Iowa Radio News

GLENWOOD, IA (IRN) – A Glenwood mother is accused of drugging her 8-year-old daughter over a prolonged period of time causing her death. KETV reports 34-year-old Misty Frazier faces two felony charges. Frazier allegedly gave her daughter non-prescribed Amitriptyline (AM-ih-trip-tuh-lene) pills causing toxic blood levels resulting in her death. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa’s state government agreed Monday to pay more than $1.6 million to settle 10 lawsuits, most dealing with hiring or promotion biases, according to the Des Moines Register. Most of the lawsuits alleged racial bias by the state. BUCHANAN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A woman was killed in a Buchanan county crash, according to the Iowa State Patrol. 47-year-old Tamara Miller-Fuller, of Hazleton struck a semi head on. She wasn’t wearing a seat belt. The semi driver was uninjured. JONES COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Monticello man is behind bars Monday after admitting to strangling a dog until it went limp and its eye popped out of its socket. KCRG-TV reports that 31-year-old Dustin Rickels faces numerous charges. The dog was a shih tzu/maltese mix and weighed approximately eight pounds. Rickels says the dog was making messes in the house. FLORIDA (IRN) – Nearly 500 workers from MidAmerican and Alliant Energy are heading to Florida to help restore power. MidAmerican Energy has sent more than 250 employees to help out, and Alliant Energy is also dispatching around 200 employees from Iowa and Wisconsin to the hurricane zone. They will join more than 18,000 utility crews from across 30 states and Canada working to restore power to more than 6 million people. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Structural work began Monday on the new Ronald McDonald House in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. The new house will be 17,000 square feet and will include a state-of-the-art kitchen, family rooms and a playground. Workers plan to build around the clock through September 22 — completing the project in 228 hours, or 11 days. Since opening, Ronald McDonald House has helped more than 17,000 families.

IOWA (IRN) – 19 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers are deploying today for Hurricane Irma missions with four helicopters. The Iowa soldiers will come from units based in Boone, Davenport, Iowa City and Waterloo. The Guard says the Iowans will move supplies, equipment and people and support searches and rescues. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A man is dead after a shooting early Sunday morning in Burlington. WQAD-TV reports 26-year-old Demarcus Chew was transported to an area hospital where he died. No arrests have been made. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police have arrested the sister of a woman who was stabbed to death Sunday in the city’s 24th homicide of the year. KCCI-TV reports first responders were called to an apartment building, and found 30-year-old Lakeisha McDuffy dying of stab wounds in a hallway. Her sister, 31-year-old Ieisha McDuffy of Chicago, has been charged with murder. The sisters were visiting a relative who lives at the apartment. MARSHALL COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A pedestrian was killed in a motor vehicle crash in Marshall County Saturday night. 85-year-old Barbara Miller of Marshalltown hit and killed 40-year-old Holly Boone, who was standing in the roadway. Troopers are investigating to determine if the time of day, speed, or alcohol played a factor in the crash. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowans are honoring the victims of the 9/11 attacks today by taking part in the 9/11 March to the Capitol. WHO-TV reports Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg will speak at an opening ceremony at Waukee’s Centennial Park. Attendees will then walk 21 miles to the state capitol building to pay their respects to the victims of the 2001 attacks. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The funeral for an Iowa police officer attracted more than 500 people, including roughly 200 law enforcement officers. The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald reports that the funeral for 40-year-old Anamosa police officer Mitchell Kelchen was held Saturday. He died Sept. 2 after a crash that also seriously injured his wife. Co-workers and family remembered Kelchen as a great guy who could be depended on.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny family and their pets are safe following an early morning house fire Saturday. WHO-TV reports shortly after 1 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to the home for an attic fire. Authorities say the fire likely began in the back of the home and then reached the attic space, making it difficult for firefighters to reach and extinguish the flames. DURANGO, IA (IA) – A Durango, Iowa woman found guilty in April of stealing more than $400,000 from an aunt who suffered from dementia has been sentenced to five years’ probation. The Telegraph Herald reports that 45-year-old Molly Bodish was sentenced Friday in Dubuque County. She was also ordered to pay restitution and court costs. CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – Police have made an arrest in Charles City after discovering what they call a “marijuana growing operation.” 28-year-old Joseph Jordan has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, failure to affix a drug tax stamp, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Additional charges against multiple subjects are pending. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Anonymous donors paid $4,000 to the Waterloo Police Department so an officer can keep a police dog after he leaves the force due to health reasons. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the Waterloo City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to give officer Tyler Brownell ownership of K-9 Jason, a Belgian Malinois who’s been with the police force since 2014. Jason will now act as a service dog for Brownell.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Ottumwa fire crews were called to another vacant house fire Thursday night, according to KTVO-TV. Fire Chief Tony Miller says it is the third time the house has been set on fire since April. An adjacent home was set on fire last month. Police are investigating. LANSING, IA (IRN) – One man was killed and another injured in northeast Iowa when they were caught in a piece of farm equipment. KGAN-TV reports the accident occurred Thursday in Allamakee County near Lansing. The two men were working on a forage wagon. One of them was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was hospitalized. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 16-year-old Des Moines boy has been arrested on suspicion of shooting another 16-year-old boy Wednesday night, according to the Des Moines Register. Donald Kern has been charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon and willful injury causing serious injury. Kern will be charged as an adult. Detectives believe the shooting occurred during an argument over an illegal drug transaction. The victim is recovering. WINTHROP, IA (IRN) – An Iowa grain storage facility has been fined $4,000 following the death of a worker. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports that the Iowa Occupational Health and Safety Administration cited the Viafield co-op facility in Winthrop, saying employees weren’t properly trained in safety procedures for clearing jammed spouts. The fine came after 74-year-old James Schweitzer was buried while moving soybeans in May. IOWA (IRN) – Last week President Trump named Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey to serve a role in his administration, and now he wants another Iowan. The White House has named former Iowa DOT director Paul Trombino to serve as the administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Trombino is currently working for a Wisconsin engineering company.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – The Mahaska County employee involved in a Tuesday tractor accident has died. KTVO-TV reports 54-year-old Jerry Barrickman was employed with the Mahaska County Secondary Roads Department. Barrickman was operating a county owned tractor near Beacon when he struck a farm building. He apparently suffered a brain aneurysm. CRESTON, IA (IRN) – School administrators in southern Iowa have added additional punishment for five Creston high school students who appeared in a photo wearing white hoods and waving a Confederate flag next to a burning cross. The Creston News Advertiser reports that the five students were football players. Head coach Brian Morrison says the boys are off the team. KEOKUK, IA (IRN) – The former owner of an Iowa-based boarding school has been arrested on sex and child abuse charges. KCRG-TV reports former Midwest Academy owner Benjamin Trane was booked Thursday at the Lee County Jail. Investigators raided the school’s Keokuk campus in January 2016 to investigate complaints that students faced physical, mental and sexual abuse. The school abruptly closed, sending nearly 100 students home and laying off 60 workers. MASON CITY, IOWA (IRN) – Two people were killed in a Mason City crash Thursday, according to KIMT-TV. Police initiated a traffic stop, and a short high-speed chase followed. The driver of the vehicle lost control and struck a tree. Jerrick Rinnels was driving the vehicle when it crashed into the tree killing him and passenger, Jessica Herker. Both are from Mason City. LITTLE WALL LAKE, IA (IRN) – A body has been recovered from Little Wall Lake in Hamilton County, according to KCCI-TV. The name of the victim has not yet been released. It’s unclear how the person died. AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa students are well below the national average when learning a foreign language. According to a recent study published by The American Councils for International Education, only 15 percent of K-12 graders in Iowa take a foreign language. The national average is 20 percent.