Friday, August 18, 2017

RIVERSIDE, IA (IRN) – The death of a 17-month-old child in Riverside is being investigated as a homicide, according to KCII-Radio. Avery McCoy died at her home in Riverside on November 9, 2016. Officials say the child died as a result of malnutrition and neglect. McCoy was the daughter of Anthony McCoy and Ambrashia Chrzan. She had 12 siblings, one of which preceded her in death.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man out for a walk with his dog was hurt when another dog attacked them Thursday. WHO-TV reports the man was walking his Basenji when a pit bull escaped a fence and attacked them. The man was bitten on the hand, and the Basenji suffered severe lacerations, but will be OK. Pit bull owners in Des Moines are required to have special insurance. The owners of the attacking dog didn’t have it. They insist their dog is an American bulldog. A consulting veterinarian disagrees.

CAMANCHE, IA (IRN) – Production has begun once again at the TMK IPSCO plant in Camanche, bringing more than 100 jobs back to the area. WQAD-TV reports the plant, which manufactures pipes for the oil and gas industry, was idled in 2015. Company officials say increased demand allowed for the re-opening. Salaries range from $70,000 to $100,000.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Fair isn’t over yet, but organizers are already planning for next year – and they’re not messing around. KCCI-TV reports the first official Grandstand performance at the 2018 fair will be none other than the Queen of Country herself, Reba McEntire.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Iowa couple whose adopted baby was killed after his birth parents regained custody has won a $3.25 million judgment in a lawsuit against their adoption lawyer. The Des Moines Register reports their attorney allowed them to believe he’d gotten the baby’s birth mother to sign a critical release-of-custody document when he had not done so. The 3-month-old baby was returned to his birth mother. The child’s father, then 17, murdered the baby. He is serving a 50 year prison sentence.

LOUISA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A teenager riding a bicycle died when hit by a car in Louisa County Wednesday evening just after sunset. KCII-TV reports a Ford Taurus driven by 26-year-old Alexander Cortes-Wolfe of Wapello was westbound and struck and killed 14-year-old Raeanna Reynolds of Muscatine.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo woman died weeks after receiving serious burns in a bonfire accident July 15. The Courier reports that 43-year-old Mary Ann Blow was burned when she poured a flammable liquid on a fire behind a relative’s home.

ALGONA, IA (IRN) – A Kossuth County auto dealer has been accused of theft. 56-year-old Scott Alan Krause is the owner and operator of the McGregor & Dodge car dealership in Algona. Krause allegedly overcharged customers by nearly $19,000 in tax, title and license fees, and illegally sold seven vehicles with liens on them.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds is asking the Board of Regents to find another way to deal with budget problems instead of raising tuition. WHO-TV reports school presidents say a lack of state funding is forcing their hands. They blame the state’s declining interest in funding higher education. In 1971 Iowa State University got nearly three-quarters of its budget from state funding. In 2016 just 26% of the school’s funding came from state dollars.

HIAWATHA, IA (IRN) – A new program in eastern Iowa is using music to help those with Down syndrome, according to KCRG-TV. The Hawkeye Area Down Syndrome Association hosts music therapy classes called Do Re Mi at the Hiawatha Library. One mother says music helps the children become better at speech, and that her daughter, “really comes alive when we incorporate the ABC song and other music” into the program.

Wednesday, August 16, 2016

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was stabbed at the Iowa State Fairgrounds last night. A 21-year-old male was transported to the hospital in critical, but stable condition. The Iowa State Patrol and the Des Moines Police Department are investigating.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Davenport Police responded to reports of shots fired and a shooting victim last night, according to WQAD-TV. Upon arrival, officers found a juvenile female victim in an alley. She was hospitalized.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Activists in Des Moines are pushing back against a rule by the Iowa Department of Administrative Services requiring groups to obtain a $1 million insurance policy before rallying at the Statehouse. KCCI-TV reports groups are afraid that if monetary restrictions are put on who can rally, smaller groups with important messages will get lost. They say the policy infringes on free speech.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds criticized proposed tuition increases at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University but didn’t commit to reversing a decline in state support that has led to higher tuition. The Des Moines Register reports Reynolds said “there is no way that Iowa families could afford a 7 percent increase over five years.” Asked whether the Legislature should increase higher education funding, Reynolds said, “The Legislature is going to do what the Legislature is going to do.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two upcoming promotions at the Des Moines Fire Department will mark two firsts for the city. WHO-TV reports Amy Montgomery will be sworn in as district chief. This makes her the department’s fire female chief officer. Percy Coleman will be sworn in as assistant chief, becoming the first African American assistant chief in the department’s history.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deadly crash between a pedestrian and a train along tracks southeast of Cedar Rapids. KGAN-TV reports the victim is a teenage girl who had been walking on the tracks when a train hit her. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – The inmate accused of killing a Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy admitted his guilt during a court hearing today. Wesley Correa-Carmenaty entered guilty pleas without any kind of plea agreement. Correa-Carmenaty had just been sentenced on May 1 to 45 years in prison in an unrelated murder case when he grabbed one of the deputies’ guns while being transferred to the county jail. He shot both deputies, killing one, and used the jail van to escape. He was recaptured that day in Omaha, Nebraska, after carjacking a woman at gunpoint.

WEBSTER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The body of a woman found near Clare in Webster County has been identified. 26-year-old Jessica Gomez was reported missing, but has now been identified as the deceased woman found on Saturday. Mackenzie Knigge and Phillip Williams are charged with first degree murder. They are being held in Indiana.

LANSING, IA (IRN) – A McGregor woman went to the hospital after she drove her car into the Mississippi River in Lansing. KCRG-TV reports while she escaped, her dog drowned.

FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – Senator Joni Ernst said she is frustrated that it took President Donald Trump two days to condemn white supremacy, according to KCCI-TV. Ernst spoke out Monday during a town hall meeting in Fort Dodge, addressing the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. She says “Absolutely it’s frustrating…we all need to condemn it at once. That’s not okay.”

DOON, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol says a man stopped for speeding at 114 mph in a 55 mph zone was cited less than 15 minute later for speeding again. The man was clocked Saturday in Lyon County at 114 mph. The driver told the officer he was in such a hurry because he was “Late for the Doon Days Parade” in the Lyon County town of Doon. The same driver was stopped minutes later at 71 mph in a 55 mph zone. He was apparently still late for the Doon Days Parade.