Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new poll shows Democratic Mayor Pete Buttigieg surging into third place 105 days ahead of the Iowa Caucuses. The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is now within striking distance of the leaders. The Suffolk/USA Today poll places former Vice President Joe Biden at 18%, Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 17%, Buttigieg at 13% and Sen. Bernie Sanders at 9% among 500 likely Democratic caucus goers. HARRISON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recovered the body of a kayaker and hunter Saturday in Harrison County. Cody Bengford, 33, of Bellevue, Nebraska, left a boat ramp at Noble Lake Wildlife Management Area on Friday afternoon to bow hunt. His kayak was found empty on Friday, the body was recovered Saturday. IOWA (IRN) – Eric Cooper, a Major League Baseball umpire who worked the AL Division Series two weeks ago, has died. The native Iowan and ISU grad was 52. Cooper died from a blood clot. He had knee surgery earlier in the week and was recuperating at his father’s home in Iowa. His most recent assignment came in the playoffs this month when he worked the New York Yankees’ sweep of Minnesota. IOWA (IRN) – After three straight wins, the ISU Cyclones returned to The Associated Press’ top 25 for the first time since the preseason following Saturday’s 34-24 victory at Texas Tech. The Cyclones’ second consecutive road win lifted them to No. 23 in Sunday’s latest AP poll. Iowa broke a two-game losing streak beating Purdue 26-20. The Hawkeyes moved from 23rd to 20th in the AP poll. AMES, IA (IRN) – Professional eater Molly Schuyler set the record at the seventh-area Jethro’s in Ames on Saturday. She ate the Emenecker Sandwich in a record time of three minutes and one second. The sandwich contains a pork tenderloin, a half pound angus steak burger, four slices of brisket, four slices of thick cut bacon, two chicken breasts, four pieces of fried cheese, smothered with melted white cheddar cheese, a bun, spicy pickle and a pound of waffle fries.

STORY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol has confirmed a fatality after an overnight chase in Story County. A state patrol trooper initiated a traffic stop for a Toyota Avalon at 12:25 a.m. on Saturday. The driver of the vehicle took off, and the trooper pursued the individual. The Toyota hit a semi trailer that was parked. The driver of the Toyota had fatal injuries. STUART, IA (IRN) – Two Guthrie County deputies nearly killed in an overnight shooting Thursday have been released from a hospital, and are now recovering with their families. Guthrie County Sheriff Marty Arganbright said Deputies Steven Henry and Jim Mink are doing well. He said he hopes to have them back to work soon. Deputy Kent Gries was also injured with powder burns. He’s been recovering at home. Arganbright has confirmed that Randall Comly, the suspect deputies were trying to arrest Thursday, was the one who opened fire. BLACK HAWK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Falls man was injured when his motorcycle hit a deer. He was able to call 911 for help. IOWA (IRN) – The Iowa State University football team beat Texas Tech 34-24 and number 23 Iowa beat Purdue 26-20.

MONTEZUMA, IA (IRN) – The state has agreed that some statements from the man accused of killing Mollie Tibbetts should not be used in court. In August, Cristhian Bahena Rivera’s lawyers filed a motion to suppress information gathered during the police’s investigation. They claimed that Rivera’s Miranda rights were violated and, therefore, some of the information gathered during his interview should be removed from court proceedings. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – CenturyLink in Des Moines is apologizing to customers for an information leak Friday afternoon. CenturyLink said its third-party vendor inadvertently publicized information online including customers’ names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and account numbers. No financial information, passwords or sensitive content was released. SACRAMENTO, CA (IRN) – Iowa native Harrison Barnes will pay for the funeral of the woman killed by an officer inside her Texas home. Atatiana Jefferson was killed earlier this month when an officer responded to her home after a neighbor called worried about an open door. The now former officer is facing murder charges. Barnes, who is now a forward for the Sacramento Kings, has ties to that area of Texas. He played parts of three seasons for the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to Sacramento. CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A Clear Lake donut shop has been crowned as the Top Donut Shop in the Hawkeye State. Over the summer, South Shore Donut Co. entered into the Sweetest Bakery in America competition. In the donut shop category, South Shore placed #1 in Iowa, and 7th nationally.

MANCHESTER, IA (IRN) – A former chief executive officer of a northeast Iowa hospital has pleaded guilty to theft. KIMT-TV reports 61-year-old Lon Butikofer is accused of stealing nearly $257,000 from January 2009 through March 15, 2017, by failing to properly record personal trips as vacation or paid time off and by seeking reimbursement for the expenses. Another former executive at Regional Medical Center in Manchester, 53-year-old Mike Briggs, has been accused of similar actions. STUART, IA (IRN) – Two Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputies were shot and one deputy was injured Thursday night in Stuart. Raccoon Valley Radio reports the deputies were serving an arrest warrant around 10 p.m. when the shooting occurred. Two deputies suffered gunshot wounds and the other suffered injuries due to a gunshot blast. They are all being treated at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines and are believed to be in stable condition. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny man has been arrested after his 89-year-old father told deputies he caused a fall that resulted in broken ribs, was forced to crawl on hands and knees because he wasn’t allowed to use his walker, and was only fed cold canned corn. WHO-TV reports sixty-year-old Douglas Maier was booked into the Polk County Jail Wednesday night on a charge of dependent adult abuse. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A child was hit by a school bus in Ankeny yesterday, according to KCCI-TV. The child was hit while riding his bike across a crosswalk. He was transported to a local hospital, but his condition is unknown. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The head of the Iowa Corn Growers Association said promises that President Donald Trump made to re-introduce billions of gallons of biofuel into the market are not what the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed. Iowa Corn Growers Association President Jim Greif says “We are just infuriated that they promised us one thing and two weeks later they turn around and do the opposite.” Four Iowa refineries have closed because of the waivers and left hundreds without jobs.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Family Circle, the monthly home magazine for women that launched in 1932, will close after its December issue publishes. Des Moines-based parent company Meredith acquired Family Circle in 2005. The magazine has 13 million readers and more than 1 million followers on social media. About 25 staffers were laid off. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – The Waukee Community School District has reached a settlement in two pending lawsuits. KCCI-TV reports a former administrative assistant claimed she was wrongfully fired for reporting the actions of the district’s former chief operating officer. She will receive $1 million. The former chief operating officer pleaded guilty to using a district owned snowblower for personal use and soliciting money for his son’s hockey team from companies doing business with the district. She also sued the district for violating open meetings laws. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The number of known cases of sexual harassment committed by employees in Iowa’s executive branch has spiked. The cases resulted in terminations of employees at multiple agencies, including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Revenue. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is forming a working group chaired by the lieutenant governor to make recommendations for removing racial bias from the criminal justice system and to help offenders re-enter communities in a way that reduces repeat offenses. Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg is a former state public defender. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is headlining the Iowa Republican Party’s annual Lincoln-Reagan dinner on Friday, Nov. 8. Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, has supported President Donald Trump after his election in 2016. However, the Senator recently condemned Trump for withdrawing troops from Syria. Graham says, “I will not sit along the sidelines and watch a good ally, the Kurds, be slaughtered by Turkey.”