Iowa Radio News

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – A judge has ordered a new trial for a woman found guilty more than four years ago of killing her daughter in Oskaloosa. Court records say Judge Daniel Wilson set aside the first-degree murder conviction of 25-year-old Alicia Ritenour, agreeing with her arguments that her trial attorney had been ineffective. Authorities went to Ritenour’s Oskaloosa apartment in January 2014 following a 911 call. Officers found 17-month-old Ava Ritenour dead. An autopsy showed she died of head trauma. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A habitual violent attacker could be a free man on Wednesday, according to WHO-TV. In 2012, 38-year-old Scott Parks was sentenced to 15 years prison for assaulting and brutally beating a Des Moines woman. The victim says, “he took me hostage in my home. He beat me for four and a half hours using his hands, knees and feet; he hit me with a rod iron cross.” Other women he had been previously convicted of assaulting are also asking he not be released early. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A jury didn’t convict a 58-year-old Burlington man of vehicular homicide in the incident that killed his wife, but he has been found guilty of OWI. The Des Moines Register reports Bradley Wischmeier acknowledged driving “crazily” around a corn field until the vehicle overheated and caught fire. He was found lying about 20 yards from the blazing vehicle and his wife Lisa was dead nearby. It’s his third OWI. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A shooting in Cedar Rapids early this morning hospitalized at least two people, according to KCRG-TV. Police are investigating. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – Former Waukee Schools’ Chief Operating Officer Eric Rose now faces a fourth charge in connection with his alleged financial misconduct in office. KCCI-TV reports the newest charge is solicitation of a restricted donor. Prosecutors say Rose solicited donations from companies that did business with the Waukee School District for his son’s hockey team. Rose pleaded not guilty to all four charges.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An early Monday morning house fire in Des Moines was set intentionally. KCCI-TV reports 34-year-old Kyle Robert Lincoln is charged with arson and second-degree theft. Lincoln allegedly set fire to a home owned by his father, then left the scene in a vehicle owned by a family member. He’s in jail. CLARKE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 23-year-old man who admitted to sexually abusing a 13-year-old child walked out of jail a free man Monday because a county attorney failed to show up for his plea hearing. KCCI-TV reports the ruling comes after Clarke County Attorney Michelle Rivera missed the man’s plea hearing while being arrested for public intoxication. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Homelessness in Iowa is down in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Their annual report found that more than 2,700 Iowans experienced homelessness for at least one night throughout the year. That’s a slight drop since last year. Meanwhile, homelessness among veterans rose 14.6 percent. IOWA (IRN) – Two rural Iowa school districts will require middle school students to take a firearms safety course this spring. The Des Moines Register reports students from Clarksville and North Butler will learn how to safely handle a gun during a physical education course focusing on hunter safety. Superintendent for both districts Joel Foster says he hopes the course will also prepare students to react in the event of an active shooter situation. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa congressman Rod Blum likely violated a number of ethics rules in his private business dealings, including his ownership in a company that used false claims and House resources to promote itself, according to the Office of Congressional Ethics. Committee leaders say they won’t take any further action against Blum, who is leaving Congress after losing his bid for a third term to Democrat Abby Finkenauer in the Nov. 6 election.

WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – The Waukee school board has accepted the resignation of Chief Operating Officer Eric Rose after a closed-door meeting this morning. Rose turned himself in to the Dallas County jail Sunday and was booked on three charges, two counts of solicitation to commit a felony and one count of felonious misconduct. This comes after a state auditor’s report uncovered $130,000 of misspent tax payer money, including $80,000 on retreats and $20,000 on office furniture. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids woman has died after a fire. KCRG-TV reports emergency crews rescued Sharon Garnett, 43, from a fire Friday, and she died Saturday. Firefighters made entry into the apartment and quickly extinguished the kitchen fire. They found Garnett suffering from smoke inhalation, and say a medical condition made it difficult for her to flee the fire. The cause was unattended cooking. IOWA (IRN) – Two-thirds of Iowa’s Republican voters say they would definitely vote to re-elect President Trump if the general election were held today, according to a new CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll. Trump earned an 81% approval rating for his policies. IOWA (IRN) – On the Democratic side, former Vice President Joe Biden leads among likely 2020 Democratic caucus goers, with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke joining him as the only possible candidates in the field with double-digit support. The poll finds 32% of likely caucus goers saying they back Biden as their first choice, 19% Sanders, 11% O’Rourke, 8% Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 5% California Sen. Kamala Harris, with the rest of the 20-person field testing below 5% support. DAYTONA, Fl (IRN) – An Iowa football team is national champion. Trent Solsma threw a 16-yard scoring strike to Connor Niles with less than 90 seconds to play to help Sioux City’s Morningside College beat Benedictine 35-28 Saturday for its first NAIA championship. Before wearing Morningside maroon, they were stars at Bishop Heelan, leading the Crusaders to a state championship.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Rescue personnel pulled the body of a man from the Des Moines River near Grand Avenue in downtown Des Moines Saturday after witnesses said he went into the water but didn’t resurface. KCCI-TV reports witnesses saw the man wading in the water about 30 feet from the west bank before going under. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – An Iowa inmate has died in custody of unknown causes. The Iowa Department of Corrections says inmate Paul Kissel was pronounced dead Friday at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center. He was 52. His death is not considered suspicious. Kissel had been serving a 25-year sentence for attempted murder out of Pottawattamie County. His incarceration began in 2009. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – The Waukee School District’s COO Eric Rose turned himself into police on Saturday after being charged with three felonies, according to KCCI-TV. The charges come following a report from the state auditor accusing the district of $130,000 in questionable spending. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders top the list of potential presidential candidates preferred by Iowa’s likely Democratic caucus goers, reflecting their belief that it will take political experience to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020. Thirty-two percent of respondents say Biden is their first choice for president. Sanders follows with 19 percent. The results are part of a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids woman suffered life-threatening injuries in a fire in her apartment Friday. KCRG-TV reports emergency workers had to perform CPR on the 43-year-old woman at the scene before taking her to the hospital. There’s no word on her condition. CLARKE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Clarke County Attorney is back in jail, this time for OWI. KCCI-TV reports Michelle Rivera was arrested Friday morning for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. In October, Rivera was arrested after allegedly showing up to court drunk. She lost her re-election bid in November. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines will build a long-awaited $15.6 million railroad transfer station on the city’s southeast side next year. The Des Moines Register reports the facility will be a boon to the economy, lowering shipping costs for Des Moines companies while luring businesses that sidestep central Iowa for Omaha and Kansas City, which have more robust rail systems. The facility could have a $4.8 million annual economic impact and create 50 new jobs. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa college football team is playing for a national championship today. Morningside faces Benedictine, Kansas in the NAIA title game. It’s the school’s second appearance in the national title game.