Iowa Radio News

MADISON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One of Madison County’s iconic covered bridges was destroyed early this morning by fire. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office received a report of the fire at the Cedar Bridge at about 6 a.m. The bridge was fully engulfed by the time fire crews and law enforcement got to the scene. The bridge and others like it have been the target of arsonists in the past. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A sheriff’s deputy shot at an Ankeny man who led police on a high-speed chase, according to KCCI-TV. Officers were sent to a Casey’s General Store in Des Moines on reports of a domestic dispute. 27-year-old Martin Andrews fled on his motorcycle. The chase hit speeds of over 100 mph until Andrews drove into a ditch, turned, and then began to drive toward a deputy, who then shot at him. Andrews is in jail. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A Fort Dodge man was arrested after attacking a state conservation officer. The Iowa DNR reports 30-year-old David Dayton took a swing at the officer on Thursday after being found fishing without a license. Once in custody, officers learned Dayton had two outstanding arrest warrants. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Governor Terry Branstad’s proposed budget cuts could have a big impact on worker training programs at Iowa’s community colleges. KCRG-TV reports the governor has called for a more than 10 million dollar cut in funding. Kirkwood Community College officials say the cuts are a bad idea. They say the programs help families and the state. People who participate in the programs get jobs that bring in tax dollars and they get off public assistance. JASPER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Just in time for visitors to head to state parks as they open, a new addition arrived at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge in Jasper County. The U.S. Department of the Interior tweeted a photo of the first baby bison born this year.

OMAHA, NE (IRN) – The owner of a day care center in Omaha was arrested in Missouri Valley, Iowa, yesterday according to KETV. Omaha police alerted the public when they couldn’t locate 58-year-old Lynn Rowe. Video turned into police shows a woman believed to be Rowe slapping and shaking a 4-year-old girl. The woman is heard to say “I hope this hurts you,” and “do what you’re supposed to do,” as she slaps the child’s arms, then shakes the child. The child briefly cries, then says “OK.” BUFFALO CENTER, IA (IRN) – A Winnebago County man is going to plead guilty to defrauding a Clear Lake seed and fertilizer company. KIMT-TV reports 47-year-old Richard Fred Wubben of Buffalo Center was hired by Titan Pro to sell the company’s chemical and seed products. Titan Pro started a new inventory management program which led to a check of Wubben’s buildings. That examination found that approximately $320,000 worth of Titan Pro products were unaccounted for. Wubben sold the products and kept the money for himself. AMES, IA (IRN) – Ames parents are concerned their kids are getting sick from outdated conditions at the indoor pool, according to KCCI-TV. One parent says kids suffer from chronic coughing, sinus infections, nosebleeds, and bronchitis-like symptoms. Some parents blame mold, others the amount of chlorine in the water, or the old air filtration system. STRATFORD, IA (IRN) – A Life Flight helicopter had to make an emergency landing Thursday morning near the town of Stratford. WHO-TV reports the helicopter, based at Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge, was in the air when a bird smashed through the windshield. The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in a field. No one was injured. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa children struggling with reading skills will no longer have to attend summer school to avoid repeating third grade. The law is part of the Education Reform Act of 2012. Lawmakers say summer school is too expensive at $14 million per year and don’t think it helps children become better readers. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A police officer and two bystanders rescued a man who slipped and fell into the Cedar River Thursday. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the rescue happened near the Ice House Museum in Cedar Falls. A man in his 40’s was fishing next to a dam when he fell into the water below the flood gates. He was unable to swim against the current, lost consciousness and drifted downstream, where he was rescued.

BELLEVUE, NE (IRN) – Bellevue Nebraska police arrested an Iowa man for online enticement. KETV-TV reports detectives began an investigation of 47-year-old Neil Ingram of Sioux City and his contact with a 15-year-old Nebraska girl on the internet. During the online conversations, Ingram used indecent, lewd and obscene language and sent sexually explicit images. Ingram made arrangements to travel to Bellevue to meet the girl on Wednesday, where police arrested him. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A 42-year-old Sioux City man has been accused of using a belt on his daughter after she refused to do laundry. KIMT-TV reports Ricardo Cordova-Larios is charged with child endangerment causing injury. Court documents say bruises on the 14-year-old girl’s back, neck and upper torso matched the outline of a belt. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A 39-year-old Davenport man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for robbing two banks in Davenport. The U.S. attorney’s office says Shawn Lee was sentenced Monday. A witness gave police a description of his vehicle and a plate number after he fled one of the banks. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Republican lawmakers trying to finalize the next state budget have proposed reducing money used on services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. KCCI-TV reports Republicans say increased federal funding will ensure no services are cut. Others say the reductions will affect staffing and further harm victims. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The push for an expanded medical marijuana program in Iowa took a major step forward Wednesday, according to WHO-TV. The “Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act”, made it’s way out of subcommittee and is now closer to debate on the floor. The program will allow medical cannabis use to alleviate symptoms associated with almost 20 conditions that include PTSD, cancer and Parkinson’s. The bill has bipartisan support. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Eastern Iowa police officers are looking to University of Iowa wrestlers for tips on how to physically control suspects during an arrest, while reducing risks of injuries to both officers and suspects. KCRG-TV reports Iowa City Police Chief Jody Matherly, a certified high school wrestling coach, had the idea. Officers from Iowa City, Oelwein, and the University of Iowa police departments took part in the training.

FORT MADISON, IA (IRN) – A Fort Madison man is on trial today for two counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to the Fort Madison Daily Democrat. 29-year-old John Huss allegedly stabbed twin brothers outside a bar in Fort Madison. The brothers have recovered, and are expected to testify. WAVERLY, IA (IRN) – The director of a Waverly daycare has been arrested on a number of drug charges. KWWL-TV reports Waverly Police went to an apartment complex to investigate the smell of marijuana. Police searched an apartment and arrested Kelly Hampton for possession of meth, marijuana, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia. Hampton is the director of Little Learners Daycare in Waverly. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating the city’s tenth homicide of 2017. WHO-TV reports it happened last night. Two vehicles pulled into a bar parking lot, and an argument escalated, and shots were fired. Both victims were taken to local hospitals. The one who died was shot in the chest and the other who is expected to live was shot in the arm. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Iowa research center for sustainable agriculture is on the chopping block in the Republican-controlled Legislature. A GOP-led budget committee voted Tuesday to cut nearly $400,000 from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at ISU. The bill also includes cutting $1.5 million from the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa. The center studies flood prevention. Staff for both centers say the cuts would effectively end their work. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Lawmakers passed a bill Monday making texting behind the wheel a primary offense in Iowa. The bill allows law enforcement to pull drivers over for texting while driving, but talking on the phone and using GPS are still allowed. Iowa’s current law does not allow drivers to be pulled over specifically for texting while driving. The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Cedar Rapids school district is considering a plan for building 13 new schools in five years. KCRG-TV reports some of the new schools would replace older ones that are deteriorating, while others are in anticipation of future growth. Highway 100 is being expanded to connect with Highway 30, and when the project is finished, that part of Cedar Rapids is expected to grow by 30,000 people.

MAQUOKETA, IA (IRN) – One of two men who broke out of the Jackson County Jail in eastern Iowa has been given 10 years in prison. KCRG-TV reports 20-year-old Brian Willey was sentenced Friday. Willey and 19-year-old Andrew Combs were captured after a short foot chase March 6. The men had pried open a gate and escaped Feb. 28 from the jail in Maquoketa. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A shooting during a fight at a convenience store in Newton Monday night injured one man. WHO-TV reports police were called to the store on a report of a fight, and that a gun had been fired during the incident. When officers arrived no one was there, but they did find damage to the store’s front door and blood at the scene. They later located a 20-year-old male victim at a local hospital who was linked to the incident. He was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – University of Iowa officials have confirmed an 18-year-old student was found unresponsive in a campus dorm room. KCRG-TV reports campus police responded to Daum Hall where witnesses said the student had been drinking earlier in the evening. They said he appeared to have a seizure and collapsed. He later died at the hospital. His death is under investigation. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man faces charges after police say he beat his girlfriend with a baseball bat, severely injuring her. He then handed the bat to the woman’s daughter and told her to beat her mother with it. KCCI-TV reports 27-year-old Taner Mann was charged with assault causing bodily injury, child endangerment, and willful injury causing bodily injury. He’s in jail. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines homeowner had a rude awakening overnight, according to WHO-TV. A car left the road, sped through his yard, and crashed into the home. After the crash, the homeowner found a car dangling through the ceiling of a downstairs bedroom. No one was injured in the incident, and an investigation is underway. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Storm Lake Times won the Pulitzer Prize Monday for taking on agricultural organizations after the Des Moines Water Works sued the paper’s home county and two others over farm pollution. Art Cullen says his editorials were about government transparency. The counties tried to hide the names of the agricultural groups who were helping them fight the lawsuit with financial support until the 3,000-circulation newspaper exposed the names of the groups.