Iowa Radio News

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) -There’s smoke in the air this morning in eastern Iowa. That’s because smoke from wildfires in Canada has been brought down closer to the ground. The smoke was sitting overhead for several days, but a cold front Thursday night as forced it down to the surface. The air quality in eastern Iowa is currently described as ‘unhealthy.’ DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Body camera video and police reports relating to an incident where Des Moines police officers shot and killed a teenager will remain confidential, according to an Iowa Public Information Board ruling. Des Moines police officers shot and killed 16-year-old Trevontay Jenkins at an apartment on the city’s south side in December 2022. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office ruled the officers were justified in shooting the boy. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Animal Rescue teams from Iowa and Missouri say they removed 34 dogs from a northern Missouri breeding operation this week. The operation voluntarily surrendered American Eskimo, Golden Retriever, and Labrador Retriever dogs of all ages. The dogs will need vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries, and some will even need eye and dental surgeries before they will be ready for adoption. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Three separate drivers, two of them teenagers, were stopped by the Iowa State Patrol Wednesday evening for driving over 100 mph on Interstate 80 near the Iowa City/Coralville area. The Iowa State Patrol Air Wing, as well as troopers on the ground, clocked th drivers going over 100 mph. One driver was going 121 mph, another was going 109 mph, and the last one was going 100 mph. One of the teenage drivers was still on an instructional permit. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Crews are working on the new skate park at Riverside Park in Cedar Rapids. The park will include a new playground, and is expected to open this summer.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A letter from the U.S. Department of Labor to Democrats in the Iowa legislature shows that several aspects of the ‘child labor expansion bill’ may violate federal law if signed by the Governor. The bill would ease restrictions on how many hours minors could work, and what types of jobs those could be. GRANGER, IA (IRN) – Every elementary student loves a pizza party, but one parent in the Woodward-Granger Community School District says her child was one of just a few left out. It was part of an incentive program for students taking the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress test, where students who scored at a certain level were allowed to go on a trip to Pizza Ranch. Those who didn’t score high enough were forced to stay back at the school and eat lunch with their teacher. DES MOINES, IA (IRN – Hockey fans will have to wait a little longer to watch a game at Merle Hay Mall. No construction has actually occurred on the new Des Moines Buccaneers arena since a ceremonial ground breaking a year ago today. Officials say rising interest rates are to blame for the delay. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Caroline’s Restaurant in Dubuque has been named the winner of the 2023 Best Omelet in Iowa contest. The restaurant, located in Hotel Julien, won for its Chorizo Omelet. Other finalists included Johnson’s Restaurant and Reception Hall in Elkader, Klunder’s Cafe in New Hampton, Eggs and Jam in West Des Moines, and Beggin’ for an Eggin’ in Creston.

FAYETTE, Iowa (KCRG) – Upper Iowa University is cutting 37 positions and closing seven of its regional education centers. Layoffs will impact the main campus in Fayette, and one location in Illinois and six sites in Wisconsin will be closing. University leaders cited dropping enrollment and shifting student needs. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The families of two students shot and killed inside a Des Moines educational program are suing Starts Right Here and its founder, William Holmes, for negligence. Eighteen-year-old Gionni Dameron and 16-year-old Rashad Carr died on Jan. 23 after gunfire erupted inside Starts Right Here. Holmes was wounded in the shooting. Another student, Preston Walls, is charged with the murders. Bravon Tukes is also facing murder charges. Police say Tukes was the getaway driver. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police have charged a Des Moines man with murder, saying he shot a man six times at an apartment on Urbandale Avenue earlier this month. Joshua John Taylor, 22, is charged with first-degree murder in 23-year-old Dakota Toepfer’s death. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The state of Iowa will enforce stricter penalties on those that are caught delivering or possessing fentanyl. Governor Reynolds signed a bill on Tuesday that will increase prison sentences for those convicted of dealing, or possessing the drug. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Wildfire smoke from fires in Alberta, Canada is moving south towards Iowa. The smoke is forecasted to spread across the area on Wednesday and Thursday before moving out of the area on Friday. Smoke from the wildfires will likely have an impact on our sunrises and sunsets. The smoke particles will change the way light is scattered in the atmosphere, causing both our sunrises and sunsets to have deeper shades of orange and red.

FOLLETTS, IA (IRN) – Deputies are investigating after a dead body was discovered in the backwaters of the Wapsipinicon River on Saturday. The teen’s body is that of 18-year-old Benjamin Williams, who had been reported missing earlier that day by two teenage campers. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Menlo woman has been charged with theft and money laundering for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from two former employers. Angel Welker, 44, forged checks and used company credit cards from Infomax Office Systems in Des Moines to buy over $50,000 in gift cards and make other unauthorized purchases last year. Authorities say she also forged more than $10,000 in checks while working at Vision Park Eye Care in Urbandale. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Polk County will start dropping larvicide from a helicopter into unincorporated areas of the county in an effort to lower the number of mosquitos. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa football’s first Big Ten football game of the 2023 season will be broadcast on CBS2 this year. The game on the road against Penn State will air on September 23. This upcoming season will be the first season of the new TV deal between the Big Ten and CBS. The $7 billion deal starts this summer and runs through 2029-30 season. It will be the first time in several years no regular season Big Ten games will be broadcast on ESPN.

JASPER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A central Iowa man died Friday night in a wrong-way crash on U.S. Highway 65 in Jasper County. Ronald Vasey, of Maxwell, was driving north in the southbound lanes near Collins when his 2020 Kia Soul collided with a semi-truck headed south around. Vasey, 79, died at the scene. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man has been arrested more than one year after a shooting at a former Des Moines bar. Court documents say on March 19, 2022, 39-year-old Floyd Couch, of Minneapolis, got into a dispute with the victim at Whiskey River bar. Couch pulled out a gun and shot at the victim, but missed. As the victim tried to get away, Couch continued to follow the victim, shooting him twice. The victim was shot once in the upper torso and once in the leg. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City Police responded to the Clock Tower Parking Ramp Saturday night after officers heard multiple shots fired. They found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the sidewalk by the parking ramp. He was taken to a hospital for serious injuries. The suspect was last seen fleeing the area on foot with several other people involved in an altercation before the shooting. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Police officers saved a two-week-old infant from a hot, locked car on Thursday. Officers arrived at the Primary Health Care Clinic in Des Moines and found a two-week-old infant inside of a locked car. The infant appeared to be unresponsive, so officers broke the car’s window. The baby’s parents were inside the clinic. The infant was unharmed, but one officer received lacerations to his hand. MOUNT VERNON, IA (IRN) – Cornell College had its graduation on Saturday, but for one Eastern Iowa man the ceremony was especially meaningful because it was 80 years in the making. Fred Taylor is 101 years old. He was finally able to take part in his graduation ceremony getting his degree in music. He wasn’t able to attend his ceremony the first time because he left school to serve during World War II in the United States Army.