Iowa Radio News

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Attorney General’s Office said two Cedar Rapids police officers were justified when they shot and killed a man while investigating a domestic disturbance in August. The man was holding a weapon and refused to obey orders. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A third teenager charged with murder in a drive-by shooting death of a 15-year-old boy outside a Des Moines high school in March has agreed to plead guilty to lesser crimes. The plea agreement may allow Gumaro Marquez-Jacobo, 18, to avoid prison time for charges related to the March 7 death of 15-year-old Jose Lopez. CHILLICOTHE, IA (IRN) – One man is in the hospital after a house explosion near Chillicothe in southeast Iowa on Tuesday. The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office says they received a call about a house that exploded at noon on Tuesday. The caller also said a man was outside the house. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A teacher and coach at Ankeny High School remains hospitalized in a coma on Tuesday after apparently striking his head on the ground when he crashed his bike early Saturday morning. Greg Lage was riding his bike home after bartending on Friday morning when he crashed on gravel near Birdland Marina. A passing police officer spotted Lage lying on a trail and called 911. When Lage stopped breathing, the officer performed CPR until EMTs arrived. Lage remains hospitalized in critical condition with brain injuries. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines’ southeast side could be in for a major overhaul. The city wants to transform the area from blighted to beloved. And it all starts with Southeast 14th Street, one of the busiest streets in the metro with an average of more than 36,000 cars a day.

NEVADA, IA (IRN) – Rescue crews are calling a crane operator a hero for what he did to get an injured co-worker out of a concrete tank. According to the Nevada Fire Department, a man fell 25 feet into that tank at a rural construction site a few miles south of Nevada. Paramedics were able to climb down and stabilize the man. The department said a crane was used to lift the victim out of the tank. The victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A 17-year-old accused of killing his parents in Cedar Rapids will stand trial in December. Ethan Orton faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of his parents Misty Scott-Slade and Casey Orton. When police arrived at the home, they found Orton sitting outside covered in blood. Police say he admitted to stabbing and killing his parents to “take charge of his life.” IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Donald Clark, who spent more than six years in prison for a sex crime he did not commit, was awarded $12 million by a state district court jury in Iowa City on Monday. Clark was convicted in 2010 of abusing a student during the 2003 school year. He was freed in 2016 after a judge ruled that his now-deceased public defender provided ineffective assistance. The alleged victim admitted to some false testimony and the county prosecutor’s office dropped the case. BROOKLYN, IA (IRN) – A fatal crash occurred between a semi-truck and a tractor south of I-80 near Brooklyn on Monday. The Iowa State Patrol says the driver of the semi-truck rear-ended the tractor. The tractor was hauling a grain trailer. The tractor driver was killed. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A person has been taken to the hospital with non-life threatening gunshot injuries after being shot outside of Southridge Mall in Des Moines. Police say that a car pulled up and fired shots at the victim. The victim started running and was shot again. The victim has a wound in their arm and their leg. Police estimate around 20 shots were fired in what they believe to be a targeted incident.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One man is in the hospital and another man has been arrested following a stabbing in West Des Moines Saturday. Police say they arrived on scene and found a 35-year-old man with multiple stab wounds. He was transported to a hospital. Police have arrested Abdul Jalali, 55, of West Des Moines. He is charged with attempted murder, harassment, willful injury and domestic assault. SHERRILL, IA (IRN) – One person was killed when a tractor rolled in near Sherrill in rural Dubuque County on Sunday evening. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One person was seriously injured following a house fire in Cedar Rapids Saturday night. Upon arrival, crews found a two story home with flames coming from the front of the house. Crews initiated an aggressive attack and were able to knock the fire. After searching the first floor, they found the adult male victim. He was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. No further victims were found but several animals did die. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – More than 300 Quad City motorcyclists took initiative over the weekend to make sure kids have presents under the tree this Christmas. A Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education, or A.B.A.T.E., held its 38th Toys for Tots Motorcycle Run on Sunday in Davenport.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – Police in Newton are looking for the man they say stabbed another person inside of the Git N Go gas station Thursday night. The victim was stabbed in the abdomen and the man who did it drove away. The victim, who is expected to survive, says they do not know the suspect. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man was arrested and charged with a hate crime after Hiawatha police said he fired gunshots at someone on Friday morning. An officer found the suspect’s vehicle and tried to make a traffic stop, but the driver refused, leading officers on a car chase into southwest Cedar Rapids. The chase ended after stop sticks were used. Police arrested 31-year-old Joshua Thomas Barnhart, who allegedly fired at a 49-year-old man based on his race. The victim was uninjured in this incident. MARION, IA (IRN) – A Marion woman is suing the Linn-Mar Community School District after the district banned her from school board meetings for a year. It happened after the district had her removed from a meeting on Aug. 29. Video from a live stream of the meeting shows Amanda Snyder briefly interrupting the meeting before being asked to leave by the board president. When Snyder didn’t immediately leave, the board president asked a police officer to have her removed. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – Hy-Vee rolled out it’s Disaster Relief Fleet to Florida to provide meals to emergency responders and impacted residents after Hurricane Ian on Friday. Hy-Vee employees departed from the Hy-Vee Fresh Commissary in Ankeny Friday morning in several of the company’s response vehicles. The vehicles contained supplies and food to assist with providing up to one million meals.

MADISON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The body of an adult man who drowned in a pond in rural Madison County was recovered Thursday afternoon. The man has been identified as Leonard Wolfe, 86, of Windsor Heights. An investigation into Wolfe’s death is ongoing. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids police car was hit by another driver during an emergency call Thursday. The marked squad car had lights and sirens active. A passenger in the vehicle that struck the squad car was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries. The driver of the vehicle received a citation for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle. WINTERSET, IA (IRN) – A central Iowa Company is sending help to Floridians devastated by Hurricane Ian. Agriland, a member-owned cooperative in Winterset, has crews on the way with trucks loaded with tanks full of diesel, propane, and other supplies, which will be used to power generators. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A famous alumnus of the University of Northern Iowa’s football program will be at the school’s homecoming festivities in October. Kurt Warner, who attended UNI between 1989 and 1993 and later became a Super Bowl Champion with the St. Louis Rams in 2000, and Brenda Warner were named VIPs for the school’s homecoming parade scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 8.