Iowa Radio News

NORWALK, IA (IRN) – A Norwalk man is accused of sexually abusing a girl for six years, according to KCCI-TV. Jayson Crow, 18, is facing a second-degree sexual abuse charge. Authorities say he abused the girl from the time she was 6 until she was 12. ITALY, TX (IRN) – An 11-year-old boy is dead and several others injured in a crash in Texas involving an Iowa man. KWWL-TV reports a 2016 Chrysler Town & Country passenger van was disabled in the center lane of I-35. A 2013 Dodge 1500 pickup struck the rear of the van. The 20-year-old driver of the van from Guttenberg, his 36-year-old front seat passenger from Dike, and a 13-year-old rear seat passenger were transported to local hospitals. The 11-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Davenport Police responded to Northpark Mall twice over the weekend, according to WQAD-TV. In the first incident, one juvenile was cited, another sent to the hospital with minor injuries, and a squad car was damaged. In the second incident, approximately 15 girls were involved in an argument. BROWNVILLE, NE (IRN) – Utility crews extinguished a fire at a nuclear power plant in southeast Nebraska over the weekend. The Nebraska Public Power District says the fire was discovered at the Cooper Nuclear Plant and extinguished quickly. The plant is located about 20 miles south of Hamburg, Iowa. GREEN BAY, WI (IRN) – Sunday was a big day for former Cyclone and Urbandale J-Hawk Allen Lazard. He not only made his NFL debut for the Green Bay Packers, he also made his first career catch. Early in the fourth quarter, Lazard took the field and caught a 7-yard pass. Unfortunately, the catch didn’t make a difference. The Packers were pounded 31-0 by the Detroit Lions.

MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A Muscatine man has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 66-year-old grandmother. WQAD-TV reports Darian Lensgraf was formally charged Friday with the December 12th murder of his grandmother at her Muscatine home. Police arrested him at a nearby convenience store where a clerk said he had been holding a bloody knife. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man was injured following gunfire in Cedar Rapids Saturday, according to KCRG-TV. Officers headed to Mercy Medical Center after a male patient reported being shot at. Broken glass had injured the patient after someone fired at a rental vehicle in which he was riding. The vehicle was hit three times. No arrests have been made. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Sioux City’s Sears store is set to close in the coming months, according to KCAU-TV. It is one of 80 Kmarts and Sears stores that will be closing in March. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – There’s a new attraction coming to the recently closed Ankeny Springwood 9 theater: an indoor trampoline park that will also feature a rock climbing wall, “American Ninja Warrior”-style obstacle course and zip line. Urban Air Adventure Park has announced plans to transform the recently shuttered movie theater into a family-focused indoor park by summer 2019.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was charged with two counts of murder Friday after he killed two of his relatives, according to the Des Moines Register. Joshua Lee Adams, 30, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of his mother, 49-year-old Tracy Linn Adams, and his uncle, 54-year-old Gaylord George Jolly, Jr. DUBUQUE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids teenager was killed in two-vehicle accident in Dubuque County Friday. The 17-year-old boy lost control of his vehicle due to icy conditions, crossed the centerline, and struck another vehicle. The second driver has serious injuries. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A special investigation by the state auditor into the Mason City School District found more than $2.2 million in improper spending. It includes $1.3 million in unapproved payments to 66 district employees. In addition to cash benefits, the employees also received vehicle and cell phone allowances that were not approved by the school board. The investigation also found significant retirement account contributions and vacation payouts for administrators. SAN ANTONIO, TX (IRN) – Iowa State rallied late, but failed to tie the game on a 2-point conversion in a 28-26 loss to Washington State University in the Alamo Bowl on Friday. Freshman quarterback Brock Purdy scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:02 remaining in the game to bring the Cyclones within two, but David Montgomery was tackled short of the end zone on the conversion attempt. The Cyclones end the season with an 8-5 record.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Several people were injured after a shooting and crash in Des Moines last night, according to KCCI-TV. A teenage male was first shot in the leg by a drive by shooter. Officers responding to the shooting then saw two vehicles driving fast. Police pursued each vehicle. In one pursuit, two people were taken into custody. The second pursuit ended in a crash. The woman driving that car suffered minor injuries. A male passenger was thrown from the car and is now in the hospital. Police say the man was shot in the leg, in addition to his injuries from the crash. All of the incidents are related. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – John Culver, a Democrat who represented Iowa in Congress for 16 years and whose son later served as governor, has died. He was 86. Culver’s tenure in Congress began with his 1964 election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974 but lost re-election six years later to Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. Culver’s family said the former senator and congressman was most proud of his reputation for “integrity and courage.” CLINTON, IA (IRN) – A Clinton woman was arrested after police found her in a house with guns and marijuana. WQAD-TV reports police were serving an arrest warrant and found 24 pounds of marijuana, four guns, and assorted pieces used for smoking marijuana. Chelsey Ann Hostetler faces multiple charges. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Dozens of Iowa State fans spent most of Thursday scrambling to make their way to San Antonio, Texas, where the Cyclones will take on Washington State in the Alamo Bowl. KCCI-TV reports airlines cancelled flights due to severe weather in Texas. Cyclone fan Julia Manning said, “This is not fun at all. I could just cry.” CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police are looking for what they are calling the “Butt Crack Bandits.” KCRG-TV reports the thieves spent about two hours burglarizing the Westdale Car Wash early Christmas morning. They tried prying open coin safes and drilled open the change machine. Throughout the burglary, one of the thieves’ pants kept falling down. All of it was caught on security camera.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A weeks-long search for a Fort Dodge man has come to an end. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports a landfill worker found Kris Markle dead in his car in a ravine near the landfill. Authorities believe Markle crashed. He was last seen earlier this month at a bar in Fort Dodge. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A man was arrested in Dubuque for dependent adult abuse after allegedly stealing nearly $37,000 from his mother. KCRG-TV reports police charged 35-year-old Michael Woods on December 20, saying the stolen money came from his mother’s social security checks. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Two brothers who spearheaded the biggest lottery scam in U.S. history have repaid less than $1,400 in restitution — despite owning property worth nearly $2 million, according to the Des Moines Register. Between them, Eddie and Tommy Tipton admitted rigging winning drawings in at least five states, including Iowa, worth a combined $24 million. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City resident had an unexpected guest Christmas Eve when he came home to find an unknown male asleep on his couch. KIMT-TV reports James Dulude, 30, who has no permanent address, is facing a second-degree burglary charge. Dulude was also in possession of the victim’s credit card, and was wearing the his sweatshirt. USA (IRN) – Today is National Fruitcake Day. People tend to love fruitcake, or hate it. Johnny Carson famously quipped, “The worst Christmas gift is fruitcake…there’s only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other, year after year.” Regardless, the sale of fruitcakes has been a great fundraiser for Camp Courageous near Monticello for over 30 years. Camp Courageous is a year-round respite care and recreational facility for individuals of all ages with disabilities.