Iowa Radio News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – The President yesterday signed a disaster declaration for the State of Iowa and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of August 23-27. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A Burlington teen fired a gun at people before he was taken into custody on Thursday. He reached into a bag he was carrying and fired at a man who was getting out of his vehicle. He then fired on a group of bystanders. No one was hit, and everyone fled. Two houses in the area were struck. Police chased the suspect through a heavily wooded area before taking the 17-year-old into custody. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police have arrested the mother of a Waterloo girl who died after being found unconscious in 2015. 31-year-old Kristi Buss is facing a charge of child endangerment resulting in death. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Buss is the mother of 4-year-old Gracie Buss who died four days after officers found her unresponsive. An autopsy found blunt force injuries to her head caused her death. Kristi Buss faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A high-speed chase in Des Moines ended when the suspect accidentally shot out his own tires. KCCI-TV reports police tried to stop 24-year-old Taylor Parker for a traffic violation. He took off and led police on a short pursuit. While still driving, he threw a shotgun out of the car, and the gun fired off a round, shooting out the tires of the car he was driving. He tried to flee on foot, but was caught holding a significant quantity of meth. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A semi driver from Florida was hospitalized with minor injuries after a rollover crash south of Dubuque Thursday. KDTH-radio reports 46-year-old Phillippe Nembhard was going too fast on a curve, and he lost control of the big rig. The semi tipped and rolled over and down a hill before coming to rest upside down in a ditch. AMES, IA (IRN) – The Ames Public Library closed on Wednesday after fleas were found inside the building. WHO-TV reports exterminators came in Wednesday evening, and the library was open Thursday. An ISU entomologist told city officials that he’d never heard of a library being infected with fleas.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The city of Cedar Rapids has a plan in place to return life to a pre-flood normal. KCRG-TV reports Mayor Ron Corbett called it a “welcome home” message to those who heeded the call to evacuate and helped the city manage the second-highest crest ever on the Cedar River. At 7:00 a.m. Friday morning, the curfew restrictions in place will be lifted, and the recovery can begin. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating after the body of a woman was discovered inside a van parked at Broadlawns Medical Center. KCCI-TV reports the body was discovered after security staff were alerted to a van parked in the south lot of the clinic for at least 48 hours. Because it is suspicious, detectives are investigating as if it is a “worst case scenario.” DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An 18-year-old bicyclist was hospitalized in critical condition following an accident involving a garbage truck in Des Moines this morning. WHO-TV reports the bicyclist was run over by the rear tires of the truck. Police aren’t sure whether the bicyclist didn’t see the truck, or may have had a mechanical error that prevented him from stopping. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Three people have been charged, including 2 juveniles, in connection with the deadly shooting of a 13-year-old girl in Cedar Rapids. KGAN-TV reports 13-year-old Ireshia Parks was shot and killed Tuesday by a 13-year-old boy. Police say they believe the shooting was accidental, and that the youth stole weapons from unlocked vehicles. Police say people being irresponsible and not securing their weapons is a serious problem in the city. BOZEMAN, MT (IRN) – Authorities searching for a missing Iowa hunter in south-central Montana say they have found a man’s body. KCCI-TV reports authorities are not yet able to identify the body and an autopsy is scheduled for today. The body was found at the bottom of a cliff during the search for Mark Rollins of Decorah. Rollins’ wife reported him overdue from a hunting trip. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A detective helping with an arrest in Newton accidentally shot himself. The Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force reports officers approached 25-year-old Chad Coady in a restaurant parking lot Monday. Coady drove toward the officers’ vehicles, causing two crashes. The handgun of one of the officers went off as he was putting it back into its holster, with the bullet striking him in the leg. The detective was hospitalized and then released. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Former Iowa Hawkeye football star, and Des Moines attorney, Randy Duncan has passed away at the age of 79. WHO-TV reports he had been battling brain cancer. Duncan led the Hawkeyes to their last Rose Bowl title in 1959. He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting and was the first pick in the NFL Draft.

CLIVE, IA (IRN) – Clive police provided new information Wednesday in a double homicide at the 7 Flags Event Center three weeks ago. KCCI-TV reports police say the investigation into the shooting has been difficult due to a lack of cooperation from witnesses at the scene. Police said preliminary results of the investigation indicate that the victims, 29-year-old Johnny Lee Ollie Jackson and 45-year-old Kevin Lee Hall, shot and killed each other. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque Police are alerting the public about a skimmer device found on an ATM, according to KWWL-TV. Skimmers are placed over or in card readers on ATMs, gas pump card readers and card readers at stores or restaurants. A small camera is usually attached on or near the keypad so the PIN can be obtained. Police are encouraging users of ATMs, gas pumps and point-of-sale card readers to cover the keypad when entering PINs. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines pastor is behind bars after being sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for third-degree sexual abuse and harboring a runaway. KCCI-TV reports 37-year-old Damion Rutues had sexual relations with a 15-year-old runaway girl he hid in a small sleeping area inside the Learning of the Lord Revival Center. And this isn’t the first time. In 2004, Rutues was arrested for sexually abusing a 12-year-old and an 8-year-old he met at the church. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was killed in a motorcycle crash in Des Moines last night, according to WHO-TV. The preliminary investigation shows that excessive speed may have played a role in the crash. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Cedar River has crested in Cedar Rapids and much of eastern Iowa, according to KGAN-TV. Almost all of the 2008 flood records for area rivers are still in place, with one exception. That was in Shell Rock on the Shell Rock River. The river crested at 21.51 feet, over a foot higher than in 2008. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Mary Orr is one of the oldest people living in Iowa. WQAD-TV reports the former telephone operator celebrated her 109th birthday Monday at the Bettendorf Health Care Center. Orr was born in Missouri in 1907 and lived in the Burlington area until 1994 when she moved to Bettendorf to be with her daughter. Orr’s family has thrown her a party every year since her 100th birthday.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Cedar Rapids Police Department is investigating an incident where a 13-year-old girl who was shot in the head and killed this morning, according to KCRG-TV. A call was received at 7:52 a.m. and within eight minutes, officers had three individuals in custody after a foot chase. Two are juveniles. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A Newton man is being held in the Jasper County jail without bond, facing stalking charges. KCCI-TV reports 53-year-old Thomas Fitzgerald broke into a woman’s home and stole a computer. Fitzgerald also called and texted the victim more than 1,000 times, threatening to kill her, her boyfriend, her attorney and police. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A law enforcement officer was seriously injured and a Newton man was jailed after a task-force operation resulted in a vehicle collision Monday night. The Newton Daily News reports members of the Mid-Iowa East Narcotics Task Force were attempting to apprehend 25-year-old Chad Eugene Coady of Newton on a parole violation when a vehicle collision occurred and the law enforcement officer was injured. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A former Burlington City Council member has been sentenced to 32 years in prison after his conviction for sexually abusing teenage girls. The Hawk Eye reports former councilman Chris King met the girls, aged 16 to 18, through his Burlington photo studio. King says the sex was consensual. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Iowa National Guard arrived in Cedar Rapids yesterday to help with flood efforts. KCRG-TV reports they are playing a different role this time around. In 2008 they came during the flood to fill sandbags, and build barriers. This time they will help police patrol evacuated areas, and enforce curfew. The river is expected to crest this afternoon. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Con artists are already targeting flood victims in eastern Iowa. KGAN-TV reports one scam involves someone calling people in the evacuation zone and telling them to leave their doors unlocked when they leave. Another scam offers free hotel rooms in exchange for credit card information. DES MOINES, IA – The Parks Area Foundation will unveil plans today for a new Des Moines park with a familiar name–Riverview Park. KCCI-TV reports Riverview Park will be an entertainment venue that will focus on concerts, arts, recreation and family gatherings. Riverview has a rich history on the north side of Des Moines. It first opened as an amusement park in 1915 patterned after Coney Island in Brooklyn. The park operated for more than 65 years before closing in 1978.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City police have arrested a man who threw a hammer at an officer’s head Saturday. The Iowa City Press Citizen reports 53-year-old Martin Reisen of Muscatine was throwing things into an intersection, and an officer told him to stop. Reisen became angry and ignored the officer’s commands. Reisen then picked up a hammer and threw it at the officer, narrowly missing him. He then punched the officer before being handcuffed. Reisen’s in jail facing felony charges. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a weekend shooting that left a Waterloo man with a bullet wound in his arm. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports 26-year-old Todd Goodson told police he was driving when he heard gunfire and was struck in the arm by a bullet. Investigators found additional bullet holes in his vehicle. No arrests have been made in the shooting. WARREN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Two teenagers are in intensive care after a collision in Warren County on Saturday, according to KCCI-TV. A southbound vehicle driven by 17-year-old Austin Kartchner of Osceola was making a turn when it crossed the centerline and hit a northbound car, driven by 21-year old Adam Richman of Urbandale, head-on. Richman’s OK, but Kartchner and his passenger, 16-year-old Kodi Shuff of Osceola, are in critical condition. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A construction worker fell to his death at a construction site east of Ottumwa on Thursday, according to KTVO-TV. The incident is being investigated. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence spoke with Iowans in Des Moines this weekend. KCCI-TV reports that Pence, the governor of Indiana, also told voters that Trump will emerge as a leader in tonight’s first presidential debate against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Flooding continues in northeastern Iowa. KCRG-TV reports the Cedar River is cresting in Vinton, emergency shelters have been opened in Cedar Rapids, and that evacuations have occurred in many cities, including Waverly, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Palo, and Cedar Rapids. On a lighter note, on Sunday the Iowa Brewing Company in Cedar Rapids offered free beer to those who had volunteered to fill sandbags downtown.