Friday, November 3, 2017

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Two people have been arrested and charged with an aggravated misdemeanor after a child was found hurt in Waterloo. KWWL-TV reports an investigation began on Oct. 10 for a 19-month-old child who had different stages of bruising on his head and body. Police say the toddler, and three other siblings, were removed from the residence. Officers have arrested John Mercurio and Nevena Soknia.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A dog was killed in a house fire in Ottumwa early this morning, according to KTVO-TV. Crews responding to the scene found the house fully engulfed. Only one man lived in the house and he was not home at the time. Unfortunately, his dog was.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A Republican power couple who work in Iowa’s executive branch are facing scrutiny after moonlighting as agents of Saudi Arabia to oppose a new law allowing victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to sue the kingdom. KGAN-TV reports Connie and Kim Schmett are facing accusations that they were part of an effort that misled veterans by concealing who was funding their advocacy work. The Schmetts say it’s an “oversight” that they didn’t file papers on their consulting for the Saudis.

NEW LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – New Liberty and Durant fire crews responded to an animal feed farm in New Liberty early this morning. KGAN-TV reports the fire started from spontaneous combustion of feed. No one was hurt.

NEVADA, IA (IRN) – Dow-DuPont is trying to find a buyer for the 225 million-dollar cellulosic ethanol facility in Nevada, Iowa. WHO-TV reports Dow-DuPont says they’ll keep the lights on using a skeleton crew until they find a buyer, but did not say how many of the 90 or so employees would get to keep their job. Officials say uncertainty in the biofuels market contributed to the decision to sell.

STORM LAKE, IA (IRN) – A college cheerleader quit the team after her institution mandated that athletes stand during the national anthem. Her decision comes after Buena Vista University in Storm Lake came under scrutiny following several football players and cheerleaders choosing to kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” BVU student Alyssa Parker, who is African-American, sent an email to her coach Monday, saying that ignoring her personal strong beliefs on social injustice is “problematic.”

Thursday, November 2, 2017

WASHINGTON, D. C. (IRN) – An Iowan and former Trump campaign official who has been linked to the Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller has withdrawn his nomination for an Agriculture post. Sam Clovis says in a letter to President Donald Trump dated today that he does “not want to be a distraction or a negative influence.” He cites “relentless assaults on you and your team” that “seem to be a blood sport.” This week, it was revealed that Clovis had communications with George Papadopoulos, who has admitted to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries.

GARNER, IA (IRN) – A woman has pled guilty to stealing from a resident at Summit House Assisted Living in Britt. KIMT-TV reports 35-year-old Randi Jo Chipman was charged with 3rd degree burglary and dependent adult abuse for stealing from a resident’s purse.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One man was arrested following a chase with a stolen vehicle Wednesday in Des Moines, according to WHO-TV. Police spotted the vehicle, and a high-speed chase ensued. 23-year-old Tony Lopez Jr. lost control, hit a building, and then tried to flee on foot. He was apprehended, and is in jail.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – There is a new phone scam in Scott County, according to WQAD-TV. More than a dozen people contacted the Scott County Sheriff’s office claiming they’ve received phone calls from scammers. Scammers tell people they’ve missed a court date and need to pay a fine with a credit card number. Officials say they would never ask for credit card information over the phone.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Phoenix man was put in an Iowa jail for more than a month for a crime he didn’t commit, according to KCRG-TV. Joseph McBride, originally from Cedar Rapids, was arrested for a robbery that happened in Iowa while he was in Phoenix. McBride says he spent time in jails in Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Missouri, before finally arriving in Linn County. A time-stamped selfie taken in Phoenix proved he couldn’t have been in Cedar Rapids at the time of the robbery. Family and friends helped get him released.

JESUP, IA (IRN) – Jesup’s grandmas are running, well, walking the basketball court for a good cause, according to KWWL-TV. Two local boys need help to pay for medical costs, and the grannies are gathering for a fundraising basketball game tonight. Granny basketball has some strict rules, including no running, no jumping, only two dribbles, and lots of ways to foul out. Sisters Dorothy and Anna Kay, members of Maynard’s 1950 Iowa State High School Basketball Champions are among the players taking the court tonight.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

JONES COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Jones County sheriff’s deputy and his K-9 were injured in a crash Tuesday morning. Officials say a truck was trying to pass a semi when it drove right into the path of Deputy Derek Denniston. The impact caused the car to roll into a ditch. A bystander helped free the deputy and his dog. The deputy and dog were treated and released. The truck driver was cited for passing illegally.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former Des Moines Roosevelt teacher and basketball coach will lose his teaching license for a year for wrongly operating outside of district oversight two bank accounts with more than $1.8 million in deposits. The Des Moines Register reports that Chris Cundiff transferred some of the money into his personal bank account and bought gifts for athletes and coaches.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Eight people are dead in an apparent terrorist attack after a man drove a rented pickup truck onto a bike path in lower Manhattan Tuesday. The suspect is 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov (SYE-foo-low SYE-poff) who had been living in Tampa, Florida, but is originally from Uzbekistan (OOZ-beck-uh-stan). KCCI-TV reports a man with his same name, hometown and age was pulled over on I-80 near Van Meter in 2011. He was cited for not having a proper driver log for the truck he was driving.

IOWA (IRN) – The adoptive parents of Natalie Finn–who are now accused of the teen’s murder in her starvation related death–had taken out a combined $35,000 worth of life insurance policies on their daughter. WHO-TV reports her father and oldest brother contacted the insurance company for a payout the day after she died. Their request has been denied, and any potential payout, and to who, is pending.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An insurance company that helps run Iowa’s new privatized Medicaid program is withdrawing its participation. AmeriHealth Caritas will end its Medicaid coverage at the end of November. Iowa privatized Medicaid in 2016 under Governor Branstad. Democrats say it’s “more proof that Medicaid privatization is a horrible disaster.” Governor Reynolds hasn’t yet acknowledged the criticism.

JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Eastern Iowa man spotted an unusual sight on Halloween — an albino deer. KCRG-TV reports Bo Neuzil won’t give out the exact location, but says he spotted the “ghost deer” in a timber area between Iowa City and Solon.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person has died and another was injured in an overnight apartment fire in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports the fire was contained to the third floor of the apartment, which is a Des Moines public housing building. There are 48 units in the apartment, and there is no word on how many people are displaced by the fire.

NEW VIENNA, IA (IRN) – Authorities are blaming a manure runoff from a dairy farm for killing about 60,000 fish in eastern Iowa. The farm is situated about three miles east of New Vienna. The fish kill was reported Oct. 9 after fish carcasses were spotted in two creeks downstream in Dyersville.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – A man has died while serving a life sentence for killing a 2-year-old girl more than 40 years ago in Waterloo. KCRG-TV reports that 71-year-old Russell Fitz died Sunday at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. He’d been assigned there because of a chronic illness. Fitz was charged with first-degree murder for the slaying of Michelle Day in June 1974. A detective found her body in a crawl space over Fitz’s apartment bathroom. She’d been strangled.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health announced the first flu-related death of the 2017-2018 season Monday. The man who died was from central Iowa and was over the age of 81.

POWESHIEK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – MidAmerican Energy is moving forward with its goal to produce 100% of its energy from wind. Construction is now underway on a new wind farm in Poweshiek County. The farm will involve 170 new turbines capable of producing enough energy to power 60,000 homes. MidAmerican says additional wind farm locations around the state will be selected next year, with the goal of building 1,000 new wind turbines.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man in a “Grumpy Bear” costume faces charges after an incident early Sunday morning. KCCI-TV reports a Des Moines homeowner noticed a man wearing a Care Bear “Grumpy Bear” onesie in his driveway. He confronted the man, and a fight ensued. A neighbor was able to help the homeowner restrain “Grumpy Bear”–actually 30-year-old James Shafer–and call police. Shafer told officers he was drunk and thought he was in Burlington.