Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa soon will require that ignition interlocks have cameras so drivers required to take breath tests don’t have other people start the drivers’ vehicles. The Des Moines Register reports the vehicles would still start, but the drivers could lose their restricted driver’s licenses and be charged with crimes after the ignition interlock company notifies the state that other people blew into the devices. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Council Bluffs police have identified and arrested the man accused in a December carjacking in the parking lot of Horseshoe Casino. KETV reports John Edward McAuliffe, Jr. allegedly shot a man and took his car. The victim later recovered. CEDAR COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Quad Cities ambulance rolled on Interstate 80 Sunday afternoon near West Branch. KCRG-TV reports two crew members were transporting a patient at the time of the rollover. The Iowa State Patrol said the driver of the ambulance likely lost control of the vehicle on the icy road, causing it to topple and end up on its roof. LONG GROVE, IA (IRN) – Two people were arrested and charged with multiple drug and weapons violations during a drug task force bust in rural Scott County on Friday. WQAD-TV reports three one-pot meth labs were recovered along with numerous chemicals, a shotgun, and ammunition. FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – A man who authorities say spent years pretending to be someone else is back in custody. KIMT-TV reports 57-year-old Wendell Keith Hunter of Forest City pleaded guilty to identity theft and fraudulent use of a birth certificate. Law enforcement says Hunter used that birth certificate and a Pennsylvania voter ID card to pass himself off as someone named Daniel Hughes, getting a job a 3M in Winnebago County in 2014. He was apprehended in Tennessee. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A World War II veteran from Newton has finally received the medals he deserves. WHO-TV reports Corporal Kenneth Arthur was in the artillery. On Sunday, Senator Joni Ernst presented Arthur with the medals from his service. Arthur suffered multiple injuries during combat, including the loss of his left eye. Arthur says, “I don’t want to see another war, they are not good for nobody.”

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A 2-year-old girl found unresponsive along with her mother in a Council Bluffs apartment fire has died. The Omaha World-Herald reports that A’Nyia Patton died Friday night at Children’s Hospital in Omaha. An autopsy has been ordered. The girl’s mother, 37-year-old Michelle Patton, remains in critical condition. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police are calling a Saturday death ‘suspicious.’ KWWL-TV reports police were called to an apartment where they found a deceased person. Family is being notified. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A preliminary auditor’s report shows the Woodward-Granger Community School District is missing $190,000, and they haven’t yet figured out where the money went. According to the report, there were “irregularities” in the payroll last August. IOWA (IRN) – After a record-breaking scoring performance, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows basketball player Rhett Darland says he was blindsided by insults from a college staffer on Twitter. WHO-TV reports after Rhett set the record, Iowa State women’s basketball player development coordinator Adam Urness, a Clarion-Goldfield graduate, sent the high school player messages criticizing his new single game scoring record. He used an expletive and made accusations about drug use. Urness has since apologized, and resigned.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Three people were killed and three others suffered minor injuries in a two-vehicle crash in Cedar Falls yesterday. KCRG-TV reports an SUV was hit head on by a sedan going the opposite direction. The sedan was going at a high speed, lost control, and crossed the centerline. The crash ejected the people in the sedan from the vehicle, killing them. The sedan split in two during the crash. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A Coralville woman is facing a number of charges after an incident in which she allegedly abused one of her children while drunk. KGAN-TV reports when police arrived, 33-year-old Joni Reed and her son were separated. The child had bruising above his left eye, complained of head pain, and had scrapes on his arm. He is autistic. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend in their Johnston apartment last spring testified in court Friday, saying he doesn’t remember killing her because he was drunk. KCCI-TV reports 39-year-old Abraham Roberts says he lost his memory as soon as he pulled the trigger, killing 34-year-old Agnes Yarlee, the mother of one of their children. The next thing he remembers is waking up in a hotel parking lot on the Canadian border. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A LeClaire couple found themselves in a bind on the day their son was born – temperatures were hovering around 0° and the baby was coming fast. WQAD-TV reports Hillary Perry told husband Casey it was time to go to the hospital. They realized quickly that they wouldn’t get there in time, so they detoured to Davenport Fire Station 8 where three firefighters helped bring baby Owen into the world.

IOWA (IRN) – Influenza levels continue to build in Iowa and the Iowa Department of Public Health has confirmed an additional eight flu-related deaths. Five of the eight individuals had an underlying health condition. Since October 1, 2017, 14 influenza-related deaths have been reported. The deaths have occurred in all regions of the state and the average age was 85. BLOOMFIELD, IA (IRN) – It took less than two hours for a Davis County jury to return a guilty verdict against a Tipton, Iowa hunting guide. KTVO-TV reports Andrew Wulf was convicted of two counts of Second-Degree Theft and one count of Ongoing Criminal Conduct. Three men from out-of state signed contracts with Wulf’s company, White Tail Ridge Outfitters, expecting a full-service guided hunt, and they didn’t get it. PLEASANT HILL, IA (IRN) – Police in Pleasant Hill are looking for a burglar who fired a gun at a homeowner early Thursday morning. KCCI-TV reports the man broke into several vehicles, finding a loaded gun in one. Billy Sowder was woken by a dog barking, and saw the burglar rummaging through his neighbor’s truck. He grabbed his AR-15 and confronted the burglar. The man fired one round at Sowder, but he wasn’t hit. After the man fled, Sowder realized the gunfire came from one of his own weapons he had left in his unlocked truck. ATALISSA, IA (IRN) – One person was arrested yesterday for firing a gun at an Interstate 80 truck stop. The Iowa State Patrol and other agencies apprehended the man at the Pilot Travel Center at Atalissa. The suspect shot at several motorists and police. His motive is unknown, and no one was hurt. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – An armed home intruder was fought off by a Bettendorf homeowner in an attempted home invasion on Tuesday. WQAD-TV reports a man brandished a firearm and attempted to force his way into the home. After an altercation the suspect fled on foot. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Drake Relays won’t be the only national track and field championship to be held in Des Moines this year. USA Track & Field announced Thursday its Outdoor Championships will be held at Drake Stadium from June 21st-24th. This is the 4th time in the last 10 years Drake University has hosted the event.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A police body camera captured the aftermath of a Johnston woman’s murder, according to KCCI-TV. Johnston police showed the footage Wednesday as testimony continued in the murder trial of Abraham Roberts — the man accused of shooting his girlfriend, Agnes Yarlee, in April. Police say her baby was in a bouncy rocking chair in between her mother’s legs, looking up at her. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – The trial has been delayed for a man accused of stabbing to death his grandparents in the Mason City home they shared. KIMT-TV reports the new trial starting date for Codie Matz is Feb. 20. Matz has pled not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court says the state court system is approaching a crisis point. Chief Justice Mark Cady said during his State of the Judiciary address on Wednesday that budget cuts have stripped the courts of 182 jobs, a 10 percent reduction in the workforce. MARION, IA (IRN) – The Linn Mar school district in eastern Iowa is defending a student’s First Amendment rights, according to KCRG-TV. This comes after a few parents complained about one artwork displayed in the school’s hallways. The artwork appears to depict an ibex and an disemboweled human body. Officials say they won’t take the painting down because of the student’s constitutional rights and because they want students to express themselves. The artist says the artwork was a way to heal after being involved in an abusive relationship. RED OAK, IA (IRN) – Cattle rustlers are on the prowl in western Iowa, according to KETV. Don Wolfe says he has had hay stolen before, but never cattle. Wolfe, who co-owns the Omaha/Red Oak Livestock Market with his son, Pat, believes 34 calves were swiped from his property early Sunday morning. Wolfe says it’s a $27,000 hit to his business, and that he should have locked them up. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa softball team traded the dirt for the ice to see what it takes to learn another sport–curling. KWWL-TV reports the team traveled to the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena where they tried curling. The outing was meant to serve as a team bonding exercise. One player says it was “really fun,” and that she plans to watch it in the upcoming Olympic games.