult woman with intellectual disabilities. KWQC-TV reports 56-year-old Eugene Harris told police his wife, 47-year-old Kimberly Williams was keeping her intellectually disabled adult daughter locked in her room at all times. Harris said he has lived in the home for approximately a year and other than two days out of the year, the daughter has not been allowed to leave the locked room.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The owner of a Des Moines landscaping company was found guilty Thursday of “intentionally and purposefully” operating his business after being ordered to shut down. KCCI-TV reports William Bishop, who owns Bob Lenc Landscaping, Inc. took payments and deposits from customers without doing the work.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gas prices in Des Moines rose to $2.90 a gallon this week, about 60 cents more than motorists paid a year ago, thanks to shrinking supply and rising demand.
Prices could shoot over $3 a gallon this summer in Iowa. Experts blame rising costs on the OPEC oil cartel slowing production, and President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and reimpose U.S. sanctions.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Uber driver is facing 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse charges after allegedly assaulting a woman who was getting a ride home from downtown Iowa City in 2017. The Uber driver, 37-year-old Ali Alsheik, allegedly took an indirect route to the woman’s home, stopped along the way, and sexually assaulted her.

MARION, IA (IRN) – A bicyclist was hit by a car yesterday in Marion, according to KCRG-TV. The bicyclist was wearing a helmet, and will be OK.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – Marines and members of the Navy marched into Johnston on Thursday to break ground on a $19 million training center near the mile-long bridge at Saylorville Lake.
KCCI-TV reports the operation will be home to 22 full-time staff and more than 400 reserve men and women. The new Marine and Navy training center will be located down the road from Camp Dodge, which is one of the largest training centers in the country.