Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Office of Ombudsman released a report today saying another tragedy like the death of teenager Natalie Finn could happen again unless the state’s child-protection workers are given the resources and support they need. The 16-year-old girl was emaciated when emergency responders were called to her adoptive family’s West Des Moines home in October 2016. She died hours later at a local hospital. The report shows 14 child abuse reports had been made to DHS on behalf of the Finn children. The first three were made between 2005 and 2009. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines man has been charged with sex abuse, according to KCCI-TV. Gregory Hettmann, 22, was arrested Friday by West Des Moines police after officials say he sexually abused a woman while she was intoxicated and incapacitated in an Ankeny residence during December 2018. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Trees prevented a car from plunging into the frigid Cedar River early Saturday morning. KGAN-TV reports Cedar Rapids police officers broke a window in the car to get the driver out to safety. That driver, Eduardo Gonzalez-Castaneda, 22, is now facing OWI charges. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill in the Iowa legislature would protect children from undergoing conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is a method used to try and change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual. It’s a scientifically discredited practice. A bill introduced Thursday would prohibit counselors, psychologists and health care professionals from performing conversion therapy on children. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines community of students and parents is asking for the return of a high school theater director after he lost his job. Des Moines Public Schools said it’s not eliminating the role completely but it’s going to be half time. Theater director Michael Davenport says, “I can choose to remain at Roosevelt for half the pay and no benefits but just as much of the work.” He has been the theater director at Roosevelt High School for three years.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A federal investigation at a Cedar Rapids home is connected to a missing person case. The Gazette reports federal investigators were digging in the backyard of a home owned by William L. Yancey. Yancey is facing charges in connection with the death and disappearance of James Booher. Booher, of Marion, went missing in 2014. In May 2019, Yancey, Matthew Robbins and Danielle Busch were indicted in the robbery and death of Booher. FREMONT, IA (IRN) – Snowy road conditions were the cause of a Saturday morning fatal crash in southern Iowa, according to the Iowa State Patrol. Troopers believe that a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by Mallory Johnston, of Fremont, was traveling southbound on Highway 23 when it lost control on a curve near Fremont. Authorities think snow on the road surface caused the vehicle to go off the road, where it overturned and landed on its top. Johnston was killed in the crash. Her passenger, a 21-year-old from Oskaloosa, was injured and taken to a hospital. CLIVE, IA (IRN) – Public education in Iowa could be one step away from seeing an additional $108 million boost, but Iowa Democrats say that’s not good enough. The extra funding is still behind inflation, for the 9th out of the past ten years. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Democratic Party leadership gathered Saturday afternoon to vote on a new interim chairman. The party voted for Rep. Mark Smith from Marshall County. IDP Chairman Troy Price resigned Wednesday after the Iowa caucus chaos.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Board met Friday to look at recommendations to change Iowa’s medical marijuana laws. The board was asked to add two more qualifying conditions to those people who can be treated by CBD in Iowa, but both were turned down. Panic disorders and attention deficit disorder have been denied to be considered on the list of illnesses that qualify for medical cannabis. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Drake University student is suing the university, the Theta Chi fraternity and multiple students after he said he had near-death injuries due to hazing, according to KCCI-TV. Marcus Shields said in 2018, during multiple instances, those listed in the lawsuit “engaged in hazing activities which included coercing and forcing him to drink excessive amounts of alcohol.” As a result of the hazing he became dangerously intoxicated and was vomiting and pleading with his fraternity brothers that he ‘didn’t want to die.’ DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department is asking for help identifying the suspects in a series of pharmacy robberies. The suspects wanted pharmaceuticals. They said they were armed, but no weapon was displayed. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Dozens of volunteers and gun violence survivors shared stories and met with state legislators while advocating for gun safety at the State Capitol this week. It was part of a “Week of Action” aimed at preventing gun violence. The effort was organized by the group “Moms Demand Action.” CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Seventy-four new American citizens were naturalized at the National Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids on Friday. KWWL-TV reports one of them was Farid Ahmad from Afghanistan. Ahmad worked as an interpreter for Iowan Kent Greiner, when he was deployed for the National Guard in Afghanistan in 2010. After getting a visa in 2013, Ahmad moved to Iowa and lived with the Greiners. Ahmad said, “I saw them hunting and farming and all that and I was like, ‘I’m going to make Iowa my home.” Greiner said Ahmad is now “living the dream.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The number of flu deaths in Iowa continues to rise. Public health officials say 22 people have died of flu-related complications since the season began in October. That’s up from 18 people last week. Thirty-three schools reported 10 percent or more of their students absent because of the flu. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An amendment to the Iowa Constitution passed the Senate on Thursday. The amendment says the constitution doesn’t “recognize, grant, or secure a right to an abortion or to require the public funding of abortion.” CARLISLE, IA (IRN) – A Carlisle Community School District bus was involved in an accident Thursday morning but no one was hurt. WHO-TV reports the bus had a green light when it was hit by a semi that was unable to stop in time. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque man will serve two years of probation for threatening students on social media last month. KCRG-TV reports Curtavion Saunders, 20, pleaded guilty to a charge of 1st-degree harassment. On January 13th, he posted a warning telling students at Jefferson Middle School not to go to school the next day, or they would ‘be in ashes, pure death.’ The Dubuque school district delayed classes 2 hours until authorities determined the threat was not credible. Investigators used Saunders’ cell phone to link him to the posts. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Invisible Fence of Cedar Rapids donated six pet oxygen mask kits to the Waterloo Fire Department, according to KWWL-TV. The masks allow firefighters to give oxygen to pets who are suffering from smoke inhalation from fires. Invisible Fence has donated more than 12,400 masks to fire stations across the country.

WATERLOO (IRN) – A man wanted for a double-homicide in Waterloo has turned himself in to the authorities. According to KWWL, 36-year-old Matthew Buford III of Waterloo turned himself into the police in Peoria, Illinois Wednesday night. On Monday night officers found Tamica Takeisha Allison, 42, and Andrea Rochelle Anderson, 41, dead from what appeared to be gunshot wounds when they arrived at a home in Waterloo. One of the women was Buford’s girlfriend. IOWA (IRN) – More than 100 schools and churches have canceled or delayed activities this morning because of dangerous conditions. The Iowa DOT is warning of dangerous road conditions across Iowa, especially in rural areas, due to a wintry mix. These conditions are causing multiple crashes across central Iowa. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A Fort Dodge man accused of beating a pastor to death outside a central Iowa church has been found mentally unfit to stand trial. KWWL-TV reports a court ordered 36-year-old Joshua Pendleton to undergo treatment at the Iowa Medical Classification Facility. Pendleton is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 2 slaying of 64-year-old Rev. Allen Henderson. MAQUOKETA, IA (IRN) – Maquoketa city officials are asking residents to enroll in a program to monitor vapor contamination from a carcinogenic chemical that’s spread from a factory site. The Telegraph Herald reports that the contamination stems from the operations of Clinton Machine Co., which built small engines in Maquoketa from 1950 into the 1990s. The factory used trichloroethene, commonly known as TCE, as a degreasing agent. TCE is now known to be carcinogenic. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price announced his resignation Wednesday afternoon. Price is resigning because of errors made in reporting the results of the 2020 Iowa Caucuses. Price says, “serving as Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”