Category: State News

GRAFTON, IA (IRN) – The Worth County Sheriff’s Office says someone is passing herself off as a therapy nurse. KIMT-TV reports it’s been reported in the Grafton area that a woman has been stopping at homes and claiming to be from Worth County Public Health or Worth County Home Care. After the woman was allowed in, prescription pills were reported missing.

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after a crash in Linn County early Saturday morning. KWWL-TV reports a Ford truck went off the road and into a deep creek bed. One man died at the scene.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A school bus hit a house in Des Moines Friday, seriously damaging the house, but everyone is OK. KCCI-TV reports the driver’s foot became wedged in-between the gas and brake.

FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – A teacher accused of making inappropriate comments about high school basketball players during a live stream of a game has resigned. KCRG-TV reports the Forest City School board has accepted Holly Jane Kusserow-Smidt’s resignation. She was a third grade teacher in the district and worked as a producer for radio station KIOW. She was working November 28 when Forest City played Eagle Grove in high school boys basketball. People listening to the live stream could hear her laughing and agreeing with announcer Orin Harris as he called some of the players that looked Hispanic “foreigners.” He also said they should go back where they came from. The radio station fired both.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa native Peggy Whitson, one of the most accomplished astronauts of all time, was honored at the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’ gala Friday night for her trailblazing career. Whitson spent a total of 665 days in space. She says, “the thing that draws you the most is the view — almost everyone who’s flown in space wants to go back.”

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Davenport elementary teacher has pled guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography. The Quad-City Times reports that Michael Ross faces up to 20 years in prison. Investigators say they found hundreds of images and videos on Ross’ computer, laptop and smartphone.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – A state audit of a south-central Iowa animal shelter has identified more than $13,000 in improper spending. The audit says the special investigation of the Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter in Oskaloosa found improper personal purchases by the shelter’s former director, Lindsey Sime, who used shelter credit cards. Sime pled guilty to theft and unauthorized use of a credit card, and was given a suspended prison sentence of two years, two years of probation and was ordered to pay more than $8,600 in restitution.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Two Iowa City men have been charged in a violent home invasion in which two men were beaten and a woman sexually assaulted. KCRG-TV reports 25-year-old Sullivan Smith-Berry and 28-year-old Earl Riley broke into an Iowa City apartment wielding an assault-style rifle. The men beat two other men with the gun, and kicked and stomped on them. Smith-Berry dragged the sister of one of the victims into a bedroom and sexually assaulted her before fleeing with cash and property.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is facing charges of theft and hitting a pedestrian while fleeing the scene. KGAN-TV reports 35-year-old Allen Callanan was involved in a theft at a plumbing company, then fled in a U-Haul pickup. He struck a gate and an employee. The employee will be OK. Callanan went to jail.

HAMPTON, IA (IRN) – A Hampton man is suing a gun manufacturer after the barrel exploded, causing severe injuries. KWQC-TV reports Ronald Hansen loaded his rifle over Thanksgiving in 2014 and the gun barrel exploded, severely damaging his right ear and burning his face. Hansen has joined other victims in suing the manufacturer of the muzzleloader, Savage Arms. There are no federal laws in place regarding safety standards in firearms, and manufacturers are not required to notify buyers of flawed products.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Freshman Lindell Wigginton scored 24 points and the Iowa State men’s basketball team held off rival Iowa 84-78 Thursday night, in the Cyclones’ eighth straight home win over the Hawkeyes. The 6 and 2 Cyclones have won six in a row after a 0-2 start. The rival Hawkeyes are 4 and 6 and have lost six of their last seven games.

MITCHELL, COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A dead deer on the road played a role in a head-on collision Tuesday night in Mitchell County. One of the drivers entered the oncoming lane to avoid the deer, and crashed head-on with another vehicle. Two were transported by helicopter to the Mayo Clinic.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man is in the Polk County Jail facing charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. WHO-TV reports 21-year-old Malike Sharkey allegedly lied to the 15-year-old victim about his age, claiming to be 17, and the two began dating. The victim said Sharkey repeatedly requested sexually explicit photos of her and she sent nude photos of herself to him.

CENTERVILLE, IA (IRN) – An arrest has been made in the homicide of a hunter whose body was found in rural Appanoose County. The DCI reports 27-year-old Ethan Davis of Promise City has been charged with first degree murder in the death of Curtis Ross of Cedar Falls. An autopsy determined Ross died from multiple stab wounds and multiple gunshot wounds.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man shot his wife, and then stabbed himself, according to KCRG-TV. And now 42-year-old Marc Campbell is out of the hospital, he’s in the Linn County jail. Campbell faces charges of attempted murder, willful injury causing serious injury and possessing a firearm as a felon. His wife will recover.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (IRN) – Federal prosecutors have charged 19 suspects in an alleged drug ring based in Milwaukee. The suspects are charged in connection with an alleged drug conspiracy, money laundering and bankruptcy fraud operation that distributed heroin, fentanyl and cocaine. The defendants live in the Milwaukee area, Chicago and Burlington.

MOUNT PLEASANT, IA (IRN) – A former mayor and city clerk are in court in southeast Iowa seeking $250,000 in damages following accusations they stole money from a now-defunct city. The Hawk Eye newspaper reports the 98-person city of Mount Union dissolved in March after a dispute over bills. The former Mayor and City Clerk are seeking damages for defamation. There was no one in court to represent the defunct city, and a state board will decide how damages will be paid, if awarded.

FAYETTE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Cresco teen was using the Snapchat app while driving just before his pickup crashed into a stopped SUV, which then hit a third vehicle, according to the KCRG-TV. 18-year-old Logan Johnson was Snapchatting while driving Monday when his Ford F-150 pickup struck a Jeep Cherokee, and the Jeep then collided with a Chrysler 200 before rolling into a ditch. Deputies cited Johnson for use of an electronic device while driving, a simple misdemeanor.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A used car dealership just outside Ottumwa burned to the ground early Tuesday morning. KTVO-TV reports no one was injured, but the entire building, a few vehicles, RVs and a boat were lost in the fire. The fire took hours to extinguish because there were tires stacked inside the building.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa City VA is accused of breaking federal law, and an Iowa family says it cost them their father and grandfather. WQAD-TV reports Army veteran Rick Hopkins, 65, died after complications from surgery to remove a brain tumor. Dr. John Schneider, who has had a dozen malpractice complaints against him, and who had his licence revoked in Wyoming, performed the surgery. Federal law bars the VA from hiring doctors whose license has been barred in any state, but Schneider was hired anyway.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines record store owner accused of hiding a camera in the business’ bathroom and recording an underage girl is now under federal indictment. Prosecutors say 48-year-old Robert Kuhn, the owner of Wayback Records, was indicted last week on a count of attempted production of child pornography. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new poll from the Iowa Grocery Industry Association and the Iowa Beverage Association says that a majority of Iowans are ready to see changes to the nearly 40-year-old law, known widely as the “bottle bill” law, that requires a 5-cent deposit on bottles and cans at the time of purchase. 86% of people want the state to offer curbside recycling instead.

WALCOTT, IA (IRN) – The world’s largest truckstop is expanding. Walcott, Iowa — on I-80 — has a population around 1,600. Every day, the small eastern Iowa town triples in size when visitors come to the Iowa-80 Truck Stop. It offers restaurants, a huge gift shop, a barber shop, laundry, movie theater, and even a dentist. Now, Iowa-80 is adding more space–23-thousand square feet–as a way to offer more fresh food options they say their customers demand.

LINCOLN, NE (IRN) – The body of a missing Nebraska woman has been found, and two Iowans are in custody. KETV reports Sydney Loofe, the Lincoln woman who went missing in mid-November, has been found dead in Nebraska. 51-year-old Aubrey Trail and 23-year-old and Bailey Boswell, both from Iowa, are in custody and being questioned by officials. Trail and Boswell were booked into jail in Missouri on November 3.

ALEDO, IL (IRN) – A Burlington man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for beating an elderly man and leaving him for dead. WQAD-TV reports it happened at a farmhouse in Joy, Illinois last May. 56-year-old Brian Tully admitted robbing and beating 83-year-old Fred Rooth in the head with a metal lamp. Rooth is still recovering after several surgeries. Rooth was implicated in other burglaries in several different counties when he was arrested in the May attack.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A woman is dead and a man has been charged with her murder in Dubuque, according to KWQC-TV. 42-year-old Beverly Puccio met 36-year-old Michael Piantieri at a bar December 3. The two left and went to her home, where they fought and she was killed. He’s in jail.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is defending GOP efforts to reduce the hit to the wealthy from the federal estate tax because it helps those who invest rather than people who spend their money on “booze or women or movies.” Grassley says his comments were taken out of context by the Des Moines Register.

EAGLE GROVE, IA (IRN) – A long-time Forest City radio host for KIOW-FM who was fired Monday for making racist comments towards the Eagle Grove High School basketball team has apologized. Some members of the community aren’t accepting the apology, saying he meant what he said, and his remarks were ‘filled with hate.” Eagle Grove School District superintendent Jess Tolliver says a quarter of the district is Hispanic and that number is growing. He says, “If it wasn’t for diversity, we wouldn’t be here…diversity has kept our schools alive and has brought more than 1,000 jobs to our community.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Navy will give a posthumous combat medal to the family of a Dubuque sailor on the 76th anniversary of his death on the battleship USS Oklahoma during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Father Aloysius Schmitt has been awarded the Silver Star. Schmitt helped shipmates escape to safety as the Oklahoma was capsizing during the attack on Dec. 7, 1941, giving his own life to save others. More than 400 sailors on the ship died.