Category: State News

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque man faces charges after allegedly assaulting his friend with golf club over stolen cigarettes. KWWL-TV reports 21-year-old Robert Robey and three friends were at a house late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning drinking, smoking and using meth. Robey first punched one of the men, then later, attacked another friend with a golf club after he admitted to taking two cigarettes. Robey also forced two men into the basement of the home threatened to shoot one of the men’s mother, and threatened to cut off another one of the men’s fingers.

PIERRE, S.D. (IRN) – A Minnesota woman has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for an identity theft and bank fraud scheme. KCRG-TV reports 27-year-old Angelica Hatch-Pequin and co-conspirator Jason Fagin would steal mail from mailboxes in Minneapolis to obtain personal banking information. They would use the information to create counterfeit checks they would cash at stores and casinos in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa.

FORT MADISON, IA (IRN) – A Fort Madison man serving a 5-year sentence for theft has died in prison. The Iowa Department of Corrections says 30-year-old Adam Nolz had an “unexpected medical emergency,” and was pronounced dead Monday. No cause of death has been released. Nolz was in prison serving a sentence for a burglary in which a safe was stolen and later recovered in the Mississippi River.

AUDUBON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two hunters were injured while hunting in Audubon County Saturday. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports 56-year-old Arthur Goupille of Michigan was hunting pheasants when his gun discharged, hitting two members of his hunting party. The group was taking a break when Goupille’s gun fell over, discharged, and struck the nearby hunters. They suffered non-life threatening injuries.

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa’s three state university presidents on Tuesday asked the governor for $12 million in additional state funding, all of which would be used for financial aid for resident undergraduate students. In addition, the presidents requested nearly $40 million that would pay for part of three major building construction projects. Overall, they are asking for a 2.5 percent increase in state appropriations.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health on Tuesday named the first company it plans to license to make the active elements in medical marijuana, commonly referred to as CBD. MedPharm Iowa will obtain intellectual property from MedPharm Colorado to manufacture CBD. The medical marijuana extract will be grown and manufactured on the Kemin Industries campus in Des Moines.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – More information has become available on what led to a fatal shooting in Cedar Rapids earlier this month, according to KGAN-TV. 33-year-old Heidi Stephens was shot in the back of the neck. She was declared brain dead on Wednesday and has since been taken off life support. Stephens apparently got into an argument with 24-year-old Zackary Ildefonso on Nov. 20 after he allegedly stole her purse the previous day. Ildefonso then shot at Stephens and another man and fled. Ildefonso says he shot at them because he feared the man had a knife.

FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – Two teenagers are facing drug charges in Winnebago County. KIMT-TV reports Forest City police officers investigated a report of suspicious drug activity in the parking lot of Forest City High School. A 17-year-old male from Fertile and a 16-year-old female from Forest City were charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person was injured during a police chase in Des Moines Monday that ended in a crash. KCCI-TV reports police were chasing a stolen vehicle when it crashed into a Honda sedan. A man was inside the Honda when the crash occurred. The victim’s condition is unknown, and the suspect remains at-large.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A forklift caught fire and ignited a liquid propane tank inside an empty section of the HON Oak Steel factory near downtown Muscatine Monday, according to WQAD-TV. The building was briefly evacuated, and no one was injured.

ELDORA, IA (IRN) – The state of Iowa is facing a lawsuit over the treatment of juveniles at a state-run home. The suit alleges dozens have been mistreated at the Iowa State Training School for Boys in Eldora. The Des Moines Register reports the suit was filed by Disability Rights Iowa and a New York nonprofit. They cite the use of isolation rooms at the school as one of many problems. Officials at the school defend the practices, saying they are necessary due to the history of violence for some of the boys.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State football head coach Matt Campbell is staying in Ames. The Cyclones announced it reached a deal with Campbell on a 6-year extension. It raises his pay from $2.1 million a year to $3.5 million, plus $1 million in increases for his coaching staff. The move follows a surprising season for the Cyclones. Iowa State finished 7-5, including two wins against top 5 opponents, spent time in the top 25 rankings and will likely head to their first bowl game since 2012.

GRUNDY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A body was found after firemen put out a garage fire Sunday in Reinbeck in Grundy County. KGAN-TV reports the identity of the body and cause of death are pending an autopsy.

HANCOCK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Hancock County man is facing six felony drug charges, including having meth, marijuana and controlled prescription drugs within 1,000 feet of a school, and having drugs with children in the residence. KIMT-TV reports 37-year-old Brian Kronemann was found with meth in the living room where it was accessible to a child.

APPANOOSE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The body of a Cedar Falls man who had gone hunting has been found in rural Appanoose County. The body of 31-year-old Curtis Ross was recovered Sunday. The Division of Criminal Investigations says they are considering the death a homicide, and that the public should consider the unnamed suspect armed and dangerous.

MARENGO, IA (IRN) – Vandals have defaced the elementary and junior-senior high school at Iowa Valley Community School District in Marengo with graffiti, according to KCRG-TV. Police say the graffiti does not appear to represent a safety concern to the district. An investigation is underway.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Meredith in Des Moines has announced a deal to purchase Time Inc. The media company will buy the publisher of Time, Sports Illustrated, and Fortune magazines for $2.8 billion. The all-cash deal is being backed by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch. The pair are considered conservative political powerhouses, but Meredith says they won’t have a role in editorial or management.

POLK CITY, IA (IRN) – High school students from Polk City are turning simple construction materials into Christmas ornaments. Christmas music plays in Noah Willie’s workshop, where a team of four North Polk High School students are busy turning paint stirrers into ornaments. They are then selling the ornaments to help the homeless with care packages including razors, shaving cream, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks and more. The students hope to make 500 care packages. Noah says, “ we really just want to help as many people as possible.

MINGO, IA (IRN) – Four people are recovering at the hospital after a semi carrying dozens of hogs ran a stop sign and smashed into an SUV Saturday in Mingo. The truck driver, as well as two adults and one child in the car, were injured.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – A patient attacked a staff member at the Iowa Medical Classification Center in Coralville Friday morning. The Des Moines Register reports a nurse was working at her computer terminal when a patient entered the office and struck the nurse multiple times with a closed fist. The incident remains under investigation.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A traffic stop landed a man in jail on drug charges in Mason City. KIMT-TV reports the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office stopped 36-year-old Jose Santos Najera for a stolen license plate. Najera faces charges of possession of marijuana, possession of alprazolam, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of drug paraphernalia, and 5th degree theft.

GRINNELL, IA (IRN) – A man is dead after a grass fire in Poweshiek County. KCRG-TV reports a grass fire was reported west of Grinnell, and crews found 86-year-old Bernhard Willfang where flames started. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The fire burned about 40 acres and 70 hay bales. The fire and fatality appear to have been accidental.

WORTH COUNTY, IA – One person was transported via Mercy Air-Med to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa after a motorcycle crash Friday afternoon. KIMT-TV reports a motorcycle driver lost control going around a curve and went into the ditch. The motorcycle went end over end 3-4 times before coming to rest.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Firefighters put out a fire at a Waterloo home Friday according to KWWL-TV. When firefighters arrived, smoke and flames were visible. Crews were able to get everyone safely out, including a dog. The fire may have started from burning incense.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s former worker’s compensation commissioner who alleges he was pressured by former Gov. Terry Branstad to resign because he’s gay plans to take his discrimination case to trial. KCRG-TV reports Chris Godfrey is seeking damages in one of the first cases trying to hold the state financially liable for actions of officials that infringed on the rights of an individual. Branstad has denied the allegations and says Godfrey mismanaged the office.

ST. LOUIS, MO (IRN) – A quirk in the mail delivery system is forcing some residents of rural northern Missouri to have Iowa mailing addresses, causing problems when they vote, pay taxes and even when they die. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill calls it “one of the dumbest things” she’s seen and has sent a letter to the Postmaster General asking that issue be resolved. The Iowa addresses aren’t recognized in Missouri’s voting system. And some affected residents have been asked to file taxes in the wrong state.

RYAN, IA (IRN) – Forbes magazine has released their 2018 edition of the ’30 Under 30′ and an Iowan has made the list. Brad McDonald, a Cofounder of Agroy, made the list in the Retail & E-commerce industry category. Agroy is a company that allows farmers to buy fertilizer, seed and more online. In Agroy’s first year of business in 2016 they made over $2 million in sales. McDonald is 29 and lives in Ryan.