Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Democratic governor nominee Fred Hubbell has chosen eastern Iowa farmer and legislator Rita Hart as his running mate. Hubbell announced Saturday morning that Hart, a state senator representing Clinton and part of Scott counties, was his pick for lieutenant governor. Hart and her husband, Paul, run a farm near Wheatland, northwest of Davenport. She also worked for more than 20 years as a teacher in the Calamus-Wheatland and Bennett school districts. She was elected to the state Senate in 2012 and re-elected in 2014. KNOXVILLE DO NOT READ THIS SECOND STORY PELLA, IA (IRN) – A man drowned below the Lake Red Rock Dam Friday. KNIA/KRLS radio reports a seven year old female who was playing at the water’s edge became caught up in the currents of the Des Moines River. The girl was pulled out by a nearby boater, but was unconscious and not breathing. After pulling several other people trying to rescue the girl to safety, the boater was able to resuscitate the girl by performing CPR. Her uncle, Cha Charles Lee, 42, of St. Paul, MN also tried to save her but drowned. NEVADA (IRN) – A Story County man who admitted to killing his 2-month-old daughter by placing pillows on her face pleaded guilty Friday to child endangerment causing death. The Des Moines Register reports Calvin Curtis White, 30, of Nevada, was later struck by a train in an attempt to kill himself. He will be sentenced to 50 years in prison. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – West Des Moines police have arrested two people for using an ATM skimmer to clean out the bank accounts of dozens of people. KCCI-TV reports Cardozo Da Silva, 40, and Jamily Silva Sousa, 26, are charged with identity theft, forgery, credit fraud and using an illegal skimming device. Police aren’t sure where the men are from. BELLE PLAINE, IA (IRN) – Firefighters in the eastern Iowa town of Belle Plaine were tasked with keeping a truckload of hogs cool after it got stuck on railroad tracks yesterday. KCRG-TV reports the firefighters sprayed down the hogs with water to keep them cool until they were transferred to another trailer. IOWA (IRN) – NASA astronaut and Iowa native Peggy Whitson announced she is retiring. Whitson has completed three long-duration missions to the International Space Station. In 2002, she become NASA’s first Space Station science officer, and in 2008 become the first female commander. Last year, Whitson became the first woman to command the Space Station twice, claimed the title for most spacewalks as a woman, and set the record for the most time in space by a US astronaut with 665 days.

ELDRIDGE, IA (IRN) – Five people are in the hospital after two cars crashed in a “T-bone” type collision at an intersection east of Eldridge on Thursday evening. WQAD-TV reports one is in critical condition while the others have non-life threatening injuries. EASTERN IOWA, IA (IRN) – Students from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida will be holding March For Our Lives rallies in Cedar Rapids and Marion on June 21. The students are travelling to about 20 states protesting gun violence. Seventeen people died in the school shooting in Parkland on February 14. DUNKERTON, IA (IRN) – Authorities say there is no foul play involving the death of a 6-year-old in Black Hawk County on Wednesday. KGAN-TV reports first responders were sent to a home in Dunkerton on a report of a child who was not breathing. The preliminary cause of death is sepsis due to acute peritonitis due to acute appendicitis. COLUMBUS JUNCTION, IA (IRN) – Emergency personnel responded to an unresponsive child at the Columbus Community Swimming Pool Wednesday, according to KCII Radio. Upon arrival first responders were told the five-year-old boy had been rescued from the pool. CPR was performed on the child, and from these efforts the child became responsive. The child was then transported by Air Care to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. SWISHER, IA (IRN) – Johnson County law enforcement officers detonated three homemade explosive devices found at a Swisher home yesterday. KCRG-TV reports police responded to a hit and run crash involving a driver who displayed a firearm and left the scene. Deputies obtained a search warrant for the man’s home and found the three devices. The Bomb Team took them to a gravel road and detonated them. No arrest has been made. FAIRFIELD, IA (IRN) – An inmate at the Jefferson County jail is facing additional charges after police say she smuggled drugs into custody in her pants. KTVO-TV reports the 50-year-old woman became disruptive and appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Officers placed her in a detox cell, where she was later found in possession of prescription drugs. She’s still in jail. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines rehabilitation facility held its ninth annual Game Show Gala last night, an event that helps pay for services for people with substance abuse disorders. KCCI-TV reports hundreds of people turned out for House of Mercy’s event, which raised more than $350,000.

CLIVE, IA (IRN) – A proposed psychiatric hospital in Clive is getting some pushback from potential neighbors who don’t want the facility in their backyard. KCCI-TV reports mental health advocates are pushing back, too, saying the concerns are based in ignorance. Mercy Medical Center would build its facility right next to an existing campus just east of Interstate 35/80, but some neighbors want it elsewhere. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman faces multiple felony charges, including possessing methamphetamine with children in the home. KCCI-TV reports an FBI led raid happened Monday at the home of 41-year-old Crystal Carney. An 11-year-old child in the home and had access to the meth. This is Carney’s third meth related criminal charge. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King is facing widespread condemnation for retweeting a Nazi sympathizer on Tuesday. The Des Moines Register reports King recirculated a tweet from Mark Collett, a well known white supremacist in Britain. King retweeted Collett’s post on immigration, writing, “Europe is waking up…Will America…in time?” Collett has described himself as a “Nazi sympathizer” and said he admires Adolf Hitler. King has not responded to the criticism. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Humboldt volunteer firefighter has resigned after being accused of driving a fire engine drunk. WHO-TV reports the man was responding to a 911 call when police on scene said he smelled like alcohol and was slurring his speech. His blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit. He had volunteered on the department for 18 years. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – In 10 years, Honor Flight of the Quad Cities has organized 45 honor flights for local veterans, according to WQAD-TV. The flights carry veterans from the Quad City International Airport to Washington D.C. for one day. Yesterday, grocery chain Hy-Vee announced that they would donate $50,000 to the organization to help sponsor the 45th flight. Over the years, Hy-Vee has sponsored 10 flights and has donated approximately $450,000.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A soldier killed in a Korean War battle nearly 68 years ago will be laid to rest in Cedar Rapids with full military honors next week after his remains were finally identified. KCRG-TV reports Army Sergeant Donald Baker was reported missing following a battle in September of 1950 near Haman, South Korea. He was originally listed as missing in action for years and family stories claimed he was captured and tortured to death by the enemy. He was 20 years old. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – The body of a man was found in Lake Manawa in Council bluffs Monday. The DNR determined that the man had somehow fallen into the lake from a personal watercraft operated by his wife, prior to a good Samaritan spotting him and bringing him to shore. The man was transported to a Council Bluffs hospital in critical condition, but is expected to survive. Investigators say alcohol may have been involved. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – President Trump’s declaration that the United States would halt joint military exercises on the Korean Peninsula met resistance as influential Republicans opposed the decision. The Washington Post reports Iowa Senator Joni Ernst objected, saying,“I don’t think that’s wise — we have done these exercises for years with the South Koreans and so I would just ask the president, why do we need to suspend them? They are legal.” WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Over 100 bank accounts have been drained over the weekend in West Des Moines after being compromised by an ATM skimmer. KCCI-TV reports police found a skimming device from an ATM inside a QuikTrip. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A homeless shelter in downtown Des Moines is working on a plan to build permanent apartments for the chronically homeless in the same drainage ditch where they used to camp. The Des Moines Register reports Central Iowa Shelter and Services hopes to build 24 apartments from shipping containers. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A soybean field served as an emergency landing strip in Fort Dodge Tuesday. WHO-TV reports the pilot left the Fort Dodge Airport and traveled about 800 feet into the air before having engine problems. The pilot managed to turn around, but was unable to glide back to the airport. Police say the pilot spotted the field and even attempted to land with the wheels between the rows to avoid damaging the crops. The tires sunk into the dirt, flipping the plane onto its nose. The pilot suffered a few scratches.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A Burlington man who used a claw hammer to beat another man to death has been given 50 years in prison. KCRG-TV reports 32-year-old Layton Tapscott killed 32-year-old Julian Menke in Menke’s Burlington home in October 2016. Tapscott told a judge that he was angry at Menke because he thought Menke had made unwanted sexual advances to the mother of Tapscott’s child. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A federal grand jury has indicted seven Des Moines residents on charges of sex trafficking, according to the Des Moines Register. During the spring and summer of 2017, the defendants trafficked three adult victims. If convicted, each defendant may be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two women connected to a violent assault on Court Avenue in Des Moines have been arrested. KCCI-TV reports 20-year-old Riley VerSteegh and 22-year-old Sydney Stuart face assault charges. They reportedly violently assaulted another woman last week as Court Avenue bars were closing. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A vandal has struck in Des Moines. WHO-TV reports on Sunday, someone spray painted “No Respect” on an Army recruitment billboard. Frank Cordaro, founder of the group Des Moines Catholic Worker, says a Christian political artist is responsible for the vandalism. Cordaro says the anonymous vandal is protesting the Drone Command Center in Des Moines. Airmen at the center use remotely-piloted aircraft that are armed with hellfire missiles and 500-pound bombs. BUCHANAN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down in Buchanan County during a wave of severe storms Saturday night. The EF-1 tornado briefly touched down southeast of Winthrop with a peak wind estimated at 95 miles per hour. The storm tore a roof off a Winthrop home. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A famous Iowan returned home this weekend, and worked a special stop into his schedule. University of Iowa Hospitals tweeted photos on Monday thanking actor Ashton Kutcher for visiting. Kutcher met with several kids recovering at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital.