Iowa Radio News

AMES, IA (IRN) – The man accused of killing a star Iowa State golfer last fall will was sentenced to life in prison today, according to KCCI-TV. She was killed September 17, 2018, doing what she loved most; playing golf. Celia was named the Big 12 Champion and Iowa State’s female athlete of the year. In June of this year, 22-year-old Collin Richards pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. He lived in a tent near the golf course where Celia was playing. In court, Richards told the judge he was sorry for killing her. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting four cases of people becoming sick after vaping. They’re all in their early to mid-20s and have had a history of vaping. Three of them say the vaping products they were using contained THC, the chemical in marijuana that causes a high. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The winner of the Bill Riley Talent Search is now in question after someone made a claim he may not be an Iowa resident. WHO-TV reports Sam Fine is a dancer who won first place and $10,000 at the Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair but now that award is on hold while attorneys look into concerns about his residency. Sam Fine’s mom said he trains for ten months a year in Florida at a dance academy but they are still Iowa residents. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Construction on the new federal courthouse in downtown Des Moines begins next week. The groundbreaking ceremony is set for Wednesday. The courthouse will be built at the site of the old downtown YMCA. It’s expected to be completed by fall 2020. Community leaders opposed the project, preferring private investment at the site. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – After 30 years in the community, a Davenport church is running into a big problem — a $100,000 tax bill. WQAD-TV reports Mount Sinai Christian Fellowship moved to a new location in 2015, but when they moved their tax exemption didn’t go with them. County officials say when a charity moves, they have to refile a tax exemption form, something Mount Sinai never did.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former Clerk Specialist for the Dept. of Public Safety issued nearly 6,000 licenses to people who applied for private investigator, private security and bail enforcement licenses without doing a proper background check, according to a report from the Iowa State Auditor’s Office. Joe Sheehan Jr., was terminated. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – An Omaha man has been sentenced in federal court in Iowa to seven years in prison for sex trafficking. Federal prosecutors for Iowa say 40-year-old Terrance Jackson was caught when an undercover officer arranged to meet “Savannah” for sex at a Lincoln hotel through an internet ad. KANSAS CITY, MO (IRN) – A Missouri appeals court has ruled that the former superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol overstepped her authority when she fired a trooper who was driving a boat when a handcuffed Iowa man fell out and drowned. KCRG-TV reports the appeals court sent the case back to the patrol to determine proper punishment for Trooper Anthony Piercy in the 2014 death of 20-year-old Brandon Ellingson, of Clive at the Lake of the Ozarks. ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Fifteen Democratic presidential candidates promised a group of Iowa union members that they would fight for their priorities if elected to the White House. The Iowa Federation of Labor Convention on Wednesday was seen as an opportunity for the presidential hopefuls to speak in front of most of union leadership in Iowa to discuss jobs, education, health care and retirement—what Iowa Federation of Labor Secretary-Treasurer Charlie Wishman called the issues that matter most to the 50 local unions that make up the group. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press on Tuesday. It’s the fourth preseason first team All-American honor for the Hawkeye junior. Iowa hosts Miami of Ohio on August 31 to open the 2019 season.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Several nurses and other staff at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics have filed a class action lawsuit against the Iowa Board of Regents and the hospital. The lawsuit claims employees were not paid overtime wages within the legally required time. MAHASKA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Three people were arrested Tuesday in the death of a woman pulled from the South Skunk River in Mahaska County. The DCI reports 27-year-old Cody Vancenbrock, 28-year-old Nicholas Kelly and 34-year-old Holly Kelly are charged in connection with the death of 24-year-old Oskaloosa resident Ashley Shafer. Shafer was in Kelly’s apartment with Vancenbrock and the couple on August 5. Vancenbrock injected Shafer with methamphetamine, causing her to overdose and die. Vancenbrock and Nicholas Kelly then drove Shafer to rural Mahaska County where they weighed down her body and dropped it into the river. DELAWARE COUNTY, IA (IA) – A Delaware County man is pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter for firing a cannon that killed a woman. KCRG-TV reports on July 2, 2016, he set off a replica Civil War cannon and a piece of the cannon struck and killed her. DUBUQUE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man suffered a head injury after falling off a moving vehicle Tuesday in Dubuque County. An 82-year-old man was driving a pickup while his 57-year-old son was sitting on the lowered tailgate. The son slid off, landing on the road. CARROLL, IA (IRN) – Road rage led to a scary crash in Carroll County Monday, according to WHO-TV. A 23-year-old man was driving on Highway 30 when he became frustrated by the driver in front of him for driving too slow. He attempted to pass while giving the middle finger to the slower driver. He lost control of his vehicle, barrelled through an intersection, slammed into an electrical pole and flipped his vehicle. The driver will be OK, but his car is totaled, and charges are pending.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old man has been given five years in prison for trying to coerce a University of Northern Iowa student into having sex with him. Black Hawk County District Court records say Christian Gossweiler was sentenced Monday in Waterloo on one count of extortion. CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – A jury has found a Floyd County woman guilty of trying to kill her mother. KIMT-TV reports Jennifer Katherine Bean, 44 of Charles City, was arrested in November 2018 after authorities say she injected her mother with insulin, something that could have resulted in coma and death if left untreated. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol says it is catching more drivers traveling 100 mph or faster than ever before. In 2013, the State Patrol reported catching 342 drivers traveling at over 100 mph. In 2018 that number more than doubled to 729. Iowa State Patrol Lt. Nathan Ludwig said eight drivers were pulled over for traveling over 150 mph in 2018, with 188 mph being the highest speed reported. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – More people visited the Iowa State Fair than ever before in 2019. A total of 1,170,375 people attended the fair this year, beating the record set last year. IOWA (IRN) – Both Iowa and Iowa State are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 College Football Rankings. The Hawkeyes are ranked 20th, and the Cyclones came in at 21. Reigning national champion Clemson reclaimed the top spot in college football with #2 Alabama and #3 Georgia rounding out the top three.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – A clerk died after being shot during a robbery at an eastern Iowa convenience store. The robbery occurred Saturday at a Big 10 Mart in Bettendorf. The name of the 28-year-old woman who was shot hasn’t been released. No arrests have been reported. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was booked into the Polk County Jail on Sunday on charges of child endangerment and domestic assault. KCCI-TV reports Aaron Logan, 21, was living with the mother of his child, and had a disagreement over her phone. He took her phone and put it in his car. He then attempted to hit her with his car while she was holding the baby. BUENA VISTA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Iowa Congressman Steve King has spent the last week fending off social media backlash after comments he made about rape and incest went viral and sparked outrage. Now, the congressman says he is owed an apology, which likely isn’t coming. King has been condemned by Republicans as well as Democrats. Senator Joni Ernst says, “Never ever is incest or rape OK. It’s never OK. And I just wish we could stop with this. Let’s focus. Let’s focus on the work that we have to do in Congress.” CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A woman has been arrested following a fire in Cedar Rapids. KGAN-TV reports two dogs were rescued from the home, but no people were inside. Kari Kutcher was arrested after making several attempts to reenter the home during the fire after police told her not to. CLINTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities confirmed an EF-0 tornado touched down in eastern Iowa Sunday morning. The tornado hit a farm in Clinton County at 5:40 a.m. downing several tree branches, uprooting a tree, and damaging a home. No one was hurt. It’s the 38th tornado to hit in Iowa in 2019.