Iowa Radio News

PORTUGUESA, VENEZUELA (IRN) – Iowa Cubs pitcher Williams Perez was reportedly arrested following an accidental shooting that killed his pitching coach in Venezuela. The Des Moines Register reports Perez accidentally killed 52-year-old Cesar Quintero while he was training in Portuguesa. Quintero was accidentally shot while Perez gave the gun to the coach. CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating an allegation of a camera being put up in a faculty bathroom in Clear Lake schools. KIMT-TV reports that a school employee is being investigated, and no children were victims. DELAWARE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A father and son have been sentenced to two years supervised probation after pleading guilty to insurance fraud. KWWL-TV reports 69-year-old Richard Hartman of Manchester and 44-year-old Tobin Hartman of Ryan pleaded guilty to third-degree fraudulent practices. Richard filed a fraudulent insurance claim to get money to cover damages after claiming to have hit his son’s barn, causing it to collapse. His son was charged for giving false claims to support his father’s statements. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was hit by a train in Ames Saturday night. KCCI-TV reports when officers arrived on scene, they found the man unconscious near the train tracks. His name and condition haven’t been released. DUBUQUE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two Chicago women have been accused of using stolen credit cards at Hy-Vee stores in Iowa. KCRG-TV reports the pair used the credit cards to make purchases in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Davenport, and other cities. The suspects would try to use damaged credit cards, which were declined. They would then manually enter the credit card numbers. Hy-Vee officials say the transactions amount to about $50,000 in losses. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A report of shots fired led to an hours-long standoff at a Council Bluffs home Sunday. KETV reports a SWAT team and negotiators were called in. Hours later, police learned the home was empty, and that no shots had been fired. The woman who called 911 was brought to the police station for an interview. There’s no word on any arrests.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – An investigation regarding a string of daytime residential break-ins in Bettendorf, Davenport and rural Scott County has resulted in two arrests. WQAD-TV reports a Bettendorf police officer caught Kalandis McNeil Sr. and Erica Kauer burglarizing a home and arrested them. Police believe the two are responsible for many more burglaries. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Lake City farmer has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for committing fraud to get bank loans, crop insurance proceeds and ease a bankruptcy burden. 36-year-old Clint Devries was sentenced Wednesday. He lied about how much crop he had in storage to obtain farm operating loans, and to bankruptcy trustees about sales of crops. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police were called to the Des Moines International Airport overnight to quell the anger of outraged airline passengers who say they had to wait 14 hours for their flight. KCCI-TV reports Allegiant Air Flight 153 was supposed to leave Friday morning but didn’t take off until early Saturday, creating a nightmare for passengers. One passenger said they couldn’t get a refund, they couldn’t get their luggage, and they were “stuck.” Hundreds of flights across the midwest were postponed due to weather. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – A Waukee boy is now up and moving around after he was placed in a coma due to complications of the flu. WHO-TV reports seven-year-old Jaxson Ridout was admitted to the hospital two weeks ago. He came out of the coma last week and is slowly recovering. A coloring page on the door serves as motivation; his mom, Melody, says Jaxson gets worn out quickly, but notes they “have to take baby steps before we run.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines was forced to close today after a water main break. Water flooded the area beneath Flix Brewhouse inside the mall, known as Flix Court, according to KCCI-TV. Individual department stores will be able to open if they have an outside entrance and don’t need access to the mall’s water supply. Visitors won’t be able to walk through the mall. When the mall will reopen is yet to be determined. ALDEN, IA (IRN) – An Alden man who admitted to molesting his granddaughter may end up getting probation instead of prison time. WHO-TV reports 61-year-old Dean Hilpipre faces as many as 50 years behind bars if convicted. But as part of a plea deal, prosecutors will recommend a suspended sentence and probation at his sentencing. The mother of the girl is outraged, and is asking the public to attend sentencing on February 23 at 10 am at the Hardin County Courthouse to help convince the judge to reject the plea. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Meredith Corporation will cut about 600 jobs at a Time Inc. customer service center in Florida in its first major move to consolidate the two businesses. The jobs will move to Des Moines. Des Moines-based Meredith completed its $2.8 billion acquisition of Time on Feb. 1. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City may soon change its definition of gender identity. Right now, it’s only male or female. KCRG-TV reports the City council voted Tuesday night 7-0 to change that. The new ordinance will allow people to identify as “non-binary” on documentation if they don’t feel they fall into the category of male or female. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines mother said she learned her lesson after police found her 3-year-old son wandering a south side neighborhood in subfreezing temperatures without a coat. KCCI-TV reports the mother had left the boy to be watched by her fiance. The boy was sleeping when the fiance decided he would take a nap too. A neighbor found the boy. The boy’s OK, the fiance feels terrible, and mom says that it won’t happen again. No charges will be filed. The boy left the home because he decided it was time for a trip to McDonalds.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Hundreds of workers in Iowa City will lose their jobs as a major employer shifts production out of state. The Gazette reports Procter & Gamble will move production of hair care and body washes out of Iowa City by late 2020. Those products will be made in a new plant in West Virginia. 500 Iowa City Procter & Gamble employees will lose their jobs. POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A deputy and a wanted man collided head-on after a chase in Pottawattamie County Tuesday. KETV reports when a Pottawattamie County deputy spotted a speeding Porche, the deputy tried to initiate a traffic stop. The driver, 26-year-old Dylan Hoffman, took off. Speeds approached 130mph during the chase. The chase ended near Macedonia when Hoffman pulled a “U-turn” and the deputy pulled in front of the Porsche to stop it. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A mother could spend up to 10 years in prison for leaving her children home alone in filthy conditions. WHO-TV reports 27-year-old Destinee Miller entered a guilty plea Thursday in Polk County to one count of Neglect or Abandonment of a Dependent Person. Miller was arrested after her children, ages one, two and four, were found home alone and covered in filth. She left the children so she could take one of her seven dogs to a veterinarian. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two bills that would make it easier for Iowans to purchase and carry handguns are being considered at the Statehouse. KCCI-TV reports the Constitutional Carry bill would remove the requirement for a permit to carry for a law-abiding citizen. Opponents say the measures would escalate gun violence. IOWA (IRN) – Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans to return and sell health insurance policies compliant with the Affordable Care Act in Iowa next year. The company announced plans to offer policies as long as there aren’t any significant changes to the 2010 law also known as Obamacare. The company said it believes the individual market can be functional again. Minnesota-based Medica is the only company selling ACA-compliant policies statewide this year. VINTON, IA (IRN) – Several businesses in downtown Vinton sustained damage from a fire last night. KCRG-TV reports the fire started at a furniture store, and quickly spread to a pharmacy next door. Multiple fire departments were on the scene for several hours, hampered by falling snow and cold temperatures. Neighbors brought doughnuts and hot coffee for the firefighters.

NEVADA, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man charged in the death of his 2-month-old daughter allegedly killed the baby by placing pillows on her face. 29-year-old Calvin Curtis White, of Nevada, has been charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death after his daughter was found not breathing Jan. 29 and later died. Police say they found a recorded message on White’s phone in which he said he killed the infant by placing pillows on her face to keep from hearing her cry. POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Investigators have released new information in the case where a bus caught fire killing two people in western Iowa last year. According to the Des Moines Register, mechanical repair records for the Riverside Community School District bus were changed a week after the fatal fire. Following an inspection which occurred six days before the fire, the bus was ordered to stop transporting students. An exit lock signal and outside warning light were both not working at the time of the inspection. PULASKI, IA (IRN) – The body of a woman found in a burned-out car late last month in Davis County has been identified. The Department of Public Safety says the body of 63-year-old Sharon Mortiz, of Northwood, was found by a farmer on Jan. 27 near the small community of Pulaski. Officials haven’t released how she died. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque business was destroyed by fire this morning. KCRG-TV reports around 4:15 a.m., crews responded to a fire at Link Hydraulic. The building and all inside are a total loss. No one was injurd. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa House Republicans have advanced a bill that would outlaw “sanctuary cities” and withhold state funds for any city or county that doesn’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The Des Moines Register reports that many law enforcement officials are against the bill, saying it’s a waste of resources, addresses a problem that doesn’t exist, and that it would make our communities less safe. There are no sanctuary cities in Iowa, and officials say it would drive hard-working, law-abiding immigrants back into the shadows. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Iowa-based retailer announced Wednesday that it plans to build a new two-level store at Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines, an expansion that goes against a nationwide trend of department stores closing. KCCI-TV reports Von Maur is expanding in spite of a declining market. General Manager Randy Tennison says, “you can’t just be a normal, everyday retail center anymore — you have to make sure it’s an entire experience for customers.”