Iowa Radio News

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids native and two-time major champion golfer Zach Johnson is taking over as Ryder Cup captain, leading an American side trying to end 30 years without a victory on European soil. Once self-described as a “normal guy,” he joined Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead as the only players to win at Augusta National and St. Andrews. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A burning bus in Ottumwa was moments from turning into a tragedy when heroes ran toward the flames to help rescue vulnerable passengers on board. The bus had just pulled up to First Resources Corporation, when the fire started shooting out from under the hood. Jerry Carder, the bus driver, worked to free a person in a wheelchair. Betty Barnes and Liz Cox, employees at First Resources, ran toward the fire to help twelve passengers escape. Seconds after everyone left the bus, it burst into flames. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol covered 48 crashes from 12:00 am till 12:00 pm Tuesday during icy weather. Four crashes led to injuries. JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – The Johnston City Council gave the green light for a multi-million dollar golf and entertainment complex Tuesday night. Leaders say it brings plenty of promise to help stimulate the local economy. The development site is on Merle Hay Road in Johnston, where an old hotel and North End Diner used to be. It will soon be the home of the new entertainment complex called Bombers. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will provide the Republican Address to the Nation following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on March 1. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy made the announcement Tuesday.

LOVELAND, IA (IRN) – Three people were injured Tuesday morning when a vehicle struck an Iowa State patrol cruiser. The incident happened along Interstate 29 near Loveland. Troopers were assisting in a crash when another vehicle lost control, struck a guard rail and then slammed into a parked patrol vehicle. One trooper suffered minor injuries. The second vehicle had two occupants, and the passenger has life-threatening injuries and the driver has minor injuries. Slick conditions were reported. SPIRIT LAKE, IA (IRN) – A school bus driver in Dickinson County is accused of inappropriately touching a minor. Steven Titterington, 71, of Milford has been charged with third-degree sexual abuse, sexual exploitation by a school employee, and child endangerment. The driver for the Okoboji Community School District allegedly touched a 15-year-old girl multiple times. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A suspicious weekend fire destroyed a vacant building on Marshalltown’s Main Street. The burned building and the building next door were scheduled to be torn down this year. Both were damaged by the 2018 tornado that tore through Marshalltown. Since then, the Marshall County seat has been struck by the 2020 derecho and numerous smaller fires all over town. Officials fear it’s arson. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny man is accused of firing a gun at an occupied car and threatening employees of a bar with a knife in separate weekend incidents. Maximilian Kragel, 29, is facing seven felony charges. He shot at the car of people leaving his apartment, and the knife incident was at the Good Times bar. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowan who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor has died. On February 13th, Raymond “Ray” Matthew Reiland passed away just 10 days shy of his 100th birthday. Reiland enlisted in the Navy on Dec. 18, 1940, and was assigned to the USS Raleigh. Nearly a year later, that ship was among the first to be hit on the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Several people were shot early Sunday morning as the bars closed. Des Moines police say they found a woman shot near Wells Fargo Arena around 2 a.m. While police were on scene with her, two additional victims arrived at MercyOne Medical Center with gunshot wounds. The victims told police somebody in a car driving by shot them, and a friend who was with them shot back. Everyone is expected to survive. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against Gov. Kim Reynolds by a group of six Des Moines-area bars that challenged her brief shutdown of their businesses in August and September 2020 when COVID-19 was rapidly spreading. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Legislature’s first funnel week is coming to an end. With a few exceptions, bills that didn’t advance through a committee in the house or senate won’t be considered for the rest of the 2022 legislative session. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines is home to a new $33 million railport. The new south side Transload facility is designed to bring major new train traffic and lower priced cargo into the metro. The new 30-acre Transload station is a giant 115,000 square foot warehouse and transfer center. It’s surrounded by more than 15,000 feet of new railroad tracks. It’s a massive public-private transportation project that has taken years to complete.

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Four men were rescued from beneath a mound of corn in eastern Iowa after an accident at a grain bin on Friday. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says two men became trapped while unloading corn, and two others were trapped while trying to help them near Mount Vernon. Everyone is OK. MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – The Muscatine Humane Society is caring for 42 dogs that were rescued from a mobile home where they were living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines contractor will pay about $125,000 after federal investigators accused the company of misclassifying workers and failing to pay them overtime. In a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor, AJ Plumbing agreed to pay $106,000 to 34 workers who allegedly received less pay than a federal minimum standard. The settlement comes three weeks after the company agreed to pay workers $19,000 for failing to follow the federal overtime law DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Legislature’s first funnel week has come to an end. With a few exceptions, bills that didn’t advance through a committee in the house or senate by Friday won’t be considered for the rest of the 2022 legislative session.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines chiropractor will spend decades behind bars after pleading guilty to sexually abusing children. A judge sentenced Joshua Hanisch to 20 years in prison for two counts of sex abuse and a drug charge. Hanisch lost his chiropractic license in 2020 when police accused him of sexually abusing six girls as young as 7 years old. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Firefighters found deadly levels of carbon monoxide inside a Waterloo event complex that was hosting a monster truck rally where dozens of people were sickened over the weekend. Levels of more than 300 parts per million were detected Saturday inside the National Cattle Congress grounds’ Hippodrome. Levels higher than 50 ppm would warrant an evacuation. A total of 77 people from the event were treated in emergency rooms. AMES, IA (IRN) – Ames police on Thursday confirmed that former Iowa State University basketball player Xavier Foster is no longer under investigation in a sexual assault case. Foster was dismissed from the team in October of 2021. Although a specific cause for his removal was not released by the university, Foster was accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old female in 2020. FRUITLAND, IA (IRN) – Muscatine police say an anonymous tip led to the rescue of 42 dogs that were living in a mobile home. The animals were rescued from the home last week. The investigation is continuing. No charges have been filed. The dogs are being cared for by the Muscatine Humane Society. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa school districts will receive a 2.5% rise in per-pupil state aid next budget year after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a school funding package Thursday. The increase won’t keep up with inflation.