Iowa Radio News

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old girl was shot in the head and killed yesterday in Waterloo, according to KWWL-TV. She was walking with a group while a car was following them. She had stopped while others kept walking when she was shot. Neighbors heard six to eight shots. MESERVEY, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa man accused of kidnapping and torturing his girlfriend is now set to stand trial next year. KETV reports 41-year-old Charles Raymond Albright, of Meservey will stand trial on Jan. 24. Court records say the woman was held for 12 to 14 hours on Oct. 7 in Meservey, where she was punched, slammed against a floor, shocked with a stun gun and bitten by a dog. She was then taken to Sheffield, where he continued attacking her. OELWEIN, IA (IRN) – A fire destroyed Luigi’s Restaurant & Lounge in Oelwein yesterday afternoon. KCRG-TV reports the building was a total loss. The family-owned restaurant opened in 1959. Luigi’s daughters rushed to the restaurant when they heard about the fire. Daughter Michelle Stasi-Moran says, “It was our dad’s life…he’s 84 years old, and he still works 70-80 hours a week.” No one was hurt. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa freshman Keith Duncan kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired and Iowa stunned second-ranked Michigan 14-13 on Saturday night, damaging the Wolverines’ playoff hopes. In Lawrence, Iowa State beat Kansas 31-24 for its first conference win of the season. And UNI kept their playoff hopes alive with a 30-23 win at 19th ranked Western Illinois.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – It’s the end of an era at Davenport’s Kraft Heinz plant. The outdated facility has just produced the last Lunchable box. Since 1989, the Davenport plant turned out hundreds of thousands of Lunchables every week. Over 700 jobs will be lost. The company also plans to move its Davenport bologna production next year. At one time, the plant made three million pounds of bologna every week. It was called the “bologna capital of the world.” IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – More than 100 protesters shut down Interstate 80 in Iowa City last night. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports they marched from downtown onto the interstate, blocking eastbound traffic for nearly 30 minutes to protest the election of Donald Trump. Iowa City Police and State Troopers stood by, holding back traffic and not interfering. Protesters dispersed around 5:30 p.m. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Law enforcement officials used ropes to drag three people from inside a 30-inch pipe as part of continued protests over construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. The Des Moines Register reports the three entered the pipe after 2 a.m. Thursday in Boone County. They crawled 50 feet to 100 feet inside the pipe, with food, sleeping bags and other supplies. When banging on the pipe didn’t drive them out, they were drug out with ropes. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The new Republican-controlled Iowa Senate has selected leaders for the next two years. Members of the chamber met privately Friday at the Iowa Capitol and selected Sen. Bill Dix as majority leader and Sen. Jack Whitver as president. The selections will be official in January when the legislative session begins. Republicans flipped six Senate seats in Tuesday’s election and now have a 29-19 majority. BOONE, IA (IRN) – A same-sex couple with five children in Boone found their two vehicles keyed from headlight to taillight Thursday, according to KCCI-TV. The words “hashtag Trump,” and “die” were keyed onto the vehicles. The community has rallied around the couple, including one Trump supporter who has offered to help pay for the damage.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – The foster care program in Iowa is urgently seeking families willing to open their homes to kids whose parents are unable to care for them. KWQC-TV reports last year, over 2,500 children in Iowa were referred to foster care, and there are only about 2,100 foster homes in the state. Iowa KidsNet is sending out an urgent call for a wide range of caregivers. MT. UNION, IA (IRN) – Over 250 marijuana plants were seized at a residence in Mt. Union Thursday after an investigation started on a citizen complaint and tip. KCII-Radio reports thirty-six-year-old James Nicholson was arrested and charged with manufacturing marijuana over 110 pounds, possession with intent to deliver, and drug tax stamp violations. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – One person has been arrested following an early morning fire in Waterloo. KGAN-TV reports the fire broke out just after 3:00 Friday morning. One person from an upstairs apartment was rescued. No one was hurt. INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – An Indianola woman is being held at the Warren County Jail following an investigation into the death of a 7-month-old child. KCCI-TV reports Tori Marie Bittner was arrested Wednesday and charged with child endangerment resulting in death. Emergency personnel responded to a call for a child in respiratory distress. The 7-month-old was transported to Mercy in Des Moines by air and died the next day. CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – An arrest has been made in an incident where a bicyclist was struck by a car in Clear Lake. KIMT-TV reports 36-year-old Nicholas Dustin Horst has been charged with willful injury and serious injury by vehicle. Horst is accused of intentionally running into the bicyclist and driving under the influence of drugs. The bicyclist was dragged for 150 feet and was hospitalized with serious injuries. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman is facing 16 felony charges for allegedly embezzling more than $80,000 from her Marshalltown employer. WHO-TV reports 36-year-old Amy Howell was arrested yesterday for stealing from the Substance Abuse Treatment Unit of Central Iowa. She was finance coordinator for the company. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Tom Brokaw is celebrating 50 years with NBC and as part of the celebration he has announced he is giving his collection of memorabilia to the University of Iowa Library. Brokaw was a freshman at the University of Iowa, but flunked out, double majoring in what he calls, “beer & co-eds.” He says he has spent the past 60 years trying to make up for his “errant ways.” He adds the gift comes because of his great affection for the school and the people of Iowa.

CEDAR COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 26-year-old man stuck in a combine head was flown to the University of Iowa Hospitals this morning with injuries. KCRG-TV reports the accident happened near Mechanicsville. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A pedestrian was hit by a vehicle in Davenport yesterday morning, according to WQAD-TV. The pedestrian was seriously injured, and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. MT UNION, IA (IRN) – For those who think their vote doesn’t matter, the people of Mt. Union beg to differ. KCII-Radio reports when the votes were tabulated Tuesday night for the general election, the measure to unincorporate the city sat at a 31-31 tie. One outstanding absentee ballot was opened by the auditor this morning and pushed the vote total to 32-31 in favor of unincorporation. DAKOTA CITY, NE (IRN) – A former city clerk in northwest Iowa has been sentenced in a Nebraska court to probation for trying to set up a sexual encounter with someone he thought was a teenage boy. The Sioux City Journal reports 61-year-old Douglas Furlich of Lawton posted an ad online which said he was “looking for a younger guy.” An undercover officer responded, pretending to be a 15-year-old boy. Furlich went to meet what he thought was the boy in Nebraska, where he was arrested. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa is investigating a racist message someone wrote on a student’s door in a residence hall. KCRG-TV reports the university denounced the “hate speech” in a statement. Last month, someone put up racist posters at the university’s Afro-American, Latino, Native American, and LGBTQ resource centers. BOONE, IA (IRN) – For the past month, people around the Boone Airport may have noticed a strange-looking aircraft. WHO-TV reports the Iowa National Guard has a new drone. The RQ-7B Shadow Aircraft is 11 feet long, uses regular aviation fuel, and can be in the air for approximately six hours. The drone is used primarily to scout enemy troops. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – Nearly 700 6th and 7th graders from Waukee schools paid special tribute to the city’s police and firefighters Wednesday. KCCI-TV reports students played the National Anthem, gave speeches and held a moment of silence for Des Moines Police Sergeant Tony Beminio and Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin. The pair were killed by a gunman one week ago yesterday.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Scores of students at several Des Moines Public Schools walked out of class in protest of election results this morning. KCCI-TV reports many could be seen carrying signs at East, Valley, and Roosevelt high schools, protesting the election of Donald Trump to the presidency. No violence was reported. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City Police are looking for whoever robbed a pizza delivery man Tuesday night. KCRG-TV reports the man was trying to deliver a pizza to an apartment complex. He says a man approached him holding a small black pistol. He didn’t point the gun at the pizza delivery man, but he told him to not knock on the door and put the pizza down. The delivery man did as he was told and the suspect took the pizza and ran off. No one was hurt. BLACK HAWK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Black Hawk County officials agreed to pay $30,000 to a man who scuffled with an off-duty sheriff’s deputy after a traffic dispute. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to pay the money and settle a case filed by Edward Felts. He claimed deputy Richard Hoffman hit and kicked him repeatedly during a February 2015 incident. Felts head-butted the deputy, and then the deputy took him to the ground. A jury earlier found Felts guilty of assault. DES MOINES, IA (IA) – Republican Donald Trump is president-elect, leading a Republican wave that carried Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, Congressmen Steve King, Rod Blum and David Young back into office. Congressman Dave Loebsack won re-election, remaining Iowa’s sole Democrat in Washington. Republicans also won control of the Iowa House and Senate. Three Iowa Supreme Court Justices won retention in Tuesday’s election. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A man has been charged in a crash that killed a woman this past weekend in Cedar Falls, according to KCRG-TV. Forty-two-year-old Charles Brooks, of Champlin, MN, faces a felony charge of serious injury by a motor vehicle. Brooks was speeding when he collided with a mini-van on a bridge. The crash killed 38-year-old Cynthia Brooks, a passenger in his vehicle. Two other passengers were seriously injured. Brooks tried to jump off the bridge after the crash. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man who allegedly stabbed another man at the Iowa State Fair in August has been arrested. 21-year-old Craig Hunt of Des Moines has been charged with attempted murder. The victim, who has since recovered, was found near the midway with two stab wounds. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Renovations have been completed after six months of work on water damage at the Bettendorf Public Library. The Quad-City Times reports the staff unveiled the renovated areas Monday. There’s been construction underway since a burst pipe loosed a torrent of water May 20. Library board President Tom Cruise says not a single shelved book was damaged, thanks to staffers who took quick action to save the collection.