Iowa Radio News

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – An anonymous threat was made online Thursday night toward a Newton school. The district’s superintendent said the threat mentioned Berg Middle School. Police are investigating. POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A hearing will be held today to revisit Iowa’s stalled fetal heartbeat law. Gov. Kim Reynolds wants the court to lift the injunction against the measure, which would further limit abortion access in the state. The law was passed in 2018. It outlaws abortion at six weeks, which is around the time a fetus’s heartbeat can first be detected. A Polk County judge ordered an injunction of the law. However, Reynolds says a recent ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court caused her to request the injunction be lifted. MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – Marion police have arrested two teenagers, and are pursuing charges against a third, for a string of burglaries and vandalism in Marion in July. The teens allegedly stole cans of spray paint from a business and used them to paint graffiti on several cars, buildings, and street signs. At least one firearm was stolen from a vehicle. Some of the graffiti included swastikas, the words “I am a Nazi,” and “KKK.” IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz apologized Wednesday for publicly criticizing a reporter who asked him about his decision to keep son Brian Ferentz as offensive coordinator given the Hawkeyes’ offense’s poor performance this season. The reporter said no offense was taken. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows expanding drought conditions across the state of Iowa. The entire state remains at least in the “abnormally dry” category, with nearly 88% of the state in a moderate drought.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a shooting that injured one person early Thursday morning on Des Moines’ south side. When police arrived, they found an adult male suffering from gunshot wounds to both of his legs. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A south side Des Moines nail salon owner was assaulted on the job, and her attacker left her bruised and bloodied. Mau Deng, owner of Rachael’s Nails and Spa said, “I’m so scared. Scared of everything. At night, I cannot sleep.” Deng says she did the woman’s nails Friday, and the woman refused to pay. After asking the woman to pay, the customer began to beat Deng, mostly around her face and head. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The city of Dubuque is expanding its already-sizable network of cameras surveilling the city. Earlier this week, Mayor Brad Cavanagh mentioned the “continued investment” in the security camera network in his State of the City address. The city already has 1,300 cameras. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Big Ten keeps getting tougher in women’s basketball. The conference sent four teams to the NCAA Sweet 16 a second straight year in 2022, and it leads the nation with six programs in the Associated Press preseason Top 25. Caitlin Clark, who could go down as one of the greatest college players of all time, leads a fourth-ranked Iowa team that returns all five starters for a third straight year and is picked to win the league title. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Twenty years ago, Pat Hoberg was umpiring Little League games in Urbandale. Friday, he’ll be an umpire at the World Series. Since breaking into the majors eight years ago, Major League Baseball has graded Hoberg as one of the best umpires in the business.

PLEASANT HILL, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man is recovering after being shot near a Casey’s convenience store in Pleasant Hill on Tuesday night. When police arrived, they found a man in his 30s suffering from a wound. Donald Hutchins, of Indiana, was identified as a person of interest. He has since been charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. The investigation is ongoing. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – The man rescued from an apartment fire on October 21 has died from his injuries. Crews in Black Hawk County got the call for a fire alarm and found light smoke in the hallways, and an apartment with heavy black smoke and flames. Firefighters rescued an unresponsive 67-year-old Douglas Fairbank from the apartment and performed life-saving measures. He was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later passed away. IOWA (IRN) – Alcohol use is rapidly rising in the Hawkeye State. Sixty percent of those polled in a new statewide survey say they are drinking more since the pandemic. Forty-five percent cite stress as a reason for drinking more. 22.8% of Iowans report binge drinking. IOWA (IRN) – Several candidates for the Iowa statehouse changed their addresses to run in specific districts this November. One candidate, Republican Majority Leader Sen. Jack Whitver (R-Grimes), claims to reside in a home where records show hasn’t used water since February. Iowa law requires candidates for the state legislature have residency for at least 60 days before the general election along with living in the state for one year. ENGLAND (IRN) – The Ohio State and Iowa Marching Bands displayed a tribute to Elton John at Saturday’s football game halftime show which earned them a nod from the singing legend himself. The performance featured a medley of John’s greatest hits, from Crocodile Rock to Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, in addition to an array of exciting formations, including images of John playing the piano. The inventive performance caught John’s attention, prompting him to thank both bands.

IOWA (IRN) – More than half of Iowans surveyed in a new Des Moines Register poll are set to support the new state amendment proposal that would add gun rights to the state’s constitution. According to the new poll, 58% of people surveyed say they’ll vote for the amendment this election season, while 37% say they’ll vote no. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police have arrested a man in connection with a Saturday morning shooting that sent one man to the hospital with critical injuries. A driver crashed into a parked vehicle, and when officers arrived, they discovered the 22-year-old man who was driving was suffering from a gunshot wound. 18-year-old Christopher Wessels Jr., of Des Moines, was charged with attempted murder and robbery in connection with the shooting. Apparently it was a drug deal that went wrong. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines’ Hoover High School football coach claims players and fans from Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson High School threatened his players and used racial slurs after the game Friday night. The game was the final game of the season for each team, and Thomas Jefferson beat Hoover, winning their only game of the season. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll shows a majority of Iowans, 61%, believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. 33% say it should be illegal in most or all cases and 6% are not sure. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new cleaner, and more convenient way for people to redeem bottles and cans is coming to the Des Moines metro. Droppett! is opening to the public soon and will allow people to drop cans off in bags and then send money directly to their bank accounts.

WARREN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A confirmed mountain lion is on the move just south of Des Moines on the southwest side of Indianola. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirmed it was a mountain lion and is moving east. ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO (IRN) – Two Iowans died after a crash in Missouri early Sunday morning. The Missouri State Patrol reports that a man was driving drunk and struck the rear of another vehicle, killing Steven Anderson, 59, and Kristi Anderson, 61, of West Des Moines. The drunk driver then went off the road and into a ditch. The driver was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, which resulted in death. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – One person is dead following an early morning shooting in Iowa City. Shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, police responded to the H-Bar for a report of multiple shots fired in an alley. When police arrived they found a man had been shot; he was taken to an area hospital where he later died. AMES, IA (IRN) – Advertised as “Italy’s No. 1 brand of pasta,” the popular pasta brand Barilla will face a lawsuit over allegedly misleading consumers to believe that products made in the United States were actually made in the motherland of pasta, Italy. Ames, Iowa became home to the company’s first U.S. manufacturing facility in 1998. A federal judge found that the company’s phrase, “Italy’s No.1 brand of pasta,” could mislead consumers to believe that the pasta is made in Italy. Barilla also features the green, red and white colors of the Italian flag on the signature blue boxes. IOWA (IRN) – Wind advisories were issued early Sunday for most of central and western Iowa, with wind gusts of up to 50 mph observed. The advisory came along with near-record high temperatures and low humidity for much of the state.