Iowa Radio News

FONTANELLE, IA (IRN) – The Good Samaritan Society nursing home in Fontanelle will be closing on Nov. 19. The closure is due to multiple challenges seen by the facility like hiring more staff, low resident numbers, and complications due to COVID-19. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Lincoln High School in Des Moines was placed on a brief lockdown Thursday morning because of a situation outside of the building. Police say there was a report of a dispute with a weapon outside of the school. Someone said they were going to get a gun and shoot another person. When officers arrived, the people involved in the fight were gone. Witnesses did not report seeing a gun or hearing any shots fired. NEW HAMPTON, IA (IRN) – A 15-year-old has been arrested and charged with a threat of terrorism after police received reports of a possible threat of a shooting at New Hampton Community Schools on Wednesday. Police arrested the teenage boy on Thursday. He was taken to the North Iowa Juvenile Detention Center in Waterloo. Police say there was no credible evidence of an active threat to students or staff. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Animal Rescue League of Iowa said its Mobile Rescue Team rescued 46 sick cats and kittens from filthy conditions at a northern Iowa home on Wednesday. ARL staff said it responded to a call to help a family struggling to provide for numerous cats and kittens that had multiplied in the home. DHS was called to help the family. MARSHALL COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A human jawbone found in the Iowa River last month in Marshall County was determined to have likely belonged to a prehistoric man. There will be no criminal investigation.

WEBSTER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A former corrections officer in Webster County has pleaded guilty to helping an inmate escape from jail last year. Jordan Mefferd broke out of jail in December of 2021. An investigation showed Michelle Valenti was the only jailer capable of unlocking the door he used to escape. She later admitted to also supplying marijuana and a lighter to an inmate. She also admitted to having sexual contact with a different inmate. Valenti will be sentenced on Oct. 31. WEBSTER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A male teenager has been arrested for allegedly shooting a female teenager at a late-night party on Friday. Deputies with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting at a party with teenagers. When they arrived they encountered a large number of juveniles fleeing the scene. Police arrested the 17-year-old male at the Fort Dodge Senior High School on Wednesday. The girl is expected to recover. EVANSDALE, IA (IRN) – Police in Evansdale are investigating after they say a person allegedly threatened someone before getting in his vehicle and leaving the area. A nearby school was temporarily locked down. BENTON COUNTY (IRN) – A school bus carrying nine students collided with an SUV on a gravel road near the Benton County town of Blairstown. The bus reportedly went into a ditch and rolled over. Three students and both drivers were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man is in the Polk County Jail facing multiple charges after police say he bit an officer Tuesday while they were trying to help him find a sober ride home. Officers were called to a report of a man passed out in a vehicle. Police found 27-year-old Jaston Boone extremely intoxicated and noticed open containers in the car. While officers tried to help him get a sober driver to take him home, Boone jumped in the car and tried to leave. During a struggle, Boone bit an officer on the arm.

Des Moines, IA (IRN) – The unusual warm weather forced several school districts to allow for early release Tuesday, as record-breaking temperatures went into the 90s. Many rural schools across Iowa don’t have air conditioning, and generally rural Iowa schools have dealt with the issue earlier in the school year. Dubuque, IA (KCRG) A 12-year-old boy from Dubuque was awarded with the Diana Award, an award named after Princess Diana that honors people between the ages of 9 and 25, who “selflessly create and sustain positive social change’. According to KCRG News, 12-year-old Arsh Pal from Dubuque has been painting for four years, and recently decided to sell his paintings to raise money for Saint Jude Children’s Hospital, raising over $1,000. Des Moines, IA (KCCI) Iowa will be selling more than $2.6 million of Iowa corn, soybeans, and other products to Taiwan. According to KCCI News, Taiwan is the 12th largest buyer of Iowa products, and a signing ceremony was held for the 2022 Taiwan Agricultural Trade Goodwill Mission. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Iowa’s exports to Taiwan have grown over the past five years. Cedar Rapids, IA (KCRG) – The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union employees of the company Ingredion are currently on strike in Cedar Rapids. According to KCRG News, disputes over wages, benefits and workers’ rights are stopping the union and company from reaching a deal as the strike approaches the two-month mark. Negotiations did not resume at Hotel Kirkwood between union workers and Ingredion as expected on Tuesday after the workers say Ingredion arrived escorted by six-armed security guards. The strike is currently on day 51.

Ames, IA (IRN) – A mew development, dubbed as CYTown has been announced by Iowa State University on Monday. The community destination will be located between Jack Trice Stadium and the Hilton Coliseum, and will include a medical facility, a mix of retail, office space, and luxury suites, in addition to an outdoor public plaza and amphitheater area that can be used on game days, or for local concerts or other special events. Des Moines, IA (WHO) – Jury selection for the federal trial of Des Moines resident Doug Jensen was held Monday. According to WHO13 in Des Moines, Jensen is charged for his actions in the US Capitol riot on January 6th, 2021. He was captured on video leading a group of rioters through the Capitol while chasing a police officer. Jensen has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Cedar Rapids, IA (KCRG) – The University of Iowa is going to investigate after 12 teachers were diagnosed with breast cancer in less than a decade at Hudson Schools. According to KCRG News in Cedar Rapids, the University will be able to help determine whether an environmental factor at the school contributed to the cancer cases. Cancer cluster investigations typically take a couple of months to complete, but the more complex cases can take longer. Davenport, IA (Quad City Times) – Nineteen-year-old Terry Markey Miller Jr. of Davenport was arrested Sunday morning, and is accused of shooting and wounding a woman. According to the Quad City Times, Miller Jr. was arrested after Davenport Police responded Sunday morning to a report of gunfire with a victim. The police were told the victim was transported to the hospital by a private vehicle. Miller was charged with three felonies: being a felon in possession of a firearm, intimidation with a deadly weapon and willful injury.

Iowa City, IA – (IRN) The University of Iowa football game vs Nevada ended in a 27-0 win for the Hawkeyes, in a game that started Saturday evening and ended Sunday morning. The game played all the way through to 10:02 left in the third quarter, when the first lightning delay lasted 1 hour and 19 minutes. The two teams returned and after a 12-minute warm-up session play started again. Nine minutes later, another lightning delay was called, lasting 1 hour, 50 minutes and the third and final delay was called after the teams returned to the field for just one play. The game was delayed a total of 3 hours and 56 minutes, and ended at 1:39am. Northwood, IA (WHO) A body that was found in the Shell Rock River Friday in rural Worth County has been identified as Melissa Jo Olson, age 45. The Worth County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations is seeking information from anyone who may have seen Olson walking in the area, and a cause of death has not been released at this time. Iowa City, IA – (KCCI) A University of Iowa Student will become the first Sikh Air Force Cadet in Iowa History. According to KCCI News, Gursharan Virk always wanted to become a fighter pilot, and with the help of the University of Iowa’s Air Force ROTC Detachment he will have a chance to accomplish that gaol. Virk will be allowed to keep his beard and wear traditional religious symbols of his faith, a turban and a bracelet. Webster County, IA – (KCCI) A shooting investigation is underway in Webster County after a girl was shot Friday evening after reports of a large party. According to KCCI News, the girl was transported to the hospital and is expected to survive. After several interviews, deputies say a male juvenile is the possible suspect.