Category: State News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating the city’s third homicide of 2018. KCCI-TV reports it happened Friday night when a 20-year-old man was shot and killed on the east side. Witnesses are cooperating.

MOWER COUNTY, MN (IRN) – One person was hurt after a man from Riceville, Iowa, driving a motorcycle hit a deer in Mower County, Minnesota. He’s OK, but his female passenger from Alabama was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Both were wearing helmets.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – An Ottumwa woman is facing 22 felony charges for stealing money from her former clients, who are dependent adults. WHO-TV reports Malia Ollom, 42, is accused of theft, forgery, fraudulent use of credit cards, identity theft, and dependent adult abuse. The former Crest Services employee committed the crimes between March of 2017 and January of this year.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Olympian Jenny Simpson set an American record in the 2-mile at the Drake Relays Friday as the crowd pushed her toward the finish with a standing ovation.The Des Moines Register reports Simpson was born in Webster City, but moved out of state as a child. Yet, Iowans have welcomed her as one of our own. Simpson has won all 11 of her Drake Relays races, and says, “it feels like these people have been on a journey with me — the fans are a big part of it.”

HIAWATHA, IA (IRN) – A Hiawatha Iowa man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the 2016 killing of his mother. The Des Moines Register reports 33-year-old Joseph Duane Hubbard told officers he killed his 56-year-old mother in her home by shoving a rotten apple down her throat during a heated argument. She died from asphyxiation.

GARNER, IA (IRN) – An accused mail thief has been arrested, according to KIMT-TV. Carl Douglas Werstein, 36, of the northern Iowa town of Leland, is charged with theft. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says it began receiving complaints in of mail being stolen from rural mailboxes. Werstein became a suspect and law enforcement set up a sting to catch the thief. Two items were placed in a mailbox monitored by authorities and Werstein drove up to the mailbox around 4 am and took the “trap mail.” He was apprehended.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A firefighter from the eastern Iowa town of Prairieburg was hurt while battling a brush fire that re-kindled Friday, according KGAN-TV. Nine agencies responded to the fire. The injured firefighter was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Governor’s office and the Republican led Iowa State Legislature have reached an agreement on a tax cut and reform plan. For income taxes, the Governor says the average Iowan will see a 10% tax break immediately. At full implementation, which could happen as early as 2023, the Governor’s Office says some Iowans will see a 25-percent tax savings. Critics say the state budget is already too tight.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Get ready for the return of those ticket-issuing speed cameras on Iowa interstate highways. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Iowa Department of Transportation doesn’t have the authority to regulate speed cameras. In a unanimous decision, the justices told the Iowa DOT it can only enforce laws, not make its own. And right now there is no law banning speed cameras.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – One person died in an accident on the Julien Dubuque Bridge this morning, according to KWWL-TV. An ambulance rear-ended an ammonia tanker. The Julien Dubuque bridge crosses the Mississippi River and connects the city of Dubuque to East Dubuque, Illinois.

CEDAR COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Cedar County man died in a farm accident Thursday evening, according to KCRG-TV. An emergency call reported a person was stuck in a grain bin five miles north of West Liberty. 64-year-old Randy Koch was pronounced dead at the scene.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police are investigating a shooting Thursday night.
KGAN-TV reports two people were shot and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The head of a state agency fired last month over sexual harassment allegations consistently displayed sexually inappropriate behavior to female colleagues for years, according to a redacted complaint Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office released Thursday. KCCI-TV reports Reynolds initially denied there were documents related to the firing of her longtime ally Iowa Finance Authority Director David Jamison. The document is explicit in detailing Jamison’s alleged offenses.

PRAIRIE CITY, IA (IRN) – Spring has arrived at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. WHO-TV reports so far five bison calves have been born on the Refuge. Each year around 10-15 Cows have calves. The herd these days can often be seen in a large field northwest of the visitor center.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Davenport man has been charged after he drove a vehicle from which shots were fired at a home and vehicle. Allen Jimerson, 18, is charged with two counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon. Jimerson drove two armed co-defendants to a home in order to fight with a female juvenile. When the female refused to come outside they fired several shots at the residence. They later shot at an occupied van.

SIDNEY, IA (IRN) – Fremont County sheriff’s deputies were not only searching for two suspects during a Wednesday morning pursuit, they were also looking for each other. KETV reports Sheriff Kevin Aistrope said the current radio system makes it impossible for the department and other agencies to communicate with each other in certain areas and if upgrades aren’t made soon, it could be a life-or-death situation. Ten agencies assisted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office in Wednesday’s pursuit. It started in Tabor with speeds of more than 100 mph and shots fired at law enforcement. Aistrope says, “It’s just a terrible, dangerous situation.”

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Council Bluffs police arrested a man on a child endangerment warrant a few days after a 16-month-old girl was found dead at an apartment. KETV reports police arrested Javon Joshua Jennings, 22, on Wednesday. Jennings was the sole caretaker of the girl during a time in which her left leg was broken in the hours prior to her death.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is leading a team to help prevent teenagers from using e-cigarettes. KCRG-TV reports Miller is working with the company JUUL Labs, which is investing $30-million on research, education, and community engagement efforts to reduce vaping. The group supports legislation to raise the minimum age for vaping products to 21.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Congressman Steve King says airport travelers don’t have enough options when it comes to how they get their news, and that CNN has too much control. King has submitted an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, that he says would allow for greater broadcast choice for the nation’s travelers. CNN programming airs on the television screens at some 60 airports across the country, including Des Moines International Airport.

IOWA (IRN) – A new study shows that Iowa is one of the top states in terms of wage growth since 2007. Federal employment data show that Iowa’s wage growth at 28% since the great recession ranks behind only seven other states. The top state in wage growth? North Dakota.

IOWA CITY, (IRN) – An Iowa City man was injured after being shot in the groin yesterday. KWWL-TV reports the victim says a man pointed a handgun at him, and when he pushed it away the gun discharged, striking him. A passerby drove him to the hospital. The assailant was described as short, heavy set, and was wearing a black mask and hoodie.

MITCHELL COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after a crash Monday night in Mitchell County. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver of a Dodge Ram ran a stop sign and broadsided a Honda Accord. The person driving the Dodge Ram was killed, and two people in the Honda Accord suffered minor injuries.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A sex offender from Newton has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl. The Des Moines Register reports that 49-year-old Berlou Barnard had been found guilty of four counts of second-degree sexual abuse. Barnard’s girlfriend, 40-year-old Michelle Wortman, has pleaded guilty to child endangerment and interference with official acts. Prosecutors say Wortman was aware of Barnard’s abuse and did nothing to protect the victim.

ELDRIDGE, IA (IRN) – A female student was taken to the hospital after being struck by a car near North Scott High School yesterday. WQAD-TV reports the accident happened at the end of the school day, and the student will be OK.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A $3.5 million project will connect two of Des Moines’ most popular parks by 2019. KCCI-TV reports a tunnel will connect Water Works Park and Gray’s Lake, which will be a safe way for people to walk from one park to the other without going over Fleur Drive, one of the busiest streets in the city.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Ninety-six-year-old Mike Fremont of Ohio stopped running marathons when he was 90. WHO-TV reports on Tuesday, Fremont set his sights on setting a new American record in the road race mile–and he did it. Fremont finished the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines in 13 minutes 55 seconds. Fremont will attempt a world record in his age group on Friday night in the 800 meters at Drake Stadium.