Iowa Radio News

WRIGHT COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Fort Dodge man has died from apparent exposure and hypothermia. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says 55-year-old Kevin Simmons was pulled from Big Wall Lake in Wright County on Thanksgiving Day. Simmons was found face down in about 2 ½ feet of water, roughly 200 yards from shore. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – An 18-year-old died after falling under a car he was holding onto while it was traveling down a gravel road near Burlington. The Hawk Eye reports that Clayton Connelly was “gravel surfing” with friends. Gravel surfers hold onto vehicles and slide along the surface as the vehicles move down gravel roads. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Sioux City authorities have accused a 29-year-old woman of setting a fire in a basement apartment. KWWL-TV reports Adasa Tafolla is charged with arson and criminal mischief in connection with the fire and is charged with assault on an officer in a separate case. She’s in jail. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo Police are looking into a shooting that left one person injured Sunday night. KCRG-TV reports a man walked into a hospital with gunshot wounds to the hand, side, and buttocks. At the scene of the shooting police found cash, and possible bullet damage to a parked car. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating an overnight stabbing at a downtown bar. KCCI-TV reports a woman was at the Carbon bar with friends when she noticed a group of women arguing. Soon after, she felt something hit the left side of her neck. Police cleared out Carbon but did not find any weapons or suspects. CLINTON, IA (IRN) – Police in Clinton continued their search Sunday for the occupants of an unattended boat. WQAD-TV reports the search was suspended last night, and will begin again this morning. Police have not yet said how many boaters are missing. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Three straight wins have propelled the Iowa football team back into the national rankings. Iowa re-appeared at #22 after their 40-10 win over rival Nebraska. The Hawks last appeared at #13 in the poll in week three, but fell out after an upset loss to North Dakota State. Which bowl the Hawkeyes will go to will be announced on Sunday, December 4.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Two people died and two police officers were injured in a crash on I-380 in Cedar Rapids, according to KGAN-TV. Police had responded to a crash that was blocking the southbound lanes of I-380 on Saturday. While providing traffic control, another vehicle hit a police car. The two people inside the vehicle that hit the police car were pronounced dead at the scene. The two officers in the police vehicle that were hit were hospitalized. CERRO GORDO COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A North Iowa man is facing charges after officials say he ran away during an attempted traffic stop. KIMT-TV reports Cerro Gordo County deputies responded Thursday to a report of a man driving through yards. When deputies tried to pull over 27-year-old Jared Hill he wouldn’t stop. He later abandoned his car and fled on foot. He jumped over a barbed wire fence before being tasered by a Mason City police officer. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie says he was the target of racial slurs from a Nebraska player during Friday’s game. Ekakitie, who is black, refused to identify the player. The University of Nebraska is investigating the incident. Iowa pounded Nebraska 40-10. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – As the death of dictator Fidel Castro brought out cheers from Cubans in Miami, one Cuban refugee who lives in Des Moines is also rejoicing, as he risked his life 20 years ago to escape the communist country. KCCI-TV reports Abdel Vazquez Collignon is one of tens of thousands of refugees who escaped Castro and sought asylum in the United States. He became a U.S. citizen two years ago – something, he said, that is one of his proudest moments.

ROCKWELL, IA (IRN) – One person has died after a head on collision crash in north Iowa. KIMT-TV reports it happened last night north of Rockwell. Two vehicles collided head on, killing the driver of one of the cars. A third car hit a piece of debris and spun out. The two other drivers were taken to the hospital for what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A raid in Davenport netted two drug arrests and crack cocaine, according to KWQC-TV. Davenport police got a warrant in an ongoing drug investigation and searched two men in a vehicle. Both suspects fled, but were quickly apprehended. Officers recovered a loaded handgun which had been stolen, approximately 28 grams of crack cocaine, and $2,500 in cash. The suspects denied having any knowledge of the contraband found in the car. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – An 18-year-old man has died after falling or leaping out of a moving vehicle in Burlington Thursday. KGAN-TV reports the man has been identified as Clayton Connelly, who lived in Burlington. Additional information about the circumstances of his death has not been released. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – One person was arrested in Davenport after a fight involving many people led to a man firing shots into the air on Wednesday. WQAD-TV reports 22-year-old Jeremy Ricklefs of Davenport has been charged with Carrying Weapons and Reckless Use of a Firearm. Investigators say he fired the shots into the air to break up the fight. DES MOINES, IA, (IRN) – Investigators are looking into what started a house fire in Des Moines last night. KCCI-TV reports flames were shooting through the roof. The family was having dinner when they smelled smoke coming from the garage. Everyone made it out safely. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa pummeled No. 16 Nebraska 40-10 on Friday, knocking the Cornhuskers out of Big Ten title contention and sending Wisconsin to the championship game. The Huskers have lost three of the past four games to the Hawkeyes. Iowa State plays 18th-ranked West Virginia this afternoon in Ames.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A pedestrian in Davenport was seriously injured when hit by a drunk driver early Thanksgiving morning, according to WQAD-TV. The victim is 23-year-old Kevin Haslem of Davenport. The accident happened around 3:30 a.m. Haslam was was loading newspapers into a legally parked vehicle when the crash occurred. He sustained life-threatening injuries. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 20-year-old man was killed in a drive-by shooting Thanksgiving night in Des Moines. WHO-TV reports it happened in a Git-n-Go parking lot. This is the 13th homicide in the city of Des Moines this year. MARION, IA (IRN) – A 15-year-old Marion High School student is facing felony sexual abuse charges after being accused of abusing an elementary school student. KGAN-TV reports Marion Police were told about the male student inappropriately touching an elementary school student at Starry Elementary in October. The 15-year-old old was arrested Tuesday after an investigation. CENTRAL CITY, IA (IRN) – Smoke and flames filled the air Thanksgiving morning after multiple explosions at a recycling plant in the eastern Iowa town of Central City. KCRG-TV reports one firefighter was hospitalized with what was described as a “life-threatening” medical issue. Nearby residents were requested to stay indoors to avoid possible contaminants in the smoke plume. BUFFALO CENTER, IA (IRN) – Two people were arrested after a reported child abduction in the northern Iowa town of Buffalo Center. KIMT-TV reports a babysitter told law enforcement that the two children, ages three and one, were taken by an unknown male and the children’s biological mother, Ashley Machain, who was armed with a knife. Mcchain and her alleged accomplice, Daniel Smith, are in jail, and the children are safe. DES MOINES, IA – Iowa has proposed no wage increases and removed health insurance provisions in a contract with the state’s largest public employees union, according to KCCI-TV. Iowa Council 61 represents 40,000 public employees including correctional officers, firefighters and mental health workers. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A robber attempted to rob the Chipotle Mexican Grill in Des Moines on Wednesday but fled with only a burrito. The Des Moines Register reports he got in line and ordered the burrito. When he got to the cash register, he said he had a gun and demanded money. The cashier ran into the back room without giving him any money. The man then grabbed the burrito and fled. There’s no word on whether the burrito was chicken or steak.

MONTICELLO, IA (IRN) – A man has pled guilty to robbing a bank in Monticello earlier this year, according to KCRG-TV. 45-year-old Brandon Brown admitted he took more than $4,000 from the F&M Bank by pointing a weapon at a bank employee in late July. He faces up to 25 years in prison. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The new Republican majority in the Iowa Legislature could bring new restrictions on abortion in Iowa, according to KCCI-TV. They take control in January, meaning nearly a dozen abortion-related bills could soon be on the table. Democrats will be unable to block them by vote for the first time in a decade. The legislation could reduce the window of time that a woman can seek an abortion or force a woman to wait at least 24 hours or receive counseling before the abortion. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – It’s Thanksgiving, and the Iowa State Patrol says we will likely experience record traffic over the next few days. WHO-TV reports troopers expect to see extra commuters heading to both Ames and Iowa City for football games. Trooper Nathan Ludwig says “Interstate 80 is going to be a zoo,” and “it could potentially be the busiest five-day stretch on Iowa roads in the history of the state.” NEW YORK, NY (IRN) – Some Iowa cheerleaders will be in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning, according to KWWL-TV. Varsity cheerleaders from Dubuque Senior High School have spent the week in New York City preparing to perform in the parade. They’ll be performing with Spirit of America Cheer — made up of cheerleaders from around the country.