Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 65-year-old man died after he was swept away in flash flooding in Des Moines. The Des Moines Register reports around 8:50 p.m. on Saturday, police responded to a report of a stalled and occupied van in flooded streets. The occupants had left the van, and one person was swept away in the flash floodwaters. First responders found the man, deceased, several blocks away. The Des Moines Metro received more than seven inches of rain in less than three hours, possibly a record. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Firefighters responded to a house explosion in Urbandale Saturday night, according to KCCI-TV. People living in the area reported hearing and feeling an “enormous explosion” and noticed flames coming from the building. No injuries were immediately reported. It’s unclear what caused the explosion, but firefighters suspect the major flooding contributed. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A driver is dead, after refusing to stop and crashing through gates at the Davenport Municipal Airport. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver accelerated and crashed into an aviation fuel container which caused a large fire. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Texas man was arrested in Davenport Saturday for illegally selling fireworks without a permit. KWQC-TV reports Jarred Carlyle also had marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a loaded firearm in his vehicle.

BREMER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man has died in a rollover accident in rural Bremer County, according to KWWL-TV. The Iowa State Patrol says 72-year-old Richard Martin died following Friday’s rollover accident along U.S. Highway 218. Martin’s truck went into a ditch and rolled several times. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two people were stabbed Friday night at an apartment complex on Des Moines’ south side, according to KCCI-TV. It’s unclear what led up to the stabbing, and one person has been arrested. Both victims are expected to survive. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A crash involving a DART bus injured five people in Des Moines Friday. WHO-TV reports a truck rear-ended the bus while it was stopped. Four people on the bus and one person in the truck went to the hospital for treatment. The incident is under investigation. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A 54-year-old man who brought a gun to Davenport school grounds — while distributing white supremacist recruitment fliers — was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and a five-year suspended incarceration in Scott County Court Friday. WQAD-TV reports James Lee Mathias also had multiple prior interactions with law enforcement related to weapons, in addition to interference with official acts. USA (IRN) – Officials urge caution when letting children use sparklers this Fourth of July. On Wednesday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated nearly 13,000 people suffered fireworks-related injuries last year. About 67% of them happened around the holiday. Sparklers were the number one problem, causing 14% of the injuries. Sparklers can leave nasty burns, reaching temps that can get to 1,200 degrees or more. As a comparison, glass melts at 1200 degrees, or 300 degrees less than the temperature of a sparkler.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected a proposed 72-hour waiting period for abortions in the state, according to KCCI-TV. The ruling reverses a lower court decision, calling the law unconstitutional. The ruling was 5-2. The two dissenting justices were Thomas Waterman & Edward Mansfield. Mansfield wrote the dissent and is reportedly on President Donald Trump’s shortlist to replace U.S. Supreme Court Justice Kennedy. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man accused of stealing trade secrets will plead guilty next week. KWWL-TV reports 55-year-old Josh Isler has been indicted on charges of theft of trade secrets and making false statements to the FBI. While Isler was working for DuPont’s ethanol fuel enzyme division in August 2013, he downloaded hundreds of electronic DuPont files after accepting a job with an unnamed DuPont competitor. He lied to FBI agents when he told them he had not downloaded the files. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Severe thunderstorms with winds of up to 80 mph on Thursday afternoon downed trees and power lines, among other devastation, across central Iowa. Multiple semi-tractor trailers were knocked over or collided on Interstates 80 and 35. In Winterset, the gusts and torrential rain destroyed a fireworks tent and its merchandise. In Indianola, several trees were snapped at the trunk, landing on top of cars and houses. The National Weather Service indicates Greenfield appears to be the epicenter of the storms’ force. A heat advisory or an excessive heat warning is in effect for all of Iowa today. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A parent is accusing the Cedar Rapids School District of destroying evidence. KCRG-TV reports the parent alleges video was destroyed that showed a school bus driver assaulting a special needs student. The district claims the camera was broken. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Marion woman was taken to a hospital with possible life-threatening injuries after being assaulted Thursday. KGAN-TV reports the 24-year-old victim was found unresponsive. Police arrested 27-year-old Cody Brown and charged him with domestic assault with serious injury. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Liang Chow, who coached Iowan Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas to Olympic gold medals, has been named coach of the Chinese women’s national team, according to the Des Moines Register. He came to the University of Iowa in 1991 on scholarship to study English, then became an assistant men’s gymnastics coach. He started Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines 20 years ago. Chow grew up in Beijing.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One of the people charged in Des Moines’ first murder of 2018 is back behind bars after a new arrest. WHO-TV reports forty-six-year-old William Burton was booked into the Polk County Jail on a charge of first degree robbery Wednesday. He had been free on pre-trial release. Burton and his girlfriend, 36-year-old Crystal Purdy, are both charged with first degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Cory Channon. Police say Burton shot Channon after going to his apartment to retrieve a gun he says Channon stole from him. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement yesterday. KCCI-TV reports two Iowans are on President Trump’s short list of 25 people who could potentially replace Kennedy. The list includes Iowa Supreme Court Justice Edward Mansfield and Judge Steven Colloton, who sits on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Sen. Chuck Grassley is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which will play a key role in appointing Kennedy’s replacement. NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – Two Cedar Rapids teenagers are facing felony weapons charges after flashing a gun during road rage incidents in North Liberty on Wednesday. KCRG-TV reports the teens allegedly pointed a gun at another driver in a threatening manner while traveling on I-380. After threatening a second driver, police apprehended the teens. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A 26-year-old Council Bluffs man suffered a serious injury to his hand while holding a firework last night, according to KETV. Investigators say the man was in a car at the time he was injured. DEXTER, IA (IRN) – A semi-trailer carrying chocolate from Hershey, Pennsylvania, caught fire Wednesday on Interstate 80 near Dexter yesterday. The Iowa State Patrol reports the truck had brake problems and caught fire. There were no injuries, but the trailer and all of its chocolate were destroyed.

WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – A woman who was hospitalized Tuesday after being trapped in her car underwater has died, according to KCCI-TV. Waukee police said a car driven by Shessla Whitlow, 38, veered off the road and into a nearby detention pond. Witnesses, the Waukee Fire Chief and a Waukee Police Sergeant worked together to pull her from the submerged vehicle. CPR was performed at the scene, and Whitlow was transported to the hospital; however, she did not survive. Officials suspect she may have suffered a medical incident. EMMETSBURG, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa man is dead and a woman was injured after a vehicle struck them while they were riding bicycles near Emmetsburg Tuesday. Troopers said an 83-year-old man was southbound on the highway, as were the two bicycles, traveling side by side. The driver says he was adjusting his mirror and failed to see the bicycles, striking both of them. A 4-year old riding with the woman is OK. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – An Iowa State Patrolman was struck while sitting in his patrol car Wednesday while legally parked on the inside shoulder of I-29 south of Council Bluffs. There were minor injuries to the State Trooper and the driver of the other vehicle. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new study says 37% of all Iowa households struggle to afford the basics for survival. The United Way report says that 450,000 Iowans cannot afford necessities like food, shelter and medical care. The report says one factor causing Iowans to struggle is that wages in the state stay stagnant as the costs of living skyrocket.