Category: State News

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – The Marshalltown Fire Department is asking for the public’s help with a series of arson cases, according to KCCI-TV. Authorities say they have responded to six fires that were intentionally set. All the homes were abandoned or unoccupied at the time of the fires.

GLIDDEN, IA (IRN) – A bicyclist has died after being struck by a pickup truck in western Iowa.
The Iowa State Patrol reports that 60-year-old Joleen Stork was mountain biking Friday on a county road just north of Glidden when a pickup truck drove up behind her and struck the bicycle. Stork was thrown into a ditch and pronounced dead at the scene. Officials say the driver did not see Stork on her bike.

AMES, IA (IRN) – The Navy’s newest Virginia Class attack submarine will be named the USS Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports this continues a military custom of having American warships with ties to Iowa, its communities and its military heroes. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus plans to visit Ames Wednesday to make the announcement official at a news briefing at Iowa State University. He will be joined by Gov. Terry Branstad and ISU President Steven Leath.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is envisioning a different look for Des Moines’ main waterways, according to WHO-TV. The proposal is seeking to remove downtown dams on the Des Moines River, which would make the river safe for kayakers and tubers. The plan also calls for the addition of natural boulders to allow for a whitewater course.

FAYETTE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Oelwein man was killed while turkey hunting Saturday. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports the shooting happened in Fayette County just north of Maynard. Dead is 63-year old Michael Adams. Someone in his hunting party fired a 12-gauge shotgun hitting Adams in the face and chest. The Iowa DNR is investigating.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old man accused of stabbing a Bettendorf High School classmate last April has pled guilty to a reduced assault charge in the case. The Quad-City Times reports Drew Romkey pled guilty on Friday to assault causing serious injury. Romkey stabbed 18-year-old Jacob Woodard four times in the stomach. Woodward survived.

AMES, IA (IRN) – The Ames Police Department has taken 34 reports of car windows being shot out with BB guns in a spree of vandalism, according to WHO-TV. Police believe two juvenile suspects may be responsible but haven’t announced any arrests.

MAQUOKETA, IA (IRN) – A program that offers new dentists help paying off their student loans is helping attract dentists to small towns in Iowa, according to KIMT-TV. Since the program started in 2002, 28 of the 31 dentists who received grants through the program have remained in Iowa. Delta Dental provides most of the grant money while the state and local communities add to the total. The state has designated 65 of Iowa’s 99 counties as being short on dentists.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person was killed in a crash on Interstate 235 Saturday morning in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. Witnesses say wood was spread around the scene. Police are investigating.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Police have charged a 40-year-old Council Bluffs man with kidnapping and sexually abusing a teenage girl. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Fednol Garly St. Cyr was charged Friday with first-degree kidnapping, third-degree sexual abuse and indecent contact with a child. St. Cyr could face life in prison if convicted of the kidnapping charge.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The Waterloo Police Department arrested a man Saturday morning after investigating a shots fired report, according to KCRG-TV. Police say they found one man near the location in an alleyway with a handgun. Officers arrested him at the scene, and they say he’s now charged with possession of a firearm as a felon. No one was hurt.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – More than 1,000 people gathered at Principal Park in Des Moines Saturday morning to help fight multiple sclerosis. WOI-TV reports walkers then headed out into nature for a stroll by the Raccoon River. This was one of seven walks taking place across the state of Iowa, and it’s expected to bring in more than $100,000 for multiple sclerosis services and research.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Attorneys for three north Iowa counties are asking a judge to dismiss part of Des Moines Water Works’ water-quality lawsuit, arguing in part that the drainage districts being sued contribute little of the high nitrate levels the utility has been forced to remove. The Des Moines Register reports attorneys for the counties also say the utility is suing drainage districts that have no authority to require farmers to adopt practices that could reduce nitrates.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – University of Iowa police issued a crime alert Friday night after getting a report of a sexual assault, according to KCRG-TV. Police say the assault happened Sunday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. This is the fourth reported sexual assault on the university campus this year.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was arrested Thursday night in West Des Moines after a scuffle with police officers. WHO-TV reports 28-year-old Curtis Weis was loitering inside a Git-N-Go acting suspiciously. When Weis stepped outside, the clerk locked the door and called police. Weis walked to a bar across the street, and when police questioned and tried to arrest him he resisted. Police discovered a Taser and a knife, as well as methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in his possession. He’s in jail.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa and Minnesota lawmakers are exploring a system to allow Iowans to buy medical marijuana from a Rochester dispensary – three hours northeast of Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports Iowans with severe seizures can legally obtain a prescription for marijuana oils, but no Iowa pharmacies carry it. Minnesota’s marijuana dispensary program launched last summer.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A post office in eastern Iowa may be re-named in honor of a fallen Iowa soldier, according to KWWL-TV. New legislation passed through the United States House this week to honor Army Sgt. 1st Class Terry Pasker by renaming the 6th Avenue U.S. Post Office in Cedar Rapids in his honor. The bill is now awaiting the Senate’s approval. Terry Pasker was just 39 when he and a civilian police officer were shot and killed by an Afghan officer.

FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – An Albert Lea man has pled not guilty to accusations he had sex with a 13-year-old girl in Lake Mills, according to KIMT-TV. 27-year-old Jamie John Kujak is charged with three counts of 3rd degree sex abuse and one count of lascivious acts with a child. He says he’s not guilty.

LANSING, IA (IRN) – A northeast Iowa town will lose dozens of jobs with the closing of a button factory, according to KCCI-TV. Workers were told Wednesday that the Blumenthal Lansing Company facility in Lansing would be closing in phases that will be completed by mid-July. Lansing Mayor Mike Brennan says the company employs about 70 people. He says he was told the company was closing because better access to major highways was needed.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The parents of a 3-year-old Dubuque boy who shot himself in the face have pled guilty in federal court, according to KWWL-TV. Twenty-five-year-old Raven Harris and 29-year-old Willie Horsley Sr. each were charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The little boy, Jeremiah Horsley, was playing with the .45-caliber handgun when it went off. His parents have pled not guilty to charges of child endangerment and other charges.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Sentencing has been scheduled for June 7 for a 19-year-old convicted in the slaying of an Illinois man in Des Moines. The Des Moines Register reports that Keith Collins was found guilty of first-degree murder. He was convicted in the 2014 shooting death of 24-year-old Aaron McHenry, of Rockford, Illinois. Police say the shooting likely involved a drug deal.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The man who committed the double murder at the Drake Diner in 1992 could be released from prison on parole, according to WHO-TV. Joseph “Jo-Jo” White gunned down two people in the diner in front of dozens of patrons. White was 17-years-old when he was sentenced to life behind bars, but a 2012 Supreme Court ruling banned mandatory life-without-parole sentences for anyone under the age of 18. White’s re-sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 17.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University police are searching for five men who burglarized an Ames apartment Thursday afternoon. KCCI–TV reports five men entered the apartment, held a gun on the occupants, and told them to get on the ground. The thieves then stole cash and a phone before fleeing.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Davenport police are looking for a white Mercedes Benz after a bicyclist was hurt in a hit and run crash, according to WQAD-TV. Police say a 56-year-old man was riding a bike and was hurt in the hit and run. He was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to Iowa City where he was treated for serious injuries. Police say the vehicle will have passenger side damage.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An eastern Iowa man is worried about his job, his freedom and his future. KWWL-TV reports T.J. Cassidy was shot in the neck and spine when he was 18, and it left him mostly paralyzed from the neck down. He lives on his own in Iowa City and has a job, but he recently received an email from his former in-home care agency saying they will no longer be able to continue caring for him because the privatization of Medicaid in Iowa has lowered reimbursement rates and led to a shortage of staff.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A Clinton man accused of trying to kill his girlfriend has been arrested in Iowa City, according to KWWL-TV. Clinton Police say Edgar Gonzalez Peralta faces charges for Attempted Murder. Police were called to a home in Clinton for a bleeding woman in a backyard. The victim had stab wounds to her chest and throat. After Peralta attacked her, he drove to the Highway 30 Bridge and jumped into the water.

BOONE, IA (IRN) – Boone police say they’ve arrested five people in connection with a forgery case that stretches across three states. KCCI-TV reports the investigation started Feb. 1 with a forgery complaint. U.S. Postal inspectors got involved with the case, and the arrests began Tuesday. This is a multi-state case, with connections to Nebraska and Colorado.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo man has been arrested after neighbors say they saw him beating a dog with a belt, according to KWWL-TV. Animal control says the dog may now lose her eye. Race Byrd Jr. is facing animal torture charges, after neighbors say they heard the pitbull mix yelping from inside his home. Court documents say there was blood on the wall next to the dog’s kennel. Byrd is in jail.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating an early morning stabbing where a man allegedly stabbed his brother. WHO-TV reports 22-year-old Paul Palmer was arrested in connection with the stabbing. His brother is expected to survive.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A brief pursuit ended in two arrests and the confiscation of handguns in Davenport Wednesday, according to WQAD-TV. Police say they received a call of a man pointing a gun at someone. The man got into a car and fled from police. The chase ended when two people got out of the car and fled on foot before being arrested. The two men face charges of being felons in possession of firearms and assaulting an officer among other charges. One policeman suffered a shoulder injury during the arrest.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Linn County correctional center inmate who failed to return to the center Tuesday is back in jail Wednesday. KCRG-TV reports Joshua Jason Smith failed to return after being released on a court ordered furlough. Deputies arrested him Wednesday morning in Cedar Rapids. Smith was serving time for revocation of pretrial release. He now faces an escape charge.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Republican-controlled Iowa House has passed a health and human services bill for the next budget that would remove state funding for Planned Parenthood. KCCI-TV reports the legislation is expected to hit roadblocks in the Democratic-majority Senate over a proposal to remove Medicaid funding for family planning facilities that provide abortions. Medicaid funding isn’t used for abortions in Iowa.

AMES, IA (IRN) – An employee at a Hy-Vee store in Ames, Carie Hasselman was told by her boss to help a “customer” in the back of the store, according to WHO-TV. When she walked around the corner, she realized the customer was her own daughter, Antonia Koenigsdorf, who had just come home early from a military deployment in Jordan. Later in the morning, Koenigsdorf surprised her daughter at Ballard’s West Elementary School.