Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police have released the name of the man killed Tuesday night in Des Moines’ first homicide of 2018. WHO-TV reports 39-year-old Cory Channon died after being shot in the chest. Two arrests have been made. Des Moines residents William Edgar Burton III, 45, and Crystal Raye Purdy, 36, have both been charged with first-degree murder. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A body found inside a vehicle parked at the Flying J truck stop in Davenport on Monday has been identified as a 47-year-old man from Louisiana. WQAD-TV reports police are treating the death as a homicide. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Missouri man with a record of robberies has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a bank heist in eastern Iowa. KGAN-TV reports 60-year-old Peter Lundberg, of St. Ann, Missouri, was sentenced Monday. Lundberg has two prior federal convictions for bank robbery and one state robbery conviction. He got less than $1,100 from a bank in Coralville when he robbed it. MALCOLM, IA (IRN) – Police say a man intentionally chased down and hit another vehicle in Poweshiek County, killing the driver and injuring three others. KCRG-TV reports 21-year-old Kyle Sadler faces multiple charges, including second degree murder, for a crash that killed 20-year-old Riley Ely. Sadler got into a fight at a home in Malcolm, and then chased people who drove away in Ely’s car. Sadler rear-ended the car, causing it to flip into the ditch. Sadler then fled without calling police. He was high on meth. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The owner of an Iowa City automotive repair shop was arrested on a harassment charge after he repeatedly asked a customer if he was a terrorist. The Des Moines Register reports 47-year-old Cermak Automotive owner Chad Cermak asked the customer, “are you a Muslim?” “are you a terrorist?” “are you a suicide bomber?” and, “are you going to blow up my business?” The customer reported the incident and said they were “offended, in disbelief, and felt alarmed” about the comments. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – After winning the lottery, a Des Moines man doesn’t plan on blowing the money. Instead, he’s going to invest it. WHO-TV reports Brian Spicer is now $20,000 richer after purchasing a lottery ticket this weekend. Spicer is going to use his winnings to start a food truck business.

MANLY, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating the death of a 7-month-old girl who was being cared for at an in-home daycare in northern Iowa. Manly police say that medics were sent to the home in Manly on December 28. They performed CPR on the baby, and she was taken to a Mason City hospital. The little girl was pronounced dead at the hospital. DELHI, IA (IRN) – A 23-year-old Delhi man is dead after his vehicle plunged through the ice on Lake Delhi. KCRG-TV reports crews arrived on scene and found a vehicle upside down in about 8 feet of water. An underwater camera sent into the lake showed one person in the vehicle. The vehicle was removed from the lake with the help of a diver and a crane. The man inside the vehicle has been identified as 23-year-old Alex Salow of Delhi. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Moviegoers were forced to evacuate an Urbandale movie theater Monday due to a fire. KCCI-TV reports multiple fire departments responded to a fire at the AMC Cobblestone 9 Theater just after 4:30 p.m. There was damage to the roof of the building, and no one was injured. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa legislators began the 2018 lawmaking season yesterday, and the Republican leadership says it’s working on “chapter two” after passing major reform last session. KCRG-TV reports the party’s control of both chambers and the governor’s office last year allowed Republicans to loosen gun laws, further restrict late-term abortions and rollback collective bargaining. The GOP goal this year? Cut tax rates and simplify the code. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN0 – The tax bill Congress passed last month will have an effect on the Iowa brewery scene. Part of the reform is the Craft Beverage and Tax Reform Act, which stands to cut federal taxes for small breweries, wineries, and distilleries by half. Breweries like Iowa Brewing Co. in Cedar Rapids say it’s a huge break for them. The company expects to save approximately $14,000 under the new law. GALENA, IL (IRN) – The Bridal Cottage in Ottumwa was destroyed by fire Saturday, according to WHO-TV. The damage has left dozens of brides without their wedding dresses that were stored there. While the business’ owner is working to find replacement dresses, a bridal store in Illinois is offering to help relieve some of the stress. Brandi Arensdorff, owner of I Do Bridal in Galena says if needed, she can provide a few dresses for free. Arensdorff was born in Ottumwa, and is most concerned about brides whose wedding day is coming soon.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Reported cases of gonorrhea are increasing quickly in Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Preliminary Iowa data indicate 3,600 cases of gonorrhea in 2017. This would be a 145 percent increase since 2013. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was arrested Sunday when police responded to his home after a child called 911 and said his father was assaulting his mother with a saw. WHO-TV reports when police responded they found the female victim outside the home and the suspect, 35-year-old Fabian Valazquez-Montano, inside. He refused to come out. Police say he told his wife he would rather die than go to jail. Police took him into custody after a struggle. The victim suffered no serious injuries. CLAY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Authorities are investigating a fatal snowmobile crash that happened in northwest Iowa Friday. The DNR reports it happened around 8 pm on the Little Sioux River in Clay County. 39-year-old Justin Robert Stahly of Milford was riding his snowmobile on the frozen river when he struck a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa City Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that happened early Sunday morning. KGAN-TV reports the suspect was in the “adult-themed” store Romantix browsing merchandise when he then approached the cashier, showed a weapon, took an undisclosed amount of money and merchandise, and then fled the store. No one was hurt, and there’s no word on what merchandise was stolen. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Board of Regents isn’t expected to make a final decision on tuition increases at the state’s three public universities until June. The Des Moines Register reports that will leave students with only a few weeks to make financial plans before the start of the next academic year. University presidents have proposed tuition hikes ranging from 1.75 to 11.7 percent over the next five years. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa lawmakers return to the state Capitol today with a to-do list ranging from overhauling state taxes to possibly addressing issues with the state’s privatized Medicaid program. Republicans, entering a second year of complete statehouse control, will work amid another budget crunch and a looming election year.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Buildings damaged and destroyed in recent Des Moines Metro fires didn’t have sprinkler systems, according to KCCI-TV. Neither the Valley West Inn in West Des Moines or the Plumwood Terrace Condos in Urbandale had sprinkler systems. The buildings were built before fire codes mandated sprinkler systems in new construction. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Just minutes after the Bridal Cottage in downtown Ottumwa closed Saturday, crews arrived on scene to put out a fire. KTVO-TV reports the shop was fully engulfed within the hour and is now considered a total loss. No one was inside the shop when the fire began, and the cause has yet to be determined. FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – No children were hurt when a window of their moving school bus was shot out. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the incident happened in Forest City on Friday morning, when the window shattered after being hit by a shot from a pellet gun. Police say they know who is responsible and believe it was an isolated incident. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A car crashed through a fence and into the backyard of a Davenport woman early Saturday morning. KWQC-TV reports Jessica Cisneros woke when she heard the crash. She went to the vehicle and found a man drunk and asleep in the car. When she grabbed the keys he woke up and struggled with her for them before running away. Police are investigating.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A northwest Iowa mother had a scary start to her Friday morning, according to WHO-TV. The Sioux City woman loaded her four-year old in her running SUV and then went back into her home to get her other child. In just the few minutes she was inside, someone stole the car. Police located the abandoned SUV about 15 minutes later. The child was still in the car and was not injured. Officials are still searching for the car thief. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Thirty-six Iowa counties filed federal lawsuits Friday against the manufacturers of pharmaceutical opioid drugs. States across the country have filed similar lawsuits in an attempt to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the nation’s widespread opioid epidemic. It identifies five pharmaceutical companies for allegedly downplaying the risks of opioids. CLIVE, IA (IRN) – A central Iowa man said the cold weather almost kept him at home, but at the last minute, he decided to go out and buy Powerball tickets on New Year’s weekend. That’s how he ended up with a $1 million prize. 57-year-old George Dickerson said the lottery terminal wasn’t working at the first store he stopped at, so he had to drive to another location to buy tickets. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids woman says she’s alive today because of the quick thinking and kindness of a stranger. KCRG-TV reports Vicki Witte was driving on a highway in Linn County when her heart stopped. Witte’s daughter says she managed to stop the car, and Arturo Melendez pulled over to make sure she was O.K. He saw she wasn’t, so he busted out the window, unlocked the door, pulled her out, and started CPR on the highway. Witte is recovering.