Iowa Radio News

BELLEVUE, IA (IRN) – Bellevue Middle and High schools were being evacuated Wednesday morning due to a message found in the school. According to a post on Superintendent Tom Meyer’s Facebook page, students were being evacuated to an emergency but not dismissed. The message was described as “vague” and “concerning.” WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A campaign worker for former Republican Rep. David Young has been found not guilty of harassment of a public official. KCCI-TV reports in November, Keilon Hill was canvassing for Republican Rep. David Young in West Des Moines ahead of the 2018 midterm elections when a neighbor called police about a suspicious person. Hill, who is black, was arrested after refusing to answer an officer’s questions and walking away from police. He was charged with harassment of a public official. On Tuesday, a jury found Hill not guilty. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Crews evacuated people from buildings and cars Tuesday afternoon after a flood barrier failed along the Mississippi River, sending floodwaters rushing into downtown Davenport. KCRG-TV reports the breach hit as communities in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri prepare for record or near-record crests along the river. DIAGONAL, IA (IRN) – The Diagonal School District is investigating after a cell phone was found in a pile of clothes filming high school girls changing clothes in their locker room. KCCI-TV reports the phone belonged to a male freshman. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A breezy April has wind set records in Iowa. MidAmerican Energy set a new one-day record for the most wind energy generated. On April 10, wind farms in the state generated more than 111,000-megawatt hours of energy, beating the previous record by 9,000 hours. The state of Iowa generates more than 30 percent of its electricity with wind power, ranking second in the United States. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s own American Idol will be performing at the Iowa State Fair this summer and her concert will be one of the many that are free to fairgoers. The Iowa State Fair announced Tuesday Maddie Poppe, who won American Idol Season 16 and is from Clarksville, will play a free show on August 8th. Earlier this month, the singer announced her first album “Whirlwind” will be released May 17th.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City man is facing a child endangerment charge for allegedly holding a pocket knife to a baby’s head. KIMT-TV reports Connor Tvedt, 20, is being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on $10,000 bond for an alleged incident. Authorities said Tvedt picked up a 9-month old baby during an argument, opened a folding pocket knife and threatened to cut the baby. Tvedt is also facing a domestic abuse charge for allegedly grabbing and choking a woman that same night. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police in Waterloo continue to investigate the shooting death of a woman on a highway early Sunday morning. WHO-TV reports the woman has been identified as twenty-five-year-old Micalla Rettinger, a former UNI All-Conference softball player. She was shot and killed while driving on Highway 218 around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. A man in the car with her was also shot. His condition hasn’t been released. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A driver is in custody after a high-speed chase on Interstate 235 Monday. The Iowa State Patrol reports the chase began near the Jordan Creek exit on I-80 and then went east on I-235, and ended in Bondurant. The driver, Lucinda Overton, has outstanding warrants in Illinois. At times the chase exceeded 130 mph. MAQUOKETA, IA (IRN) – A message found in the restroom at Maquoketa High School yesterday prompted students to be dismissed from school. There’s no word on what the message said. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – A long-time restaurant in Cedar Rapids is closing its doors at the end of May after the leased property it operates on was was sold by the landowner. Boston Fish Restaurant & Bar has been in operation for 77 years.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An 81-year-old Des Moines man died from his injuries sustained in an accident on Interstate 235 eastbound on Saturday, according to the Des Moines Register. Witnesses reported that John Severino Sr. was driving a vehicle when he lost control, crossed multiple lanes of traffic and hit another vehicle before leaving the roadway and hitting a concrete wall on the south side of Interstate 235. Severino Sr. was ejected from the driver’s seat. He was transported to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in critical condition. He died from his injuries Sunday evening. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after and another injured after a single bullet hit a moving vehicle early Sunday morning in Waterloo. KGAN-TV reports the bullet entered the vehicle hitting two of the three people inside. A female driver died at the scene and a male passenger was rushed to a local hospital. The third person was not hurt. POWESHIEK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 37-year-old Poweshiek County man died early Sunday when he was thrown from a car during a single-vehicle rollover, according to the Iowa State Patrol. The driver, 46-year-old Matthew Gibson, of Brooklyn, failed to negotiate a curve and the car rolled several times before landing in a ditch. A passenger, identified as Jason Hayes, of Guernsey, was ejected from the car and died at the scene. He wasn’t wearing a seat belt. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Former Vice President Joe Biden will come to Iowa this week. Biden officially announced his campaign for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president on Thursday. He’ll be in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque on Tuesday, and Iowa City on Wednesday. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Cubs set a franchise and a modern PCL record with 15 runs in the first inning to take a decisive 19-5 victory over the Nashville Sounds Sunday at Principal Park. Iowa sent 18 batters to the plate in the first inning, logged eight hits and six walks while getting two grand slams. It was the fifth time in PCL history that one team has hit two grand slams in a single inning.

JASPER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person is dead in a fatal crash on Interstate 80 near Newton. The Iowa State Patrol says a truck driver veered off the road and hit a pillar Saturday afternoon. Police have not yet identified the driver but say the person was from out of state. CLAYTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two people are facing drug charges following a traffic stop in Clayton County in northeastern Iowa. KWWL-TV reports Sheriff’s deputies pulled over a truck Wednesday night. The deputy suspected drug activity and called for assistance from the K-9 at the Prairie du Chien Police Department. A search of the vehicle produced 43.7 grams of methamphetamine. DES MOINES, Iowa — In one of the last moves of the legislative session, Iowa Republicans passed a bill which would give the governor more power in nominating judges for lower courts. As it currently stands, a 17-member judicial nominating commission selects the judges to be considered for court appointments. Eight of those members are elected by lawyers in the state, and eight are selected by the governor; the Senior Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court makes 17. An amendment added to a budget bill removes the Senior Justice and gives the governor a ninth selection. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Kenny Arnold, former standout guard for the University of Iowa men’s basketball team, passed away early Saturday morning. He was 59 years old.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa legislators in the Republican-led Senate have passed a bill that includes a last-minute amendment excluding transition-related medical services for transgender Iowans from taxpayer-funded insurance coverage. The amendment introduced Friday to the Health and Human Services budget bill also prevents Planned Parenthood of the Heartland from applying for certain sexual education grants. INDEPENDENCE, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo man has been convicted by a Buchanan County jury of kidnapping and trying to kill a woman by intentionally driving his car toward a concrete bridge pylon. KCRG-TV reports the victim called 911 on April 6, 2018. She told the dispatcher she was in a car with Ronald Dean Share and he refused to let her out. During the call, the victim told dispatch Share was threatening to kill her by hitting a pylon at 100 m.p.h. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An adult man was the victim of a fatal pedestrian and train collision in Iowa City yesterday, according to KWWL-TV. The collision was reported by a railroad employee. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Former Vice President Joe Biden, who officially announced his 2020 White House bid Thursday, will make his first visit to Iowa as a presidential candidate next week. Biden’s campaign announced the former vice president and senator from Delaware will hold events in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Iowa City. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – In July 2018, a tornado ripped through Marshalltown, and nine months later, the town is still recovering. WHO-TV reports more than 600 Habitat for Humanity of Iowa volunteers came together in Marshalltown to work on 40 different houses that were damaged by the tornado. But that’s just a start. Habitat for Humanity plans to repair 100 homes in Marshalltown in 2019.