Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police had to disarm a drunk man after he threatened his neighbors Wednesday. The Des Moines Register reports 56-year-old Ricky Eugene Moore emerged from his apartment armed when police showed up. He held a black Katana sword in his right hand and a half-empty 40-ounce bottle of beer in his left. Officers ordered him to drop the sword and they took him into custody. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Authorities in Dubuque County say a man wanted for the murder of Collin Brown in rural Dubuque County is considered to be armed and dangerous. KGAN-TV reports they are looking for 19-year-old Tacari Minifee. Two other people have been arrested and charged with the murder of Collin Brown. Three suspects were robbing a residence Brown was at, and when he attempted to flee he was shot in the back. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – University of Northern Iowa president William Ruud is leaving the university to accept a position as the president of Marietta College in Ohio, according to KWWL-TV. Ruud will start at Marietta on July 3. The Iowa Board of Regents plans to name an interim President soon. AMES, IA (IRN) – People in Ames and Iowa City might want to consider how much they are drinking, according to a new report. 24/7 Wall St. ranks Ames eighth on the list, as nearly 25% of adults there report either binge or heavy drinking within the last month. Iowa City is ranked the 19th drunkest town in America, with over 23% of adults who drink excessively. Nationally, 18% of adults do. The drunkest town in America? Appleton, Wisconsin. MT. PLEASANT, IA (IRN) – Police officers in Mt. Pleasant went above and beyond the call of duty last Tuesday to help babies being born, according to KCII Radio. At 7:40 p.m., and then shortly later at 8:17 p.m., dispatch received calls regarding women in labor. Responding Officers Elijah Gnann and Keith Dugger, and Investigator Ryan Pilling took part in the delivery of two babies in two different locations. Both babies are doing fine. CARROLL, IA (IRN) – A naked man was found stuck in a chimney at the Carroll Redemption Center, according to KCCI-TV. 29-year-old Jordan Kajewski spent at least 11 hours stuck inside the chimney. Firefighters were forced to break the chimney’s brick wall to get Kajewski out. He’s in the Carroll County Jail. Police charged him with trespassing while causing damage. Kajewski says he was just playing hide and seek. MADRID, IA (IRN) – One of Iowa’s longest serving teachers is about to retire. Linda Silver has been teaching at Madrid Elementary School for nearly five decades. The first-grade teacher landed her first job at the school 46 years ago and never left. She has taught some families for three generations. What is she going to do in retirement? She plans to volunteer and substitute at the school.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque Police say they have some persons of interest in a cross burning case Chief Mark Dalsing calls a hate crime. KCRG-TV reports no arrests have been made. The recent cross burning brings back difficult memories for the community. In 1991, cross burnings were followed by a Ku Klux Klan rally to protest the city’s effort to attract more minorities to their community. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A man who was found unresponsive after crashing a motorcycle later died from his injuries, according to WQAD-TV. 25-year-old Spencer Dress crashed on the motorcycle around 12:20 a.m. on Heritage Trail near Dubuque. Dress was riding along the trail at a high rate of speed and lost control. FAYETTE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A jury has convicted a Maynard man for trying to run over a police officer with his vehicle. KCRG-TV reports jurors found 34-year-old Abel Quijas (KEY-hass), Jr. guilty Tuesday of attempted murder. He faces up to 25 years in prison. Oelwein officers tried to arrest Quijas (KEY-hass) for delivering drugs to a home. Officers fired shots when he tried to run over one of them with his vehicle, before he drove off. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A student videotaped her Des Moines Public School bus driver texting while driving, and the bus driver was fired, according to WHO-TV. Jacque Gibson says she should still have a job. With a decade of school bus driving experience, Gibson said her termination for texting and driving wasn’t fair. She believes the video was taken for revenge by a student not allowed to sit with “unruly friends,” not safety reasons. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Polk County Board of Supervisors is considering a minimum wage increase, according to KCCI-TV. Business owners, leaders and local advocacy groups will gather inside the Des Moines Convention Center today to discuss the potential change. A dollar amount for the possible minimum wage increase has yet to be proposed. RICEVILLE, IA (IRN) – A Riceville man is celebrating that he has now lived 32 years after a heart transplant. Larry Abel was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at 37 and three years later, his heart was shutting down. He opted for a risky heart transplant, and is glad he did. Abel is the former principal at Riceville High School where he also helped coach track and field.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a shooting today east of the Iowa Capitol complex, according to KCCI-TV. A man was shot while in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Police believe the shooting is related to a drug deal gone wrong. One man was taken to a metro hospital, while another was seen running from the scene. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Police were called Saturday night to 2 Dogs Pub in Iowa City, where 27-year-old Tommie Clay, of Forest Park, Illinois, was accused of punching another person in the eye. KCRG-TV reports Clay ran from the bar, and officers later caught him after a foot chase. He struggled, and an officer broke his ankle. Clay faces numerous charges. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A girl has died after a brick pillar collapsed onto a hammock she and her sister were sharing at their home in Des Moines on Sunday. The Des Moines Register reports that one end of the hammock was tied to a tree, the other end to an unreinforced pillar of bricks. The girl’s 16-year-old sister was on the hammock when her younger sister jumped in, causing the pillar to collapse and bricks to strike the younger girl’s head, killing her. NORTHWOOD, IA (IRN) – A former mayor of Northwood plans to assert diminished mental responsibility during his July trial on fraud charges. KCCI-TV reports 52-year-old Randy Severson has pled not guilty to a charge of ongoing criminal conduct and six counts of fraudulent practice. He’s accused of using the names of family members, customers and acquaintances without their knowledge to make phony invoices for lines of credit. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Police are looking for any information about what happened to Ryan Jansa, according to KWWL-TV. Jansa is in a coma after he was found unconscious in an alleyway in downtown Iowa City Saturday. He had trauma on both sides of his head, a fractured neck, and other injuries. Friends last saw Jansa at The Fieldhouse around 1:30 a.m. He was talking to a group of people at the bar, possibly a girl, when his friends left to grab some food. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Polk County authorities are investigating a scandalous blog featuring the backsides of multiple girls at Saydel High School. KCCI-TV reports school officials alerted the girls that their pictures showed up on a Tumblr page. The girls were photographed from behind without their permission by another student. All were fully clothed. They are calling them “creepshots.” While the activity isn’t criminal, authorities are working to have the photos removed. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – It took the City of Des Moines just one weekend to erase a 200-foot mural that took students a year to create, according to WHO-TV. And it all happened without notice. Teachers and kids at Des Moines Central Campus say they had permission from the city for the mural. The city says it was a tragic misunderstanding. NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – A North Liberty elementary school has some unusual visitors this week–goats. KCRG-TV reports a herd of goats is chewing away at unwanted brush at Penn Elementary. The school is planning on expanding its playground and the more than 30 penned-in animals are making way for the project by munching down on weeds. It’s a natural way to get rid of weeds without the use of chemicals. The service is being provided by a company called “Goats on the Go.”

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 35 near Ankeny triggered a five-vehicle crash Saturday, according to KCCI-TV. A Chevy Cobalt did a U-turn and started traveling south in the northbound lanes. The car hit a Saab head-on and sent it into the back of a semi tractor-trailer. A Chrysler Sebring crashed into the Saab and then continued northbound, hitting a GMC Terrain. The driver of the Sebring and the driver of the Cobalt were both charged with OWI. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Police in Cedar Rapids are looking into an instance of shots fired Sunday night. KGAN-TV reports when officers arrived, they found that two houses and a car had been hit by gunfire. Several shell casings were found on the scene. No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made. Police are not sure if the homes that were hit were targeted or random. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – Marshalltown police are investigating a reported sexual assault involving a 17-year-old early today. KCCI-TV reports while driving to the man’s home officers spotted him standing in the parking lot of a store. 48-year-old Harvell Louis Murphy was arrested and charged with third-degree sexual abuse. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A man who was shot during a police chase in Waterloo has been sent to prison. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 24-year-old Brandon Seeley pled guilty Friday to assault on an officer, eluding and possession of methamphetamine for sale. He was given 20 years in prison. An officer said he feared for his life when he fired four shots through the window of Seeley’s vehicle as it sped toward him. Seeley was struck three times but drove off with police in pursuit. HANCOCK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Britt man was injured after his vehicle rolled on top of him in a crash in Hancock County Saturday. The Iowa State Patrol reports 20-year old Brian Cliff was driving a 2000 Oldsmobile Bravada when he came to a stop sign. Thinking it was a four-way stop, he pulled into the intersection, and into the path of a pickup driven by a 15-year-old. It’s a two-way stop and the teen driver hit Cliff’s vehicle broadside. Cliff’s vehicle rolled, ejecting Criff, and came to rest on top of him. He was flown to a hospital by helicopter, treated and released. WEST UNION, IA (IRN) – A Fayette County detention officer has been arrested for OWI. KWWL-TV reports 25-year-old Austin Vagts was charged Sunday morning for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He’s been working full-time for the county less than six months. SOLON, IA (IRN) – Iowa officials are considering banning alcohol use at two state beaches because of past problems. The Des Moines Register reports the proposed rule would apply at Lake Macbride near Solon and Pleasant Creek at Palo. These two beaches have a history of alcohol-related problems, and officials decided they need attention first. But they are reviewing alcohol policies at all state parks, so additional changes are possible. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Epilepsy Foundation hosted its first Iowa Walk for Epilepsy Saturday morning at the Mystique Ice Rink in Dubuque, according to KCRG-TV. Ice skaters and walkers came out to support the foundation. Organizers want people to realize that epilepsy is a lot more common than people think. One out of 26 people develop epilepsy by the time they are elderly.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A drunk driver hit a person at a gas station while they were filling up their car with gas in Des Moines Friday night, according to WHO-TV. When police arrived, they found the victim’s vehicle and several gas pumps on fire. After looking at surveillance video, police say 20-year-old Brett Stevens drove off after driving through the parking lot and hitting the victim as well as several pumps. Stevens was charged with OWI. The victim is expected to be OK. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two Grand View University men’s volleyball players are in the hospital Saturday after an early-morning car accident in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports Felipe Nogueira and Pedro Cardoso, both from Brazil, were driving near downtown when they were hit by a car driven at a high rate of speed. The engine of one car was found 200 feet from the crash. The two suffered serious injuries, but are expected to survive. There’s no word on the other driver. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man is facing numerous charges after a meth lab and drugs were found in his storage unit. KGAN-TV reports the Johnson County Multi-Agency Drug Task Force executed a warrant on Kurtis Stanfield’s storage unit. Inside, they found meth making products, prescription pills, marijuana, along with a digital scale and plastic baggies. Stanfield faces numerous charges. INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – A judge has declared the Warren County Courthouse no longer habitable and says court employees are at risk, according to KWWL-TV. Chief Judge Arthur Gamble told Warren County supervisors if the county doesn’t act soon, the court will begin a process to compel them to provide suitable court facilities, as required by law. A $35 million bond referendum for a new justice center failed earlier this month.