Iowa Radio News

BROOKLYN, IA (IRN) – Federal and state investigators are hoping that her Fitbit will reveal crucial information in the sudden disappearance of a University of Iowa student, according to KCCI-TV. 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, an incoming sophomore from Brooklyn, vanished July 18 without a trace while she was on a run. The case is becoming more and more foreboding after investigators say the circumstances surrounding her disappearance appear to be suspicious and concerning. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A victim walked into a Cedar Rapids hospital with a gunshot wound last night, according to KWWL-TV. Police are investigating. SHELDON, IA (IRN) – Three teens were arrested for burglary near Sheldon in O’Brien County after being caught in the act by the owner. KCAU-TV reports a man caught the teens while stealing copper wire, pipes, and tools from his farm, and he was able to detain them until law enforcement arrived. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Business leaders, educators and protesters plan to greet President Trump Thursday in northeast Iowa’s Dubuque County. The Des Moines Register reports the president, on his third trip to the state since the 2016 election, will attend a roundtable discussion on workforce development. This will be Trump’s first visit to Dubuque County since 2016, when he became the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the traditionally Democratic county since President Dwight Eisenhower did in 1956.

HERSHEY, NE (IRN) – An Iowa woman was pulled over and cited twice for speeding in western Nebraska – the second time after hitting 142 mph. The 31-year-old from Council Bluffs was first stopped around 1 a.m. Saturday on westbound Interstate 80. A deputy cited her and let her leave. Deputies say she accelerated away rapidly and soon exceeded the speed limit. They gave chase again as she hit 142 mph before she was finally stopped. She was arrested on suspicion of willful reckless driving. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A man who admitted to fatally stabbing his grandparents in the Mason City home they shared was sentenced Monday to life in prison. The Des Moines Register reports that Codie Matz, 25, changed his plea from innocent to guilty. Matz says he wants to accept responsibility for the deaths, and that “I realize hell is hot and the devil is mean. If I’m going down, then I’m going down, and that’s something I’ve got to accept.” MOUNT AYR, IA (IRN) – A motorcycle and a golf cart collided in Mount Ayr Saturday and the motorcyclist was killed. The Iowa State Patrol reports both vehicles were traveling in the same direction. As the motorcycle attempted to pass on the left, the golf cart turned left and the vehicles collided. The motorcyclist, 54-year-old DeWayne Clark of Mount Ayr, wasn’t wearing a helmet. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it will tap an existing program to provide $12 billion in direct payments and other efforts to farmers and ranchers hurt by foreign retaliation to President Trump’s tariffs. Governor Kim Reynolds says it’s a start, but what farmers really need are open markets. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A University of Iowa football player faces a public intoxication charge after police say he drunkenly mistook a police car for an Uber. KGAN-TV reports 22-year-old Brady Reiff, a junior defensive tackle, was arrested in Iowa City early Saturday. According to police, Reiff tried to open the doors of the parked cruiser. When an officer asked what he was doing, Reiff said he was looking for a ride. When the officer asked whether Reiff thought he was an Uber driver, Reiff replied, “Yes.” Reiff allegedly registered a blood-alcohol content of .204, more than twice the legal limit to drive.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Council Bluffs motorcyclist is in intensive care after one driver hit him and then another ran him over. KETV reports Council Bluffs police are searching for the two drivers who fled the scene on I-29 South on Saturday. The man’s son, who was on another motorcycle at the time, says a car merged from the left lane into the right lane, clipped his father’s front tire, put the bike down and then somebody came up behind him and ran over him. The son says his father’s helmet probably saved his life. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque police have arrested a man in connection with a homicide after a woman’s body was found inside an apartment early Monday morning. KCRG-TV reports Garry James, 53, faces a first-degree murder charge. Police found the body of Michelle Kinney, 53, with multiple puncture wounds to her body. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A man was arrested for embezzling money from a Sioux City bar to buy more than $46,000 worth of meats and cheese. KCAU-TV reports Carlos Barrera, 52, worked at the Ickey Nickel as a head chef when he made those unauthorized purchases at Staber Meats. HIs unauthorized purchases were of large quantities of beef chuck rolls, pork butts and feathered mozzarella cheese. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – RAGBRAI co-founder and longtime Des Moines Register columnist Donald Kaul has passed away. Kaul started RAGBRAI in 1973 with John Karras, after Karras suggested Kaul ride his bicycle across Iowa and write columns about what he saw. Kaul was also a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. He passed away on Sunday morning–the same day RAGBRAI began this year–after stopping treatment for prostate cancer. Kaul was 83 years old. WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has not missed a vote in the United States Senate in 25 years. July 20, 1993 marks the date when his current consecutive voting streak began. The last vote Grassley missed occurred in 1993 when he was in Iowa due to the floods that ravaged the state. To date, Grassley has cast 8,169 consecutive votes and holds the record for longest length of time without missing a vote in the history of the Senate.

IOWA (IRN) – The Iowa Lottery is reporting record sales for the 12 months ending June 30, bolstered by booming purchases of scratch tickets that are far outpacing the rest of the nation. Preliminary figures for the 2018 state fiscal year show the Iowa Lottery generated about $87 million in profits for state government, an increase of 7.8 percent from a year ago. Overall sales totaled $371 million, up 5.3 percent, while lottery players received $227 million in prizes up 5.5 percent. BROOKLYN, IA (IRN) – People living in Brooklyn, Iowa are ramping up efforts to find a missing University of Iowa student. KCRG-TV reports 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts was last seen Wednesday night in Brooklyn. Friends and family say she had been dog sitting at the time she disappeared. CUMMING, IA (IRN) – Fire investigators are looking into what caused a massive blaze that destroyed a $1.8 million dollar home in Warren County Sunday. KCCI-TV reports the home is a total loss. No one was injured. Records indicate the home is owned by Britt Baker, the chief executive officer of Baker Electric. DES MOINES COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Rescue personnel were dispatched to a golf cart crash in rural Des Moines County Sunday, according to KTVO-TV. The golf cart exited the roadway and went into a ravine. The driver was treated for minor injuries while the passenger was extricated from the vehicle by mechanical means and hospitalized. The driver said he was swerving to miss a deer when he exited the roadway. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – President Trump will visit Iowa this week to support a congressman running for re-election. Incumbent U.S. Representative Rod Blum is up against Democrat and State Representative Abby Finkenauer. The Des Moines Register reports the president will be in Dubuque on Thursday. His visit comes as tensions continue to rise between the administration and Iowa farmers, who are caught up in an escalating international trade war.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating an overnight knife attack, according to WHO-TV. Two groups were involved in an argument when the suspect grabbed a large knife and began slashing at the victim, who was hospitalized. Officers found the suspect a short time later hiding in an apartment nearby, and located the knife under a mattress. SCOTT COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A death investigation is underway after a body was found near the railroad tracks between LeClaire and Princeton in Scott County. WQAD-TV reports the body was found Friday. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – Workplace safety officials are investigating the death of a man at a manufacturing plant in Fort Dodge. The Messenger reports that the man died after being hit by and pinned under a steel beam Thursday evening. The beam was being erected as part of a construction project at CJ Bio American in Fort Dodge when the accident happened. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Cyclists participating in RAGBRAI this week will enjoy nearly perfect weather throughout the duration of the route, with most of this week being sunny, with temperatures in the lower to mid-80s. Riders will start today in the western Iowa town of Onawa near the Missouri River. Other stops on the route include Jefferson, Ames, Newton, Sigourney, Iowa City and Davenport.