Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A house subcommittee advanced a bill to prohibit traffic enforcement cameras. KCRG-TV reports House Bill 125 states that, in July, “all local ordinances authorizing the use of automated or remote systems for traffic law enforcement shall discontinue”. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – The trial for an Ottumwa mother who confessed to strangling her five-year-old daughter with pajama pants has been scheduled for September. WHO-TV reports Kelsie Thomas will stand trial for her daughter Cloe Chandler’s murder on September 10th. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A man is now facing charges after a woman’s body was found in a Waterloo cemetery in January 2018. KWWL-TV reports police charged Fredrick Williams for First-Degree Murder and Abuse of a Corpse Wednesday. The charges date back to a grim discovery on January 26 of last year, when the body of his wife Lakisha Williams was discovered in the Garden of Memories Cemetery. She had been missing for five days. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill that targets slow-moving drivers in the left lane has advanced in the Iowa Statehouse, and it could cost offenders $100 if they refuse to move over. Iowa legislators call the offense “left-lane loitering.” BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – An Iowa mail carrier is okay after a scary accident that left them in the Mississippi River in Burlington. KBUR radio reports that the driver of the truck lost control and slid off the road Wednesday morning. The driver managed to jump from the vehicle before it went into the river. The truck didn’t sink because ice kept it partially afloat until it could be pulled from the water.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two people were killed in a house fire in Saylor Township north of Des Moines this morning. The fire is under investigation. OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – Clarke County authorities are investigating after dozens of cattle were found starved to death near Osceola. The Des Moines Register reports that the farmer could face charges. IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a semi that struck a patrol car and then drove away yesterday. The semi driver stopped briefly before fleeing the scene but didn’t check on the deputy. The deputy is OK. UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, IA (IRN) – A city surrounded by Iowa City has banned racial and other types of profiling by police officers. The University Heights City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt the ordinance. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that the ordinance is the first of its kind in Iowa. It requires anti-bias training for officers, funds the purchase of data collection and creates a complaint review board. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines’ historic Riverview Park is making a comeback. City leaders voted Monday to begin work on a $4 million outdoor concert venue at the site. Riverview opened in 1915 and closed in 1978. Plans for the new Riverview Park include Rivera Stage — a 6,000-seat outdoor concert venue, a shelter house, playground and concession stand. Each will have touches from the old amusement park. Construction will begin this spring, and the park will open by the summer of 2020.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst has repaid $1,900 to the Office of Tax and Revenue after the Des Moines Register questioned her about a tax break she had been claiming on her condo in Washington for years. An Ernst spokesman says the homestead tax credit claim was made in error and immediately returned when it was brought to the senator’s attention. It’s unclear if Ernst will face any penalty for the claim. CRESCO, IA (IRN) – A Cresco man was seriously injured after the horse and buggy he was driving was hit by a truck Saturday. The horse and buggy driven by a 23-year-old man pulled out in front of a Ford F150 truck. The 50-year-old driver of the truck was not able to stop in time and hit the horse. The young man was thrown from the buggy onto the road and the horse crawled into a nearby ditch and died. The buggy driver was airlifted with serious head injuries. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Fire Department crews fought flames and snow Monday at a trailer home fire. KCCI-TV reports three children in the home escaped safely. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill that would eliminate the requirement to obtain a permit to buy or carry a gun in Iowa has been moved out of a Senate subcommittee. The Senate bill has the support of 15 senators, the National Rifle Association, the Iowa Firearms Coalition and Iowa Gun Owners groups. It’s opposed by Catholic, Methodist and Episcopal church groups along with domestic violence and gun safety organizations. IOWA (IRN) – A Winter Storm Warning continues for parts of Central and Eastern Iowa through the day today with a Winter Weather Advisory in counties in Western Iowa. A range of 1″ in Western Iowa to 7″ in Eastern Iowa fell across the state Monday night through the early morning Tuesday. The Des Moines Metro saw 3 to 5″ fall.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A pedestrian was struck by a car in a crosswalk in Davenport Saturday, according to WQAD-TV. The victim will be OK, and police are investigating. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A woman’s body was discovered in a Marshalltown hair salon Sunday morning, according to the Des Moines Register. The body of 39-year-old Ginger Carter was found after police received a call reporting an “unattended death” at Center Cuts & More. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Volunteers at the neonatal intensive care unit at a Des Moines hospital are cuddling infants who were born suffering from opioid withdrawal. KCCI-TV reports every 15 minutes, a baby is born suffering from the condition. It’s called neonatal abstinence syndrome, and babies who have it may cry excessively, have trouble sleeping and gain weight slowly. Vicki Agnitsch, a retired nurse who is one of 22 volunteers part of the Cuddler Volunteer program at Blank Children’s Hospital, says “touch is so important to babies…without it, there would be failure to thrive.” IOWA (IRN) – A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for central and eastern Iowa for today and tomorrow. A mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow are on the way. Accumulations of 2-8 inches are likely. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Someone bought a Powerball ticket in Burlington worth $2 million. Iowa Lottery officials say the ticket matched the first five numbers in Saturday’s drawing but missed the Powerball number. The ticket was bought at Hy-Vee.

DAKOTA CITY, IA (IRN) – A two-vehicle collision that killed a 12-year-old boy is sending a woman to prison. KIMT-TV reports Trisha Dawn Luthro, 41 of Marshalltown, has been sentenced to up to 25 years behind bars. She pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle for a September 2017 crash near Humboldt. Authorities say Luthro crossed the center line and smashed head on with the vehicle driven by Kevin Ahlstrom of Dakota City. The crash killed Ahlstrom’s 12-year-old son. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A fire prompted the evacuation of a Cedar Rapids apartment building Saturday, according to KCRG-TV. Once firefighters entered the burning unit they found a mattress and contents of a bedroom had caught flame. Crews were able to knock down the fire before it could spread to other apartments. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Republican legislators in the Iowa House of Representatives have introduced a measure that would ban hospitals from treating employees differently if they refused to be immunized for influenza. The punishment would include fines up to $25,000. IOWA (IRN) – Tax season is off to a slower start this year, with early filers seeing smaller average refunds. The average refund is down about 8% under the first full year of the overhauled tax code, according to data released by the IRS on Friday. Refunds averaged $1,865 compared to $2,035 for tax year 2017.