Iowa Radio News

COLWELL, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol is investigating a crash involving an Amish buggy Tuesday near the northeastern Iowa town of Colwell. A 1998 Chevy truck driven by Jim Whitmarsh rear-ended an Amish buggy. This caused the buggy passengers to be ejected. An infant female, a 2-year-old girl, a 4-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl were injured, as were Lavern Stauffer and Teresa Stauffer. CLARINDA, IA (IRN) – A Clarinda police officer was arrested in Florida for allegedly punching his girlfriend outside of a bar. Charles Dailey was arrested on two misdemeanor counts of battery on Monday in the Florida Keys. Dailey will be placed on administrative leave when he returns to Iowa and there will be an internal investigation. ATKINS, IA (IRN) – The Mayor of the Benton County town of Atkins promised full disclosure of how tens of thousands of dollars were misspent. The mayor made his first public statement Tuesday after a state audit was released criticizing city oversight and the work of former City Clerk Amber Bell. In a February 1st audit report, State Auditor Rob Sand said he found Bell had misused tens of thousands of public dollars; utility bill fees went unpaid, and employees had improperly received bonuses and other benefits. Some of those purchases the auditor flagged included meals, alcohol, and purchases at Starbucks. IOWA (IRN) – A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for much of southern Iowa starting at 9 p.m. tonight, lasting until 6 p.m. Thursday. The bulk of this snow will fall overnight into the morning hours of Thursday. Six to nine inches of snowfall is expected over much of the area.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A winter storm watch will be effective from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday for parts of Iowa. The watch impacts locations along and southeast of a line from Newton-Indianola-Greenfield-Red Oak. Anywhere from 4 to 7 inches of snow and blowing snow is likely. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Chad Heathcote, an Adel man who pleaded guilty last year to misdemeanor charges for taking part in the Jan. 6 insurrection, was sentenced on Monday. A judge gave Heathcote 36 months of probation and 15 days in jail. During his sentencing, Heathcote said the incident brought him “a great deal of shame,” and he wished he never went. Prosecutors say dozens of rioters followed Heathcote into the Capitol that day. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police were called to the scene of a shooting Monday evening. Officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. The incident is under investigation. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Today is Valentine’s Day, and if you’re still looking for romance, the Federal Trade Commission is warning you to be cautious of online romance scams. They say online romance fraud is rampant and growing. In Iowa, impostor scams were the top reported scam in 2021, comprising nearly a quarter of all fraud complaints. AMES, IA (IRN) – Ashley Joens scored 24 points, Emily Ryan had 12 points and eight assists, and No. 22 Iowa State beat No. 17 Texas 66-61 on Monday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A collision between two vehicles in rural Muscatine County led to the death or injury of every occupant of the vehicles. Troopers believe that a 2019 Toyota Highlander was traveling eastbound on a county road and failed to stop at an intersection. A Dodge Ram, traveling northbound, crashed into the Toyota. Three people were killed in the crash, with six others sustaining injuries requiring hospitalization. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Two people are dead after a crash on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids on Saturday night. An 81-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man were both pronounced dead at a local hospital. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was arrested Friday for allegedly pointing a gun at his victim’s face and stealing over $1,000 in cash. On Saturday, Larry Eugene Botts, 52, lured the victim to his car in the parking lot in front of the Merle Hay Liquor and Smoke store. When the victim approached Botts’ car, Botts allegedly pointed a gun at the victim’s face and stole $1,800 in cash. A second person was involved in luring the victim into the parking lot. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny couple faces child endangerment charges after police discovered the condition of their apartment. Christine and Joshawa Briggs were arrested on Saturday. Officers say they found two children living in a garbage-filled apartment. Court records show bugs were crawling on the floor, walls, and inside the refrigerator. The couple blamed the filthy conditions on the cat.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A 34-year-old man from Charles City was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for his role in manufacturing pipe bombs and distributing methamphetamine in 2020. Thomas Jay Downer admitted to distributing more than 5 grams of pure methamphetamine and selling five pipe bombs. The pipe bombs were made of plastic plumbing pipe and included BBs and nails as shrapnel. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man faces dozens of charges after admitting to secretly recording his ex-wife inside her home for more than a year. Mathew Greiner used his child’s keys to gain access to the victim’s home and hid cameras behind the air vents in her bedroom and bathroom. The child discovered the explicit images on Greiner’s phone. CEDAR RAPIDS (IRN) – Former Vice President Mike Pence is hosting a rally ‘for parental rights’ next week in Cedar Rapids. The rally is to protest the Linn-Mar School Districts’ policy that allows students to request a gender support plan. It lets students transition socially and without the permission of their parents. Pence’s group “Advancing America’s Freedom, says they filed a lawsuit against the school district to overturn the policy. Pence is considering a run for president in 2024. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Zoom meetings at the Iowa statehouse meetings could be coming to an end. It’s something lawmakers are considering after an incident during a senate sub-committee meeting Thursday where someone joined the Zoom call while displaying a swastika.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa is now among two dozen states whose Republican attorney generals have joined conservative and gun-rights groups in a challenge to a new federal regulations on pistols with stabilizing braces, suing to block a gun-control action touted by President Joe Biden after the accessories were used in two mass shootings. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A man died from a morning garage fire in Dubuque on Wednesday. No details about what caused the fire or what happened have been released. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A house fire broke out Thursday afternoon in Des Moines after a lit candle was tipped onto combustible materials. No one was injured. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – On Thursday, an Iowa Senate subcommittee moved a bill forward that would restrict LGBTQ topics in schools. The bill is more expansive than the other plans seen so far this session. It would also create harsher penalties for school districts. That content would be banned for all Iowa students in kindergarten through eighth grade. WASHINGTON, D.C. Sen. Chuck Grassley is demanding answers after a woman, believed to be dead, was sent to a funeral home in Ankeny where she turned out to be still alive. 89-year-old Grassley wants state investigators to share their findings to keep this from happening anywhere else. Especially to him (just kidding).