Category: State News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol reports an 18-year-old was killed in a crash on Highway 5 Sunday night near Des Moines. An eastbound Toyota Sequoia driven by Famous Rucker, 46, rolled several times into a ditch after he lost control on the icy bridge. Malik Rucker, 18, was killed in the crash. Aisha Rucker, 46, suffered injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Malik Rucker was not wearing a seatbelt.

LAPORTE CITY (IA) – A search for an autistic teen who disappeared in LaPorte City continues today, according to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. The search for 16-year-old Jake Wilson has been conducted by hundreds of individuals. “It’s like he just vanished,” said his mother, Megan Neiswonger. “We searched everywhere.”

FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – A judge has found a Britt man guilty on two counts of 2nd degree sexual abuse. KIMT-TV reports 48-year-old Chad Bonner pleaded not guilty and waived his right to a jury trial, allowing his case to be decided by a judge. His victims were two girls under the age of 12. The abuse occurred in Forest City and Thompson.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A sexual assault was reported at the Slater Hall dormitory at the University of Iowa Sunday morning. KWQC-TV reports the suspect is a white male, between the ages of 18-20, wearing a short sleeve Hawaiian shirt.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Parts of Fleur Drive near Gray’s Lake in Des Moines were closed Sunday night after a multi-car crash involving at least 10 vehicles. KCCI-TV reports there were a few minor injuries. The crash happened around 8 p.m. as snow made its way through the state.

WINDSOR HEIGHTS, IA (IRN) -The hockey community in central Iowa is rallying behind the Humboldt Broncos after the Canadian team lost many of its players in a bus crash Friday. WHO-TV reports JT’s Slapshot Hockey Shop in Windsor Heights is holding a fundraiser for the Broncos. Owner Justin Bottoms says, “the hockey community is such a tight-knit family. We all take care of each other.”

STEELE COUNTY, MN (IRN) – Three people from Iowa were hurt in a one-vehicle rollover on Interstate 35 in Minnesota on Friday. KIMT-TV reports a 29-year-old woman from Fort Dodge as well as her 12 and 7-year-old passengers were hospitalized. All three were wearing seatbelts.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – An eastern Iowa woman is facing two felony charges after she took $71,000 from the company where she worked as a part-time bookkeeper. The Quad-City Times reports she allegedly concealed the credit card purchases by altering the company’s software.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – While the White House tries to downplay the trade war with China, the Iowa farm industry says the dangers cannot be overstated. Craig Hill, president of the Iowa Farm Bureau says, “this trade war places a very dark cloud over the state of Iowa in terms of our economic future.”

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says she would be willing to deploy Iowa National Guard soldiers to help fulfill President Trump’s order to send the National Guard to the Mexican border. Governor Reynolds office clarified that it had not received any requests for troops as of yet and had no specific deployment plans. However, the Governor said she would not balk at such a request to protect the U.S. border with Mexico.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines fire crews responded to a house fire early Saturday morning. KCCI-TV reports when crews arrived they found a fire on the front porch and backyard of a north side home that is believed to be abandoned. Firefighters believe the fire may be linked to several brush fires in the area this morning.

INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – An Indianola day care provider faces several charges. On October 31, first responders were called to the scene of a 1-year-old in distress. KCCI-TV reports authorities determined that the child had been seriously injured by her day care provider, 34-year-old Heather McKasson. Court documents say McKasson “did knowingly and intentionally commit an assault on the victim,” and caused “severe and life-threatening injuries.”

NASHUA, IA (IRN) – State troopers arrested a Miami man in northeast Iowa after a high-speed chase and then learned he faces a murder charge in Florida. KGAN-TV reports a state trooper tried to stop a speeding vehicle Thursday near Nashua. The vehicle fled at speeds up to 100 mph. 21-year-old Devon Cooke is awaiting extradition on a 2nd degree murder charge in Dade County, Florida.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Police responded to a call of a shot fired at the Kirkwood Court apartments in Cedar Rapids around midnight. KWWL-TV reports a shot was fired from a car that hit the building. No one was injured.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – It’s the opening weekend for a movie based on a story from Iowa. “Miracle Season” is based on a true story about a high school volleyball team dealing with the death of their captain. Caroline Found died in a moped crash in 2011, just days before the start of volleyball season at Iowa City West High School. She was the star of the team. The film won’t be focused on Caroline’s death, but rather her impact on others. The movie is expected to bring in $3M this weekend.

WINTERSET, IA (IRN) – A proposed wind farm in Madison County has been put on hold this week by the Board of Commissioners. KCCI-TV reports the board wants more time to speak with residents because they’ve receiving a lot of negative comments.The wind farm from MidAmerican Energy would be south of Winterset in rural Madison County. The turbines would be anywhere from 200-400 feet tall.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police officers responded to an armed robbery late Thursday night. KWWL-TV reports the robbery was at a Kum & Go just before midnight. When officers arrived, store employees said they were robbed at gunpoint. The suspect fled on foot. $70 was taken.

CEDAR RAPIDS (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids woman is asking for the public’s help to determine who killed her daughter. KCRG-TV reports Lori McMann says she wants justice. While the murderer is still free, her family is coming to grips with losing AnnaElise Edgeton. AnnaElise was shot and killed at her apartment. She was 18 years old and had just gotten married. Police have not made an arrest.

MAXWELL, IA (IRN) – A man was hospitalized Thursday after he crashed his newly purchased ultralight aircraft in northern Polk County near Maxwell shortly after takeoff. KCCI-TV reports the owner of the airstrip says the man bought the aircraft that morning and was flying it for the first time.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Police were called to the Davenport bar, Mary’s on 2nd, after a car crashed into the building shortly after closing time this morning. WQAD-TV reports the driver of the car ran from the scene after the crash, and no one was injured.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Cubs celebrated 50 years of minor league baseball in Des Moines yesterday with the 2018 home opener. Two new foods were introduced; the “hot Polish,” and the “smokehouse burger.” The Cubs split the doubleheader with the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A state court has ruled former Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett was legally tossed off the primary ballot to challenge Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. KCCI-TV reports the court has denied his petition to include signatures that have been stricken through, leaving him short of the needed signatures to be eligible for the ballot. It means Reynolds now has no GOP primary challenger.

AMES, IA (IRN) – A customer found a shopping cart with a razor blade attached to the handle at the Walmart in Ames, according to WOI-TV. Police don’t know if the razors are being placed on the carts to harm people or as a tactic for robbers to shoplift.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa farmers are worried about warnings of a 25 percent increase in tariffs from China on soybeans and beef, both of which are on a list of $50 billion in U.S. goods that could be hit. One in every three rows of Iowa soybeans is exported to China.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a shooting Wednesday at a Des Moines bar.
KCCI-TV reports police were called to the Triple Double bar on reports of a shooting. Three shots were fired from the parking lot, and one person suffered a minor injury. Three men were taken into custody. The shooting was the third in five months at the bar.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Pinky the Pit Bull could be heading back home for the first time in two years after a split decision by the Iowa Court of Appeals on Wednesday. WHO-TV reports
Des Moines Police impounded Pinky in March 2016 after the dog attacked a neighbor’s cat. The city ruled that Pinky should be put down after labeling the dog as dangerous under a city ordinance. The court says the ordinance is too vague. The cat was seriously injured but recovered.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Literary leaders from across the globe are coming together in a local community that is famous for producing world-class writers. KWWL-TV reports the event is happening in Iowa City this week. As the host of the annual meeting, Iowa City celebrates its tenth year of being designated as an UNESCO City of Literature.