Iowa Radio News

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A police investigation is underway near the library on Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines. Firefighters are searching the pond on that property. Police are also working the scene of a property on Fuller Road. The two scenes are connected. GRANGER, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol is investigating a deadly crash that happened on Monday morning in Granger. A semi was turning and failed to yield to an oncoming car. Larry Don Adams, 75, of Boone, died on the scene. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – The University of Northern Iowa has announced a $50 million campaign for renovations to the UNI-Dome. The Dome, built in 1976, has seen some occasional updates, but nothing to the extent of the proposed renovations. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – One of the biggest stars in college sports is joining four young athletes and signing with Nike. The sneaker giant announced they are signing Caitlin Clark, along with Stanford women’s basketball player Haley Jones and top high school recruits DJ Wagner, Bronny James and Juju Watkins. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines city crews drove in a garbage truck and front-end loaders to tear down makeshift tents and clear the sidewalk outside of Central Iowa Shelter and Services on Monday. The city says it took action after people who live and work in the area made a number of complaints, calling the area a health and safety hazard. A homeless man, James Mansell says he feels mistreated and abandoned. “There are people out here. It gets cold at night. We don’t have nowhere to go.”

IOWA (IRN) – An aging Iowa landmark got a boost Friday as Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a $5 million grant for an overhaul of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch. The money came from the latest federal American Rescue Plan Act disbursement. BENTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two people have died after a pick-up truck struck a UTV Saturday near Vinton in Benton County. Both vehicles were traveling the same direction when the truck tried to pass the UTV. The UTV then made a left turn in front of the truck. When the truck hit the UTV, the UTV rolled into a ditch and both occupants were ejected and killed. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after a crash on Interstate 235 in Des Moines Sunday. They were reportedly dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A fire in Coralville has left 17 people without a home. Crews worked on putting out the fire for hours. Businesses including A-One Uniforms, Quality Care Lawn, and Taxes Plus are also in the building. CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A dinosaur, a snowman, or a cowboy. You never know what you might see in the morning at Clear Lake Middle School. Principal Mike Lester has been frequently dressing up in costumes to welcome students for four years now. A Halloween and Homecoming dress-up day enthusiast, he occasionally wears silly outfits outside of those special occasions. Lester says, “I just saw how much fun I had with dressing up, and I like getting kids laughing and giggling…I’m like, ‘Why can’t we do it every day somehow, or as much as possible?’ Getting them to come in with smiles is the greatest thing ever.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man faces multiple charges after allegedly sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old boy and planning to meet him. According to police, 54-year-old Matthew Marcalus planned to meet the boy at an Ankeny movie theater for sex. Marcalus was arrested by Ankeny police when he arrived at the theater. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former Iowa official now running for state auditor was wrongly fired in retaliation for reporting illegal conduct at the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, a Polk County jury found Friday. Todd Halbur began working as comptroller for the division in 2015 and sued after he was terminated in July 2018, alleging whistleblower retaliation on the part of the beverages division and its director, Stephen Larson. He was awarded $1 million. Halbur is running as a Republican to unseat Auditor Rob Sand, the Democratic incumbent. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Tyson Foods, one of the world’s largest meatpacking companies, is shuttering multiple corporate offices, including one in metro Sioux City. They plan to transfer the employees to the international meatpacker’s world headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas. About 1,000 employees across multiple states will be impacted. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – The lowest water levels in the Mississippi River in a decade, caused by a severe Midwest drought, have closed the vital channel to barge traffic at a crucial time of the year for the transport of crops from the nation’s heartland. The low water has also been responsible for eight barges running aground during the last week.

IOWA (IRN) – The entire state of Iowa will soon be under a Freeze Warning. A Freeze Warning will go into effect for all of Iowa beginning at 1 AM Saturday. The warning will remain in effect through 9 AM Saturday as temperatures go below 32 degrees. This will be the earliest freeze in the last 10 years. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A Wapello County man and woman have been found guilty on federal charges of labor trafficking for bringing two immigrants from Micronesia to their home, then stealing their wages. Nesly Mwarecheong, 46, and Bertino Weires, 51, each pleaded guilty this week in federal court. When the men arrived they were made to work at a meat processing plant in Ottumwa. Mwarecheong and Weires then confiscated and kept most of the men’s pay – allowing them to keep just $20 per pay period. They also took the men’s passports and social security cards. HIAWATHA, IA (IRN) – A Hiawatha man was arrested on Thursday for sending a threatening communication to election officials in Arizona. According to court documents, 64-year-old Mark Rissi allegedly left threatening voicemails that also falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen. DECORAH, IA (IRN) – Two teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection to an August burglary of Stone Ridge Community Church in Decorah. The teens face multiple felony charges. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A man from Newton was arrested while he was speaking at a city council meeting Monday. Noah Petersen tried to use his allocated three minutes to criticize police department actions. Mayor Michael Hansen called him out of order, asked him to leave, and when Peterson didn’t, police arrested him.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo woman will spend up to 10 years in prison for luring her cousin to his death. Prosecutors originally charged Danaesha Martin with first degree murder. She later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of conspiracy and testified at the trial of Raymond Birden Junior. Birden is one of two men who shot Shavondes Martin in 2018. Prosecutors said it was in retaliation for a drive-by shooting, which killed Birden’s brother in 2016. That’s when Birden had Danaesha bring her cousin to her apartment complex where he was killed in the alley behind the apartment. WARREN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man is dead after a single-car crash around 5:30 p.m. in Warren County yesterday. The Iowa State Patrol says 57-year-old Russell Menth of Leonard, Texas was killed when his truck went into a ditch along Interstate 35 near Saint Mary’s. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – For the first time in almost three decades, an alum of a Cedar Rapids minor league baseball team won a Major League Baseball batting championship. Luis Arraez, who won the Midwest League batting crown in 2016 with the Kernels, clinched his first title in the majors on Wednesday – finishing the season with a .316 batting average for the Minnesota Twins. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Former President George W. Bush will be in Cedar Rapids tomorrow. President Bush is in town to receive a humanitarian award and headline a fundraiser for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. ROSEMONT, (IL) – The University of Iowa was voted as the 2022-23 preseason Big Ten Conference women’s basketball favorite by both the conference’s 14 head coaches and a select media panel, the conference office announced Wednesday. The coaches and media also named Iowa junior guard Caitlin Clark as the 2022-23 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, with Clark chosen by the coaches as the preseason honoree for the second consecutive year.