Iowa Radio News

WASHINGTON, IA (IRN) – A trial began in Washington, Iowa today for a man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Burlington teenager. KCII-radio reports the Des Moines County trial was moved to Washington County because of extensive local media coverage. 25-year-old Jaron Narelle Purham is charged in the March 2016 death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson, a gender-fluid Burlington High School student, whose body was found with two bullet holes in the chest in a Burlington alley. Another man charged in the death, 24-year-old Jorge Sanders-Galvez was sentenced to life in prison in December 2017 after a jury trial found him guilty. AURELIA (IRN) – An anhydrous ammonia leak in the small northwest town of Aurelia forced residents to be evacuated Monday. KCAU-TV reports he leak started around 10:00 a.m. at First Coop. Much of the town was evacuated, including about 300 students at Alta-Aurelia Elementary and the middle school. Residents were allowed to return home Monday evening. MARION, IA (IRN) – A juvenile has been charged with harassment after a social media post indicated a possible threat toward the Linn-Mar Community School District. KGAN-TV reports police investigated the post and determined the juvenile had no intention of writing a threat. However, police said because of the concern it caused in the community, the juvenile was charged with harassment. BOONE, IA (IRN) – A battle over pieces of history in Boone is going to court. KCCI-TV reports four Boone County residents are suing the Boone County Historical Society, citing a long list of alleged mismanagement dating back to 2016. Complaints include violating Iowa code and its own bylaws, terminating memberships for speaking out against the organization, and selling the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Birthplace without input from other members. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – For the second time in less than a month, the Cedar River is rising to dangerous levels in Cedar Rapids. KCRG-TV reports this is the third time this year the city’s had to prepare for another river crest. It’s expected to crest at 17.5 feet tonight. The Iowa Flood Center said flooding this time of year is no longer an anomaly. Instead of seasonal threats, flooding is now a possibility any time of the year.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Council Bluffs police arrested a man who took off in a truck with the victim on the hood. Officers were at a Walmart parking lot when they were approached by a man who said he had located his stolen truck in the parking lot. KETV reports the suspect got into the truck, and the victim and officer ran to try and stop it. The victim jumped on the hood as the suspect started the truck and fled. The victim continued to hang on as the suspect sped away. He victim was able to break the back window of the truck and enter the cab. The suspect jumped out of the truck and it left the roadway and struck a tree, but not before it ran over him. The suspect is in the hospital. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a drive-by shooting that happened Sunday just across the street from a Des Moines elementary school, according to KCCI-TV. At least one house and several parked cars directly across the street from Capitol View Elementary School were hit. No one was injured. ALTON, IA (IRN) – Authorities responded to a train derailment in thenorthwest Iowa town of Alton Sunday after a week of heavy rains. The Des Moines Register reports an estimated 37 of the train’s 95 cars derailed as a bridge collapsed under the train. No one was hurt, and no toxic chemicals were spilled. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The former home of Holy Ghost Catholic School in Dubuque has been damaged by a fire, according to KWWL-TV. The building was vacant, and no one was hurt. Authorities suspect arson. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – Amid the devastation caused by the Marshalltown tornado were the trees; uprooted, snapped, or damaged beyond hope of recovery. WHO-TV reports Linda Harvey, who works the front desk at a hotel, has been turning damaged trees into works of art. Harvey started decorating trees when she realized she couldn’t do repair work, but wanted to do something. She says she wanted to “put a little something different and interesting and beautiful back in the community to make people feel a little bit better and hopeful.” She hopes that others who see the trees will realize that everyone has something they can contribute during tough times.

IOWA (IRN) – Democrat Fred Hubbell has a small lead over Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in a poll for the governor’s office that falls within the margin of error just more than six weeks before Election Day, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows. Forty-three percent of likely voters say they support Hubbell, and 41 percent say they support Reynolds. Seven percent say they support Libertarian Jake Porter, and 9 percent are undecided. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Federal prosecutors in eastern Iowa have announced prison sentences for two farmers convicted in separate cases. Prosecutors say 36-year-old David Pitz, of Elma in northeastern Iowa, has been sentenced to 10 months behind bars for using his more than $117,000 in farm profits for personal expenses instead of paying off his USDA-backed loan. In a separate case, 36-year-old Mark Laubenthal, of Bancroft in northern Iowa, has been sentenced to a year in prison for lying to his bank about how much land he was farming and how much crop he had in storage in order to secure a loan. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Davenport Hy-Vee was evacuated yesterday afternoon because someone sprayed pepper spray in the building. WQAD-TV reports the store was ventilated and closed early. No one was hurt. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Families gathered at an Iowa City cemetery to honor the memories of those who, in death, served the living. KCRG-TV reports the ceremony is part of the University of Iowa’s deeded body program. The program allows people to donate their body to medical education and research. This is the 51st year of the program. The ceremony honored more than 200 donors.

MOORLAND, IA (IRN) – Authorities in the Webster County town of Moorland recovered a woman’s body Friday from inside a car submerged in a pond. KCCI-TV reports witnesses say the vehicle left Highway 20 and went into the pond. A 911 caller said no one came up from the water. ESTHERVILLE, IA (IRN) – The northwest Iowa community of Estherville has been blanketed with the smell of dead, rotting pigs. The Des Moines Register reports the odor from a nearby rendering plant has driven fans from baseball fields and forced mourners to remain in their cars during graveside rites. The Emmet County Board of Supervisors is pursuing fines against the plant’s owner, Central Bi-Products, based in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. JOICE, IA (IRN) – An early-morning fire yesterday destroyed the public library in the Worth County town of Joice, according to KIMT-TV. Joice Mayor Mark Thoma called Friday’s fire a “devastating” loss for the small town, saying it was their community cornerstone. No one was injured. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – It was a historic day at the Iowa Judicial Building on Friday as Susan Christensen joined the state’s highest court, following in the footsteps of her father. WHO-TV reports Christensen’s appointment continues a family legacy. Her father, Jerry Larson, served on the Iowa Supreme Court from 1978-2008.

MT. PLEASANT, IA (IRN) – A Romanian man has been identified as the suspect in last week’s robbery at US Bank in Mount Pleasant. KCII-radio reports 19-year-old Ionel Niculescu has been identified as the male subject that robbed the US Bank September 14th. Niculescu had fled the scene possibly in a white Dodge Ram truck with an undisclosed amount of money. He is currently wanted out of Canada and another country and is part of a traveling Romanian band that targets coin shops, banks, jewelry stores, and large department stores. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped slightly to 2.5 percent in August, giving the state the second-lowest rate in the country. Iowa Workforce Development reported today that the unemployment rate dropped from 2.6 percent in July and was down from 3 percent a year ago. Iowa was only behind Hawaii, which has the nation’s lowest rate of 2.1 percent. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – 20-year-old Magai Anai-Kur will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a Des Moines man during a robbery. WHO-TV reports Anai-Kur assaulted 77 year old Robert Howe during a home invasion in September 2017. Howe later died of his injuries. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Wells Fargo plans to cut its workforce by as much as 10 percent within the next three years, according to the Des Moines Register. The company is Des Moines’ largest employer with 14,500 employees. Wells Fargo has been rocked by scandal and regulatory issues, including revelations the bank opened millions of fake accounts and charged thousands of customers for auto insurance they didn’t need. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A state ethics board says Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds did nothing wrong in accepting nine rides on private jets in the last 14 months. The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board on Thursday considered two complaints about a December trip to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis when Reynolds, her husband and two children flew on a private jet owned by the chief executive of Sedgwick. The company was paid $1 million last year to administer workers’ compensation claims for state employees. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Ground was broken Thursday on a new $8 million FedEx cargo building at the Des Moines Airport. KCCI-TV reports the project is a decade long effort that will move several airport business around and create a new $434 million airport terminal. The FedEx cargo project should be finished by the end of 2019, and the new Des Moines Airport terminal should be complete by 2026.