Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Democratic Party closed its Des Moines headquarters after it received messages threatening the lives of its staff. The IDP said they received the threat on Friday morning. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a shooting that left one person injured on the south side Saturday night. A man was shot in the leg. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – The Polk County Health Department is worried a new proclamation issued by Gov. Kim Reynolds could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases. The proclamation lifts restrictions on how many people can gather for recreational and sporting events. Several metro schools are still sticking with the two spectators per player. LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Linn County Deputies pulled a man from the water after he lost control of his car. A truck blew a front tire blew, causing the driver to lose control. The truck went into a ditch and rolled onto its side within a body of water. Fortunately, the truck stopped before going underwater and the driver was able to escape without injury.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines man seen in the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol has been booked into the Polk County Jail. Doug Jensen, 41, is one of many people wanted by the FBI in connection to Wednesday’s riot. Forrest & Associate Masonry in Des Moines says Jensen no longer has a job there. Photos show Jensen inside the Capitol Wednesday. He’s shown wearing a stocking cap and a QAnon T-shirt over a hooded sweatshirt. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former Iowa trash collection official has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $1.6 million. Jeffrey Dworek, 56, of Urbandale, had been the director of operations for Metro Waste Authority, which is run by Polk County. Dworek set up a shell company purported to provide services to Metro Waste Authority, then paid out company funds for his own use. He also took kickbacks from various vendors. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The first law enforcement officer in Iowa to die of COVID-19 was a Dickinson County Conservation officer. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Steve Reighard died Friday. Reighard began having symptoms of coronavirus before Christmas and was in the hospital for several weeks. He started his career as a park ranger in 2005. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Drake University Athletics Department announced Friday evening that the Missouri Valley Conference postponed the next two men’s basketball games because of a positive COVID-19 test result. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The head of the Henry County Republican Party has resigned over a Facebook post he says has been taken out of context. On the party Facebook page, Trent Hobbs urged Republicans to “stay locked and loaded” and likened the riot at the Capitol to the shot heard around the world, which started the American Revolution. He says he’s a modern day Paul Revere.

MOVILLE, IA (IRN) – A 30-year Woodbury Central School District teacher has died from COVID-19. A middle school instructor, Cherie Dandurand, 53, is believed to be the first teacher from Northwest Iowa to die from COVID-19 since the novel coronavirus pandemic began. JONES COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The search is underway for two missing girls in eastern Iowa. The Jones County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa DCI are asking for help from the public. Elizabeth Rodgers, 14, and Rylea Ostrander, 13, both from Jones County, were last seen at Rustic Park in Lost Nation in Clinton County at around 4 p.m. on Thursday. Police found a backpack belonging to one of the girls at the park. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids Police have released the final crime numbers from 2020. They report a 15% increase in violent crimes, including 12 homicides, the most on record. Half of those homicides are still unsolved. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – An Iowa man is seen in several photos and videos inside the U.S. Capitol Building when a mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed and vandalized the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. Doug Jensen, of Des Moines, is a laborer at a masonry company. He’s seen in a video leading the charge up the capitol steps as capitol police retreat before them. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 13-year-old Des Moines teen has turned himself in for robbing and assaulting a 66-year-old woman in a Hy-Vee parking lot. Police said the suspect ran up behind the victim, grabbed her purse and attempted to pull it off her arm. The woman was pulled to the ground and seriously injured. IOWA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds is lifting limits on spectators for gatherings in an update to her ongoing Public Health Proclamation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Spectator limits for sporting events will be lifted beginning today; that includes high school activities. The proclamation still requires that groups of fans be spaced at least six-feet apart. Masks must be worn in most indoor public spaces where social distancing isn’t possible.

STORY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A vehicle struck a train in Story County this morning. A 39-year-old male from Newton collided with the train at an uncontrolled railroad intersection. The man was not able to stop in time and the passenger side of his car slid into the side of the train. No injuries were reported in the collision. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – After rioters overtook the U.S Capitol yesterday afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence defied President Donald Trump early this morning as he affirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s November victory, putting an end to Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election. Iowa’s entire congressional delegation voted to affirm President-elect Biden’s electoral win. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Both Iowa’s Democratic and Republican party leaders responded to violence and unrest at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, and denounced acts by pro-Trump supporters. Democratic chairman Mark Smith and Republican chairman Jeff Kaufmann denounced the violence. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Former longtime Iowa Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle has announced he will no longer claim he’s a Republican after expressing disgust over the rioting on Wednesday and the events leading up to the chaos. In a tweet, Nussle wrote “tonight as I am outraged and devastated by the actions of too many elected Republicans (some I know and served with) and supporters. Today a final line was crossed that I will not excuse. The GOP is NO more and left me and others behind.” IOWA (IRN) – When the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 9, thousands of Iowans will find themselves in possession of expired driver’s licenses. That’s because a provision in Gov. Kim Reynold’s disaster emergency proclamation that stated licenses will not be considered expired if the expiration date is between Jan. 16, 2020 and Jan. 8, 2021 ends Saturday. The majority are still within the state’s 60-day grace period. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Fair — set to resume after its first cancellation since World War II — has announced its lineup of Grandstand performances. Topping the schedule is 28-time country music chart-topper Blake Shelton.

WASHINGTON, D. C. (IRN) – Iowa had the fifth-highest rate of positive coronavirus tests in the nation the past week. Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins University reported Iowa administered the lowest number of tests per capita of any state DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 15-year-old girl was injured in a shooting Tuesday night in Des Moines. She was sitting in a parked car when two suspects approached the vehicle. At least one of them fired multiple rounds into the car. The girl was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and two other occupants in the vehicle were not injured. The investigation is ongoing. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A Fort Dodge man was charged with Arson after allegedly dousing a woman and her home in gasoline in December. Patrick Timothy McGuire is accused of dousing a woman in gasoline, trapping her beneath a mattress and then spreading gasoline through the home and opening a propane tank indoors. The victim escaped. URBANA, IA (IRN) – The Division of Criminal Investigation said Tuesday that the deaths of two people in Urbana were a murder-suicide. On Jan. 1, authorities received a call from Garry Jensen, 59, who said he had shot and killed his wife Margaret Jensen, 54. NORTHWOOD, IA (IRN) – A Northwood Iowa woman who defrauded charities by pretending to have cancer was spared from prison Monday after receiving a suspended sentence. Jennifer Hope Mikesell, 44, was also ordered to pay restitution and continue to seek treatment from a mental health professional. Mikesell was accused of pretending to have cancer and reaching out to local charities and individuals for donations of money, goods and services. She forged doctors’ notes from providers at Mayo Clinic, where she claimed to be receiving care. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced the recipients of the 2021 planning and development grants funded through the state’s Water Quality Initiative. More than $2.6 million in awards will go to support projects that help advance the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and soil health and water quality efforts across the state.