Iowa Radio News

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man has been arrested after police say he pushed an officer and a firefighter and threatened their lives after they responded to a fire he had set intentionally. Parker Hawkins, 26, was arrested and faces charges of assault and reckless use of a fire for the incident that happened Tuesday. Police said Hawkins intentionally started a fire, by lighting some papers on fire on top of the stove in his kitchen, to get firefighters and police to respond. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Iowa could soon lose its first in the nation Democratic caucuses. President Biden and the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee have recommended the following early voting lineup: South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Georgia, and Michigan. The recommendation is not final. The final decision is expected today or tomorrow. However, Iowa is required by state law to hold its caucuses before any other state. GUTTENBERG, IA (IRN) – A group home in Guttenberg was destroyed by fire Thursday night. The home is owned and operated by Imagine the Possibilities and housed five people with intellectual disabilities. No one was injured. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Dad’s Old Fashioned Lemonade lost the spot at the Iowa State Fair it has called home for 73 years. The Iowa State Fair sent Dad’s Old Fashioned Lemonade and three other vendors a letter informing them they would not be offered a future contract to do business, along with allegations of fraud. Dad’s Old Fashioned Lemonade owners deny the allegations. IOWA (IRN) – The start of the shotgun hunting season in Iowa is tomorrow. DNR officials say around 100,000 to 120,000 deer will be harvested this year.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man accused of intentionally hitting a motorcyclist with his pickup truck faces charges. It happened back in August. Police say security video captured Bradley Morgan running down the motorcycle as it sat at a stop sign. The motorcyclist was thrown off the bike and ran away to call the police. Police say Morgan and the motorcyclist knew each other. MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – Muscatine Community College closed its main campus yesterday due to a threat. The staff didn’t say what the threat was, but said the college received an email that was “threatening in nature.” DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds and 20 other governors on Wednesday asked President Biden to drop a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the Armed Forces. The governors say the vaccine mandate creates a security risk because it led to recruiting shortfalls in the Armed Forces. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Uber driver in Des Moines unknowingly gave a bank robber a ride to the scene of the crime on Wednesday. Police were called to the Chase Bank for a report of a robbery. After robbing the bank, the man then stole the Uber driver’s car to make his getaway. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa (UI) men’s basketball team spent Wednesday helping deliver meals to those in need around the Iowa City area. The team collaborated with Meals on Wheels as part of the Iowa Swarm Collective, which is the organization helping Hawkeyes give back to the community through several different kinds of events. The UI women’s basketball team participated in delivering meals ahead of Thanksgiving.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – Fort Dodge police are searching for the body of a newborn baby in what investigators are calling a homicide. According to police, officers received information that a female had given birth to a child at home and that the newborn later died. Officers were also told the body had been moved from the birthplace to another location. BATESVILLE, AR (IRN) – A plane that departed from Waterloo crashed in Batesville, Arkansas Tuesday evening. There is no word on the cause or any injuries. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police are investigating what appears to be a vehicle on pedestrian incident near the 8th Ave. bridge early Tuesday morning. Union officials report a picketer, part of the BCTGM/Ingredion strike, was struck by a car while walking on the public sidewalk. The driver of the car was dropping off a replacement worker. No serious injuries were reported. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws committee will meet tomorrow in Washington, D.C., to possibly rearrange the presidential nominating calendar. The committee’s vote will likely decide the fate of Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man who shot a convenience store clerk’s boyfriend has been charged with attempted murder. According to police, Brian Ralph went into a Git N Go store and robbed an employee at gunpoint. The employee’s boyfriend entered the store during the robbery with a gun in an effort to defend the victim. Police say Ralph shot the man in the arm before leaving the store. Ralph is charged with attempted murder, first-degree robbery and willful injury causing bodily injury. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A deadly shooting outside of a Des Moines bar just after midnight Sunday killed 29-year-old Alonzo Kearney. Des Moines police say a large crowd was in the parking lot, a fight broke out, and somebody shot and killed Kearney. There was a slight delay in clearing the scene for medics to safely treat Kearney. Officials say the delay in medical attention did not cost him his life. The result would have been the same. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – Coralville police arrested a homeless man after a reported armed robbery Monday. Two victims told police they were approached while leaving their apartment, ordered back inside at gunpoint, before the suspect stole their cell phones and ran away. 21-year-old Javon Ellis, who has no permanent address, was arrested after a short chase on foot, after the first officer to arrive on scene saw him running from the scene. NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – A jewelry store in North Liberty is facing its busiest time of the year without full shelves because of a break-in. On November 20, thieves broke into Jewelry by Harold doing $70,000 to $100,000 in damage and stealing approximately $30,000 in merchandise. MITCHELLVILLE, IA (IRN) – Mitchellville elementary school teacher Krystal Colbert says she was born to be a teacher. On Monday, she rose to the top of her chosen profession as she was named the 2023 Iowa Teacher of the Year. Colbert is in her 16th year of teaching.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny man is facing attempted murder charges after a dispute at the Yankee Clipper bar in Ankeny early Monday morning. Police responded to a report of shots fired in the bar’s parking lot. After talking to the victim, witnesses, and the suspect, 53-year-old Robert Barker was taken into custody. DECATUR COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A body was found in rural Decatur County near a burnt vehicle on Saturday. The body and vehicle were found east of Leon city limits. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was killed following a shooting at a Des Moines bar. Des Moines police were called to Zora Bar and Rooftop on Ingersoll Avenue shortly after midnight on Sunday. Police found a 29-year-old Des Moines man with gunshot injuries in the bar’s parking lot. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. Police described the scene as chaotic. EVANSDALE, IA (IRN) – A man and his pet dog died in an Evansdale house fire Sunday morning. The man and his dog were already dead when firefighters entered the home. The fire was contained to the bedroom. The rest of the home suffered smoke and water damage. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental. PLEASANT HILL, IA (IRN) – Many Iowans spent their holiday weekend shopping for gifts. They also spent it shopping for that special tree to put their gifts under. However, people who haven’t bought their Christmas tree yet may need to do it quickly before local tree farms run out of inventory. Jill Miller Brady, the manager at Miller Tree Farm just outside of Pleasant Hill, said trees sold out quickly last year. By Sunday afternoon, the farm had already sold about half of this year’s inventory. She says Christmas trees are selling out quicker than before because there’s a nationwide shortage.