Category: State News

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A woman who was forced to view sexually explicit photos and video of her examiner during a driving test is suing the Iowa Department of Transportation for damages. KCCI-TV reports the 49-year-old was seeking a license when she was paired with 62-year-old John Alexander for the test at the Ankeny DOT station in 2016. Alexander was fired and was sentenced to probation.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – No one was injured when a car was driven off the road Thursday morning into a body of water in Council Bluffs. KETV reports the 58-year-old man said he looked away from the road and lost control, driving off the road and into a body of water at a park. Police say alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – President Trump announced a new tariff on imported steel and aluminum on Thursday but Iowa businesses are already paying for it. WHO-TV reports Kinzler Construction has seen significant increases in the price for steel studs and other materials they distribute in Ankeny. Suppliers raised prices starting last week. Suppliers say the price hikes are being passed on from steel mills. Local craft brewers say the aluminum tariff is a concern for their businesses as well.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – More than 100 roosters were seized Thursday from a home in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. A neighbor says they called police when they saw six men standing in the backyard of the house, slamming roosters to the ground and forcing the animals to fight. No arrests have been made.

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa school counselors are responsible for too many students, according to the American School Counselor Association. KCRG-TV reports the association recommends that each counselor’s caseload should be no more than 250 students. Iowa’s average ratio is almost double that, with one counselor per 418 students.

AVOCA, IA (IRN) – A western Iowa man has been charged after his son took some of his marijuana to school. KETV reports the fourth-grader found a small bag of pot in his dad’s bedroom in Avoca, took it to school that day and gave it to school officials, who contacted law enforcement. 30-year-old James Mills is charged with child endangerment and possession of marijuana. Mills told investigators his son did the right thing, but he’s innocent.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A young woman who tried to claim $50,000 she won from an Iowa scratch-off lottery ticket has been charged with fraud–she was too young to buy the ticket.
The Daily Nonpareil reports that Katelyn Dolezal, of Macedonia, was 19 when she bought the ticket, while state law requires players to be 21. A relative went to the Iowa Lottery office to claim the prize for Dolezal, and a check was issued in the relative’s name. Dolezal later called the lottery office for help because the relative wasn’t going to share the money with her.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police were searching a Des Moines neighborhood for an armed robber Thursday morning. KCCI-TV reports the armed man robbed a Godfather’s Pizza and fled on foot.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police say a man arrested for a hit and run on Tuesday night crashed his car intentionally. WHO-TV reports 30-year-old Othownh Kir crashed the car in an attempt to injure his passenger. Police say Kir believed the passenger “snitched” on him to police. Kir faces multiple charges.

FAYETTE – Two nursing assistants have been arrested for allegedly having sexual relations with patients at Prairie View Residential Care Facility in Fayette, according to the Mason City Globe Gazette. Authorities also allege that 23-year-old Paige Lynn Johanningmeier and 26-year-old Megan Marie Penney harbored the patients when they fled the care facility and were being sought as missing persons.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The Dubuque School District is warning parents to watch out for fake social media accounts. KCRG-TV reports a fake account posted a school cancellation, but administrators don’t believe it had any impact. The district says this is a good reminder to parents to check social media accounts closely.

OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – It’s official. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is running for a full term this year, according to KCCI-TV. She assumed the governorship when former Gov. Terry Branstad was appointed U.S. ambassador to China. She kicked off her campaign at the Clarke County Fairgrounds in her hometown of Osceola, where supporters greeted her with cheers.

STORM LAKE, IA (IRN) – Six northwest Iowa men and women are behind bars, all accused of abusing three kids for years. KELO reports the children’s mother was deported from the United States several years ago, so the kids moved in with their dad and his family. Police started an investigation when the Iowa Department of Human Services reported that their father was using meth. Police found evidence of ongoing physical abuse, saying the father and his family members beat the kids — ages 7, 8 and 11 — with hangers, shoes and kitchen utensils.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police have one person in custody after a homicide at a home near Drake Park. KCCI-TV reports dispatchers received a report of a fight. After responding, officers found a dead adult male. Additionally, police said earlier around 1 a.m., police were called to the same residence over a dispute and one person was taken into custody. Police cannot say yet if that is related to the homicide.

SIBLEY, IA (IRN) – Authorities have charged a driver whose sport utility vehicle collided with a car in northwest Iowa, fatally injuring the car driver and his 5-year-old son. KWWL-TV reports the accident occurred June 10, near Sibley. 49-year-old Ann Vanderpool, of Milford, faces two counts of vehicular homicide while driving intoxicated.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – A former Urbandale city employee is facing charges for allegedly stealing nearly $50,000 worth of computer equipment and then selling it on eBay. WHO-TV reports police arrested 40-year-old Chad Nielsen, a former Information Technology Specialist.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill is moving forward in the Statehouse that would radically change how the Iowa Supreme Court declares laws unconstitutional. KCCI-TV reports the bill would require justices to deliver a supermajority vote of 5-2 instead of a simple, 4-3 majority. The Iowa Bar Association calls the bill a “power grab,” but bill sponsor Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, argues the supermajority would “return” power back to the people. Garrett says four judges on the Iowa Supreme Court wield too much power to overturn laws.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill is now on the governor’s desk that would impact how Iowa grocers sell eggs. KCRG-TV reports the bill would require grocers participating in WIC, the food program for young mothers, to carry specific eggs. Those eggs include ones made at factory farms, along with with free range or cage free eggs. Supporters of the bill say it ensures low income people have a low cost choice for protein, but critics say it is direct interference in the marketplace.

SOLON, IA (IRN) – Students from a small Iowa high school will soon become “Juke Box Heroes,” as they prepare to take the stage with legendary rock band, Foreigner. The choir from Solon High School won a contest, hosted by KRNA radio, where they auditioned with a cover of the band’s hit song, “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Despite going up against much bigger schools, they received nearly half of the total votes.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A developer plans to build a $75 million condominium tower on Iowa riverfront land with views of the Omaha, Nebraska skyline. The Omaha World-Herald reports the Argent Group’s 15-story tower calls for outdoor and indoor swimming and a rooftop terrace.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman was injured in a shooting in Des Moines Monday night and police are still looking for the man who pulled the trigger. WHO-TV reports the victim suffered a non-life threatening wound to the side.

IOWA (IRN) – The Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System, which serves employees of state and local governments and school districts, had hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from 103 retirees’ accounts in October, according to the Des Moines Register. There have been no arrests, and an FBI investigation is underway.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A West Liberty man suffered a potentially life-threatening injury after accidentally shooting himself outside of a gun show on Sunday. KGAN-TV reports police responded to the Big Bore Enterprise Gun Show at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport for a report of a gunshot victim. Police say the man had a “negligent discharge” of his personal firearm. No one else was hurt.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – The Vice President will be visiting Iowa today. Mike Pence will be in Council Bluffs for a rally, promoting the Trump Administration’s tax reform law and other policies.

HOLLYWOOD, CA (IRN) – Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony included a special message for dreamers from Pakistan and Iowa. Kumail Nanjiani came to America to study at Grinnell College. He was nominated for best original screenplay–along with his wife–for The Big Sick, which is based on the true story of how they met. Nanjiani said, “I am from Pakistan and Iowa, two places…that nobody in Hollywood can find on a map…and like everyone in this room and everyone watching at home, we are dreamers. We grew up dreaming of one day working in movies. Dreams are the foundation of Hollywood and dreams are the foundation of America.”

LAKOTA, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa man is suspected of killing a woman. KCCI-TV reports first responders were called to a home in the Kossuth County town of Lakota Saturday to investigate a report of a domestic assault. They found the body of 38-year-old Krista Hesebeck. 45-year-old Chad Dietrick is charged with first-degree murder.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Federal prosecutors have filed a weapons charge against a Chicago man, so Iowa has dropped charges filed over the same shooting incident in Dubuque.
The Telegraph Herald reports that Ricardo Sanchez already has pleaded not guilty to the federal charge: possession of a firearm by a drug user. Police say Sanchez fired repeatedly into Club Rise in Dubuque. The club was closed, but four employees were inside. None was hit.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a shooting that left a 17-year-old boy shot in the hand Saturday, according to WHO-TV. The victim told police he was supposed to be meeting a girl he had met in juvenile detention. When he arrived, the girl and a male attempted to rob him. The male fired a single gunshot–hitting the victim in the hand–then the two fled the scene.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Legislature is considering a bill that would limit the public’s access to many 911 calls. The legislation would declare that audio, video and transcripts of 911 calls involving injured people are confidential medical records and exempt from Iowa’s open records law. If enacted, authorities’ initial response to shootings, stabbings and many other incidents could face less public scrutiny.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – The Johnston-Grimes Fire Department is raising money to buy three medical-grade saunas to help reduce firefighters’ risk of contracting cancer from pathogens in the air while battling fires. KCCI-TV reports cancer claims firefighters at a greater rate than the general population, and sweating helps release harmful chemicals that cause cancer.

DES MOINES, (IA) – Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey will be sworn into his new position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture today. The Des Moines Register reports Northey will hold a news conference this morning to resign from his state position. Then, U.S. Secretary of Ag Sonny Perdue will swear in Northey tonight during the Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.