Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN0 – A woman has died in an overnight crash in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. She crashed into a tree. No one else was injured. CRESTON, IA (IRN) – A Creston man was killed in an officer involved shooting Tuesday. Union County Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a man with a gun sitting on a bench in a park. Officers arrived, asked the man to drop his weapon, but he refused and charged the officers. One fired, killing him. The man, who hasn’t been officially identified, reportedly left an apology note, and a friend said he had been planning his funeral for a year. IOWA (IRN) – The state of Iowa has the second worst bridges in the country, according to a recent report by the Federal Highway Administration. The report indicates one out of every five bridges in the state is in need of repairs or replacement. And it doesn’t stop at bridges–Iowa roads are ranked as the 9th worst in the country. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Vice President Mike Pence is coming to Des Moines today to praise President Trump’s policies, making it his second stop to the first-in-the-nation caucus state in a month. Pence will address an event hosted by America First Policies, a non-profit group established to support Trump’s policies. His last visit to Iowa was to Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids in July. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds arrived at the Iowa State Fair Tuesday morning after spending the night with her husband, Kevin, in a Des Moines hospital. First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds had an emergency appendectomy. The Reynolds married in 1982 and have three daughters. He’s doing fine.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A federal jury has convicted a Windsor Heights man of stealing from investors. Roger Goodwin was found guilty of seven counts of mail fraud connected to his business, Goodwin Network of Advisors Inc. Prosecutors say he sold life insurance policies to customers in Iowa and Texas. Instead of buying the policies, Goodwin deposited the money into an account only he and his wife had access to. He used the money to pay his mortgage, car payments, and to remodel his home. He faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced in December. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man is facing multiple charges after police say he poured lighter fluid on his wife, threatened to set her on fire, and assaulted her in front of their children. WHO-TV reports thirty-three-year-old Derek Brownell also hit his wife in the face several times, threw things at her, and hit her on the head with a frying pan. He’s in jail. MONTEZUMA, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is launching a new website dedicated to the search for Mollie Tibbetts.The 20-year-old was last seen on July 19th while going for a run in her hometown of Brooklyn. Authorities hope a new website, FindingMollie.Iowa.gov, will lead them to new information and tips. AMES, IA (IRN) – Mosquitoes in an Ames park have tested positive for the West Nile virus according to KCCI-TV. Iowa State University entomologist Ryan Smith said although West Nile virus has been in Iowa for nearly 20 years, the state’s two confirmed cases and one death this year give some cause for concern. Symptoms of West Nile virus include fever, headache, body aches and rash. MILWAUKEE, WI (IRN) – The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled an officially licensed, limited edition bobblehead of Iowa’s mascot Herky the Hawk. KCRG-TV reports the bobblehead features Herky sitting on top of a pink locker. Legend has it that former Iowa football coach Hayden Fry, who earned a Master’s degree in psychology, read that pink can have a calming effect on a person. When he started coaching at Iowa in 1979, he had the walls in the visiting locker room painted pink. This is the first time that the pink lockers have been incorporated into a bobblehead.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – A man charged with murder says his actions in an Urbandale bar fight are protected by Iowa’s “stand your ground” law. The Des Moines Register reports that a judge has set a hearing for Aug. 20 to consider the motion filed for 49-year-old Rodney Henricksen. He’s pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the Jan. 18 death of Joshua Sadlon, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The motion says Henricksen was defending himself from an intoxicated and aggressive Sadlon. Henricksen told three people at the bar that Sadlon had threatened his life. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man acted out of self-defense when he fatally shot another man late Saturday in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports 32-year-old Joshua Wheeler arrived at a home where a 25-year-old woman and a 27-year-old male friend were talking. Wheeler forced his way into the home and assaulted the man. The assault stopped, then started again, when the man, who lawfully possessed a handgun, fired one shot, killing Wheeler. There were two children in the home. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Two women are in jail after police say they robbed a Davenport homeowner while threatening the victim with a long shotgun style firearm. WQAD-TV reports one of the woman stayed in the car as a lookout while the other went in the home and robbed the victim at gunpoint. FAYETTE, IA (IRN) – Two Certified Nursing Assistants at Prairie View Residential Care Facility in Elgin are accused of having sex with patients. KCRG-TV reports Megan Penney, 26 of Clermont, and Paige Johanningmeier, 23 of Elgin, had developed relationships with the two patients. The relationships turned sexual once the patients walked away from the facility. LECLAIRE, IA (IRN) – Illinois won the 32nd annual tug-of-war between Port Byron, Illinois, and LeClaire, Iowa over the weekend. 22 teams of men and women represented both sides of the river in TugFest — a tug-of-war — across the Mississippi. That’s 1,600 feet bank to bank. Proceeds went to charities on both sides of the river.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man was shot early this morning in Cedar Rapids. KCRG-TV reports emergency crews took the man to a local hospital. The extent of his injuries is unknown. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A man is facing an attempted murder charge after allegedly stabbing another man in Dubuque Thursday. KGAN-TV reports the 26-year-old victim was found stabbed in the armpit and was taken to the hospital. The victim had been allegedly talking with Christopher Puccio, 24, over the phone throughout the day. When he went to meet Puccio, the two got into a fight, and the victim was stabbed. Puccio faces up to 25 years in prison. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines home caught fire and suffered extensive damage early Friday morning while the homeowners were out shopping. WHO-TV reports it happened around 1:00 a.m. when the homeowners left to go to the store. When they returned they found a fire in their living room. The were able to get their two dogs out before calling the fire department. EARTH (IRN) – The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks across North America this weekend. It’s the most visible meteor shower of the year. The shower gets its name from Perseus where it originates. According to Sky and Telescope magazine, meteor showers usually peak during the predawn hours.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – The Wapello County Attorney said the officer involved shooting in Ottumwa was justified and no charges will be filed against the officers involved. A 911 call stated that someone had been shot in Ottumwa. Police learned three males in dark clothing, wearing masks, and armed with rifles shot the male victim. In capturing the men, one of them was shot. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Ohio man has been arrested after he stole credit cards and used them at a Des Moines Target. KCCI-TV reports Abdimalik Farah, 21, of Columbus, Ohio, and four other men stole credit cards from eight people in locker rooms of three metro-area Planet Fitness locations and then bought nearly $12,000 worth of merchandise–mostly gift cards–at the Merle Hay Target. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A former University of Iowa football player is facing multiple charges stemming from an incident in downtown Iowa City in April. KGAN-TV reports 31-year-old Lance Tillison was seen yelling at and threatening someone outside of a bar on April 27. He was arrested and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct. While searching him, police found 60 tabs of LSD packaged in separate baggies and other drugs. FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – A Minnesota woman who sent 696 text messages to a Forest City man in April violated a no-contact order. KIMT-TV reports 34-year-old Katie Christian of Emmons, Minnesota, is charged with stalking and other crimes. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Politicians with presidential ambitions often find their way to the Iowa State Fair to mingle with potential supporters. That wasn’t the case Friday with former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio. WHO-TV reports Boehner, who retired in 2015, stopped by the fair to visit longtime friend, former Iowa Congressman Tom Latham.