Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Court of Appeals is affirming a district court’s denial of Mark Becker’s application for post-conviction relief. KWWL-TV reports Mark Becker was found guilty of the first-degree murder in the 2009 death of Aplington-Parkersburg teacher and head football coach Ed Thomas. Becker claims his legal team was ineffective for several reasons, including they failed to file for a motion of a change of venue due to pretrial publicity. The appeals court disagrees, saying Becker’s legal counsel was effective. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Several residents of a twelve-unit apartment building in Cedar Rapids jumped from second story windows to escape a fire in Cedar Rapids yesterday. KCRG-TV reports six or seven people stretched out a blanket to help break the fall of those jumping. All injuries were minor, and officials are investigating the cause of the fire. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Hundreds of Des Moines residents could be missing their mail after someone broke into a mail truck. KCCI-TV reports the the thief or thieves broke into a locked mail truck Monday morning stealing an estimated 600-700 letters, small packages and personal items. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects involved in the break-in. The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison. IOWA (IRN) – Authorities are warning Iowans to avoid being taken by a scam that has been making its way across the state. The scammers are with a group called Warrior Box Marketing, and they come knocking at your door and say they are seeking donations for soldiers. Don’t be fooled. It’s a scam. IOWA (IRN) – Seven tornadoes touched down yesterday in Iowa as a tornado watch covered more than a third of the state. The National Weather Service reports tornadoes were confirmed north of Perry in Dallas County, near Paton and Scranton in Greene County, near New Providence and Hubbard in Hardin County, and two between Chillicothe and Eddyville in Mahaska and Wapello counties. There were no reports of injuries.

IOWA (IRN) – Minimum wage workers cannot afford a two-bedroom apartment anywhere in Iowa, according to a new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The Des Moines Register reports to afford a “modest” two-bedroom apartment renting at $781 a month, a full-time Iowa worker would need to earn at least $15.01 an hour. That’s more than double Iowa’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Workers in Iowa’s metro areas need to earn even more. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – An Ottumwa woman with a history of theft convictions is accused of shoplifting again at Walmart. KTVO-TV reports the woman took several items off the shelves, including a bottle of rum, a bottle of soda, and three laptops. When searched, police also found several clear plastic baggies containing methamphetamine. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Republicans are split on President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance policy that places children of suspected undocumented immigrants in detention centers, away from their families. Congressman Steve King praised the policy, saying there is nothing cruel about it. Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann disagrees, saying the policy is cruel and unfair, while Governor Kim Reynolds calls Trump’s policy “horrific.” FAYETTEVILLE, AR (IRN) – A former Ankeny schools superintendent was fired Monday from an Arkansas district after claims of sexual harassment emerged. The Des Moines Register reports Matthew Wendt was terminated from the Fayetteville schools for his alleged treatment of a female employee, which he denied. An employee said that she was coerced into having sex with Wendt, who threatened her job and sent harassing text messages in an attempt to continue their relationship. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The storefront of a Des Moines Casey’s General Store sustained significant damage Tuesday after a car crashed into the building. KCCI-TV reports a driver hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, causing the vehicle to crash into the Casey’s. The driver suffered minor injuries, and nobody inside the store was hurt. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The remains of an Army Sergeant reported missing in action during the Korean War nearly 68-years-ago have been returned to his family in Iowa. Sgt. Donald Baker was buried with full military honors in Cedar Rapids yesterday.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An athlete at the University of Iowa is recovering after he was shot in the knee. KWWL-TV reports Iowa City police responded to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics this morning on a report of a person with a gunshot wound. The victim is Samuel Paul Stoll, 22, of Iowa City, and is being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Several people were in a home when one person fired a gun, accidentally striking Stoll. Stoll is a wrestler at the University of Iowa. He’s an All-American and placed 5th at the NCAA championship last year. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A basement fire in Burlington was caused by acetone flumes and a natural gas water heater. KWQC-TV reports a contractor was working in the basement using acetone to remove old vinyl flooring. The fumes from the acetone were ignited by the natural gas water heater in a nearby room. The cause of the fire is considered accidental. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man is behind bars after police say he raped a 74-year-old woman in a senior assisted living home. KCCI-TV reports the victim says Lonnie Jackson, 45, raped her because she wouldn’t give him money. Jackson is in Polk County Jail on charges including sex abuse, robbery, burglary and unauthorized use of credit cards. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man who sold methamphetamine from his home near Wilson Middle School was sentenced to 17 years in prison. KCRG-TV reports after serving a search warrant at the home of 26-year-old Daniel Wayne Melsha, police found over 70 grams of “ice” methamphetamine and 41 guns. Released pending trial, Melsha cut off his GPS-monitoring bracelet, and was later found hiding in a camper parked inside a barn. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman found passed out at home Sunday is accused of regularly drugging her children so they sleep during the day. WQAD-TV reports 35-year-old Morgan Brown-Edmundson is charged with three counts of child endangerment. After neighbors found her 8-year-old son wandering the streets in a lethargic condition, police entered the home and took Brown-Edmundson and three children to the hospital for treatment. When asked how much alcohol she had drank that day, she replied, “more than enough and over the limit.” DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines firefighters are asking for donations of fans to help residents without air conditioners beat the heat. WHO-TV reports the department collects fans for Impact Iowa, which hands them out to people struggling to stay cool. They have received 49 fans so far this summer; and one woman alone dropped off 20. New fans can be dropped off at any of the 10 fire stations in Des Moines.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Polk County gave $844,000 in grants to ten private, religious schools despite a state law prohibiting public funding for such schools. The Des Moines Register reports that Polk County gave the money in 2012 and 2013 to nine local Catholic schools and one Protestant school by giving the grants to a corporation that passed the money to the schools. The money came from gambling revenue generated by the Prairie Meadows Casino and Hotel. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A sewer line collapse in Mason City caused untreated wastewater to flow into the Winnebago River in northern Iowa. The DNR reports repairs have been made, but sewage had been discharged into a storm sewer that ends up in the river. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A motorcyclist died Sunday morning in a single-vehicle crash in Pleasant Hill. KCCI-TV reports the victim crashed into a chain link fence. Emergency personnel had to use bolt cutters to get to the victim, who died at the scene. Police say speed may have been a factor in the collision. JASPER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 9-year-old child was flown to a Des Moines hospital after being located underwater at Rock Creek State Park in Jasper County Sunday afternoon. The Des Moines Register reports the child’s condition has not been released. MONTICELLO, IA (IRN) – A well-known special needs camp near Monticello is shutting down to sanitize after more than a dozen staff members became ill. KCRG-TV reports the leadership of Camp Courageous decided Sunday to close and do the mass cleaning as a precautionary measure. At least 16 staff members have recently become ill. Officials are unsure what the illness or its origin might be, but said symptoms were flu-like. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Fourth of July might be a little quieter this year for Des Moines residents. WHO-TV reports the Des Moines city council has banned the use of fireworks. Vendors are still allowed to sell them within city limits.

CORYDON, IA (IRN) – A man accused of killing a deer hunter in south-central Iowa has been found guilty of misdemeanor charges in a separate burglary case. The Daily Iowegian reports 27-year-old Ethan Davis was found guilty of misdemeanor counts of assault causing bodily injury and child endangerment. Police say Davis was armed when he burst into a Seymour home on Nov. 24 where his ex-fiance and her boyfriend were. Police say he pistol-whipped the boyfriend and fired a shot into the ceiling before trying to leave with is 1-year-old son. Later that day, Davis allegedly shot and killed 31-year-old Curtis Ross, of Cedar Falls, whose body was found Dec. 2 in a remote area of Appanoose County with multiple stab wounds. WAPELLO COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Authorities in Ottumwa are searching for a fisherman after his boat was found unoccupied and wedged into the riverbank on the Des Moines River. KCCI-TV reports the Ottumwa Fire department and the DNR are using sonar equipped boats to search for the missing fisherman. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man with a gunshot wound showed up to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines early Saturday, according to the Des Moines Register. Police say the victim was uncooperative and refused to supply information. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa’s unemployment rate is down, according to new numbers from the Iowa Workforce Development. The data shows the state’s unemployment rate is now the third lowest in the country. In May, the rate fell to 2.7%, compared to 3.2% at the same time last year.