Iowa Radio News

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque jury has found Robert Stern guilty of murdering his daughter. KWWL-TV reports the 63-year-old was accused of shooting his daughter with three different guns in their home in June. The prosecution argued Stern felt his daughter was a burden because she was autistic, and that’s why he killed her. The defense claimed Stern was simply overwhelmed after his wife died of cancer. IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man is dead after an ATV crash that happened Friday night. KGAN-TV reports 20-year-old Jacob Baseman lost control of his ATV and crashed. He was the only one on the ATV. Baseman was found unresponsive at the scene and was pronounced dead a short time later. POCAHONTAS, IA (IRN) – An assistant police chief in northwest Iowa has been accused of punching his girlfriend. KCCI-TV reports 36-year-old Charles White, of Pocahontas, is charged with domestic assault causing injury. The woman told officers White punched her in the face Wednesday while they argued over his cellphone, which she says she took to check for information while he was dozing. White’s been placed on administrative leave. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – An Ottumwa farmer was taken to the hospital after his gravity wagon overturned in a ditch, according to KTVO-TV. The farmer was transporting roughly 1,200 bushels of corn when the wagon went off the road, pulling the tractor with it. The driver suffered non-life threatening injuries. IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man from the Poweshiek County town of Deep River was killed in a collision in rural Iowa County. KCRG-TV reports 74-year-old Warren Beadle’s vehicle was hit head-on by a vehicle driven by 26-year-old Ryan Grimm of Deep River. Grimm was driving north on the road, and was cited for failure to yield half of the roadway. Beadle died at the scene. Grimm has minor injuries. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny daycare provider has been charged with child endangerment after testing positive for methamphetamine. KCCI-TV reports 39-year-old Melinda Bales has been charged with three counts of child endangerment after a tip led the Iowa Department of Human Services to administer the drug test. Bales ran an unregistered in-home daycare out of her mobile home. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – The Waukee Police Department is asking for help finding a suspect in a disturbing car vandalism case, according to WHO-TV. Police say someone smashed the windows out of a parked car and spray-painted swastikas on it. A $500 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – In a massive $1.7 billion deal, Isle of Capri Casinos is selling its business to Reno-based Eldorado Resorts, according to WQAD-TV. The deal includes Isle Bettendorf among some 20 properties nationwide. While the news isn’t a complete surprise in Bettendorf, there is concern for nearly 1,000 employees at the casino-hotel complex. Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher says his hope is that the new management will retain the current staff.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A 43-year-old Mason City woman was arrested Sunday after a confrontation with a neighbor after she allegedly let her dog run at large. KIMT-TV reports when Mason City police approached her, she was intoxicated. And when they tried arresting her, she resisted and reportedly spit on an officer. She’s in jail. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque man has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for identity theft. 34-year-old Peter George used someone else’s birth certificate and Social Security card to obtain an Iowa driver’s license. The victim reported that he had his tax refunds withheld, several fraudulent lines of credit opened up, and his medical coverage was used by George. IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) The emerald ash borer, a destructive, exotic insect pest of ash trees, has been confirmed in Iowa County. This finding brings the total to thirty-six counties in Iowa. Nationally, the insect has been found in 28 states and has killed tens of millions of ash trees. GLENWOOD, IA (IRN) – Glenwood Police have arrested a 27-year-old Ohio man as a suspect in the shooting death of an 18-year-old woman in western Iowa. Kathryn Weber was fatally shot Saturday outside the assisted-living center where she worked. Officers found Weber lying on the ground and bleeding when they arrived. She died soon after. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder. DECORAH, IA (IRN) – Authorities have found the body of a missing Luther College student. KCRG-TV reports Winneshiek County sheriff’s deputies found 21-year-old Bjorn Norderhaug’s body Sunday morning in the Upper Iowa River near Decorah. His friends had not seen or heard from him since around 2 a.m. Saturday. He was last seen at a local bar. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was taken into custody Sunday night after leading Des Moines police on a chase through the city, according to KCCI-TV. The pursuit started around 9 p.m. when police officers spotted the man driving a stolen vehicle and tried to pull him over. The chase ended when the driver crashed into a building downtown. LE MARS, IA (IRN) – A scary moment occurred during the Gehlen Catholic Homecoming football game in Le Mars Friday night, when a motorcycle and pickup crashed into each other near the football field, causing a huge explosion. KCAU-TV reports during the band’s halftime performance, hundreds of people witnessed a big fireball shoot into the air. The motorcycle’s gas tank had exploded. All four involved are going to be OK.

IOWA (IRN) – Saturday wasn’t a good day to be a football fan in Iowa. Cam Pederson kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired, giving North Dakota State a 23-21 upset win over 13th-ranked Iowa. TCU beat Iowa State 41-20. The Cyclones, with first-year coach Matt Campbell, are 0-3 for the first time since 1997. To complete the trifecta, after rallying from a 17-point deficit, a fake field goal lifted Eastern Washington over UNI 34-30. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – An Iowa inmate serving a 10-year sentence for a burglary conviction has died in prison. KCRG-TV reports Christopher Cretin died Wednesday of natural causes due to chronic renal failure. He was 40. Cretin was serving a sentence for second-degree burglary in Pottawattamie County. SANDUSKY, IA (IRN) – Approximately 40 people were arrested Saturday during a protest along the Dakota Access Pipeline route in southeast Iowa. More than 150 protesters gathered in Sandusky to try to block the $3.8 billion pipeline. The project would stretch over four states once complete, transporting oil from North Dakota’s Bakken formations to Illinois, crossing 18 Iowa counties. WEBSTER CITY, IA (IRN) – A celebration of the Doodle Bug scooter took place last week in Webster City, according to WHO-TV. For 30 years the Hamilton County town has hosted a reunion of Doodle Bug owners and enthusiasts. The small bike was manufactured in Webster City by Beam Manufacturing from 1946-48. The company made about 40,000 of the bikes; only a thousand or so are left.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Ottumwa murder suspect Kashenna Tucker has asked to be temporarily released from jail, according to KTVO-TV. Tucker is being held on a $500,000 cash bond after being charged with the death of three-year-old Wysdom Evans. Tucker says she is desperate to get out of jail to take care of her two children. She says they aren’t in a safe situation and she needs to be released for 30 to 60 days to find suitable day care. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A woman at the center of a deadly officer-involved shooting in Cedar Rapids is recovering. KCRG-TV reports RaeLynn Finn says she was stabbed a number of times, and suffered a broken jaw and a ruptured eardrum. She says that police had no choice but to kill 25-year-old Markell Bivins, and that they saved her life. Bivins kept stabbing her even after police had put two bullets into him. They then tased him into submission, and he died. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A mobile home was destroyed by fire in Waterloo Friday night, according to KWWL-TV. Neighbors say a woman was able to get out on her own, and two men helped rescue her dog. The dog received oxygen on site and was then taken to a vet. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but appears to be related to smoking. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – After a long battle with cancer, 69-year-old Iowa Senator Dr. Joe Seng from Davenport has passed away, according to the Des Moines Register. He represented Davenport and southern Scott County. Seng was known to bring music into sessions to amuse his colleagues. He played the accordion. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The 12th Annual World Food & Music Festival continues on the Court Avenue Bridge in Downtown Des Moines this weekend. Food vendors representing more than 20 countries and culinary regions will be there. Organizers say this is the perfect event for a family on a budget. Each food stand offers a sampling item for $1 and all plates will be $5 or less.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – One of the youngest teenage killers ever sentenced to life in prison for murder in Iowa will someday get a chance at parole. The Iowa Supreme Court overturned Romeo Hardin’s life-without-parole sentence today and ordered a new sentencing hearing. The maximum sentence he will now face is life with the possibility of parole. Hardin was 15 in 1996 when he was charged with fatally shooting 21-year-old Augustas Nance in Davenport. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A survey of Iowa farmland says values have dropped close to 9 percent from where they were a year ago, which experts attribute to declining commodities prices. The surveys were issued by the Iowa Chapter of Realtors Land Institute, an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors organized by realtors specializing in farmland sales and appraisal. LEHIGH, IA (IRN) – The mayor and city clerk of the small Webster County city of Lehigh have quit, and another City Council member says she may resign. Former Mayor Paula Martin told the Fort Dodge Messenger she resigned because of issues discussed at a Monday council meeting. She declined to give details, and minutes of the meeting weren’t available. City Clerk Kathy Gambill declined to say why she had given her two-week notice. JASPER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Search crews have located the body of a Newton man who had been missing since Sunday night. WHO-TV reports 67-year-old Mike McDaniels told family members he was going fishing along the South Skunk River. The body of McDaniels was pulled from the Skunk River near the location of his truck and gear Thursday. The medical examiner is working to determining the cause of death. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A new casino may be in the future for Cedar Rapids. KWWL-TV reports the President of Wild Rose Casinos was in town yesterday speaking with city leaders. This comes after a 2014 proposal for a Cedar Rapids casino was denied by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. The commission felt the market was too saturated and imposed a three-year moratorium, which will expire next year. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – A pair of fast-moving thieves raced through three gyms in Bettendorf and Davenport last week, but not to exercise. WQAD-TV reports the two women cut their way into lockers, stole cash, credit cards, cell phones and car keys. One of them paused to smile at a security camera before fleeing. Authorities believe they are not from the area. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Kirkwood Community College is on the lookout for five cows that escaped from its agricultural facility in Cedar Rapids. KCRG-TV reports the cows got through a broken fence on college property. Kirkwood has hired a ranch hand with hopes of rounding up the cows and herding them home.