Iowa Radio News

BRITT, IA (IRN) – A violent chase in North Iowa ended with a controlled collision and the driver behind bars, according to KIMT-TV. A deputy tried to pull over a pickup truck, which fled. Law enforcement followed the truck through both Garner and Britt before deploying stop sticks and then deliberately running into the vehicle. The driver of the truck, 42-year-old Antoine Smith, was arrested but not before two deputies were injured taking him into custody. MARION, IA (IRN) – An armed robbery occurred at a Marion gas station, and the suspect is on the loose. KCRG-TV reports the suspect went into the Hawkeye convenience store, displayed a handgun, and drove off with an undisclosed amount of cash. He fled in a silver Chevy Tahoe. LEON, IA (IRN) – A second cyclist has died while riding this year’s RAGBRAI route. WHO-TV reports 60-year-old Clifton Kahler from Florida passed away following a heart attack. The other rider who died this year was 72-year-old Wayne Ezell, who was killed last Sunday after being hit by a pickup truck from behind. A third rider is recovering after a truck drove through a RAGBRAI campsite and ran over his tent in Shenandoah, dragging him. INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – While hot air balloon enthusiasts mourn the 16 people killed in a hot air balloon accident in Texas on Saturday morning, pilots at the National Balloon Classic in Indianola are honoring the victims by continuing to fly, according to KCCI-TV. Balloon race director Bill Clemons says “Ballooning is a big family. We’re a very small community. So when an incident happens…it hurts us because we know the people that it happens to.”

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – One person was wounded in an early morning shooting in Waterloo according to KCRG-TV. Police found a man shot in the stomach just before 3:00 am Saturday. The shooting happened just a few houses down from the drive-by-shooting that killed 21-year-old Otavious Brown and wounded two other men on July 17. Police have not made any arrests in that shooting and have not said whether this latest shooting is related. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of having sex with a minor. KWWL-TV reports 27-year old Orlando Ramirez Ruiz of Waterloo picked up the 13-year-old girl from school and took her to a motel where the abuse occurred. Ramirez was able to enter the girl’s school at George Washington Carver Academy, where he withdrew the victim out with a fake excuse. OMAHA, NE (IRN) – Three people suffered minor injuries when the riverboat the River City Star struck the Iowa shoreline of the Missouri River Friday night, according to KETV. Crew members say the boat struck some rocks on the Nebraska side of the river, causing it to lose its forward power capability, which caused it to drift in reverse underneath a pedestrian bridge and into the Council Bluffs side of the river bank. 130 passengers were evacuated. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Could the Zika virus outbreak reach Iowa? KCCI-TV reports the types of mosquitoes that transmit Zika have already been found in Missouri, and mosquito traps have been set up in Iowa to determine if the insects have already arrived. Experts believe Iowa’s harsh winters will keep the species out of the state. PALMYRA, IA (IRN) – The oldest building in the south central Iowa town of Palmyra is coming back to life, according to WHO-TV. The building is the Palmyra Church. Built in 1870, it’s one of the oldest religious structures in Warren County, and an important piece of history for the state of Iowa. Palmyra Township received just over $45,000 from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs to restore the church to its former glory.

GRIMES, IA (IRN) – The mother of a two-year-old Grimes child who was found dead last week has now passed away, according to WHO-TV. 33-year-old Stephanie Erickson died Thursday. She was found unresponsive in the Grimes home she shared with her two-year-old son Mason Wyckoff. Dillon Wyckoff, Mason’s father, says Erickson had made threats he reported to the DHS, but they said they couldn’t do anything until something happened. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – An Avoca woman has been accused of injuring a little boy. The Daily Nonpareil reports that 23-year-old Tanisha Pallaya has been charged with felony child endangerment causing injury. Doctors say the child’s bruises and abrasions on his back, abdomen, head, arms and elsewhere appear to have been caused by blunt force and are not accidental. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – Police say a woman stole cash from a Subway restaurant cash register more than a hundred times. KWWL-TV reports 45-year-old Molli Lesh of Coralville was an employee at a Coralville Subway at the time. Police say she stole cash from the register 114 times, totaling approximately $1,100. Many of the thefts are on video. She’s in jail. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A construction worker and two passengers in a vehicle fleeing police are recovering after a police chase ended in a crash in Des Moines. WHO-TV reports police tried to pull over 27-year-old Broc Petithory but he didn’t stop. The chase ended when Petithory crashed into a boom lift at a construction site. Petithory faces charges including driving under a suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident, and possession of methamphetamine. BISMARCK, N.D. (IRN) – The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is suing federal regulators for approving permits for the $3.8 billion pipeline that will move oil from North Dakota through Iowa to Illinois. KCRG-TV reports the tribe says it fears a spill could contaminate drinking water on its reservation, which straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Cheese makers from across the country will be at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines this weekend for the annual cheese conference, “Cheese in the Heartland.” KCCI-TV reports Cheese in the Heartland is open to the public Saturday. Visitors can sample 1,800 competition cheeses from all over the country. JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Need a break from all the serious politics? Then this is for you. KWWL-TV reports the Johnson County Auditor’s Office held their 17th annual mock election this week, and finishing on top of the Best Muppet election was Cookie Monster. Cookie Monster took nearly 24% of the vote, finishing ahead of Miss Piggy with 15%, Kermit the Frog with 14%, and Animal with 11 %. The least favorite Muppet? Gonzo, with 2% of the vote.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 25-year-old Des Moines woman who took her toddler with her to a bar was arrested and charged with child endangerment. KCCI-TV reports the woman had her 2-year-old girl with her at Miss V’s Honky Tonk Island Bar. Told to watch her child, she became upset, yelled profanities, and slammed down her drink. She left, and witnesses followed her, worried about the child. She then abandoned the child, and witnesses watched it. When she returned, she was arrested. DAYTON, IA (IRN) – A man was found dead after a house fire in the Webster County town of Dayton. The Dayton Leader reports the man has been identified as 98-year-old Alan Porter. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating. WASHINGTON, IA (IRN) – Firefighters in Washington extinguished a house fire Wednesday morning and were able to rescue a dog. KCII-radio reports the dog was found unresponsive and given CPR by a firefighter while being transported to a veterinary clinic due to smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported. OSAGE, IA (IRN) – An Osage teen is appealing the sentence he received for killing his mother, according to KIMT-TV. Noah Crooks was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2012 death of Gretchen Crooks in their rural Osage home. He was 13 at the time and was held until his sentencing in May, when he was sentenced to up to 50 years in prison. Crooks will turn 18 tomorrow. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The former city clerk for the city of Neola has been charged with three felonies and other charges after a state audit last year found more than $230,000 was misspent over a five-year period. KCCI-TV reports Neola officials fired Deb Schierbrock after a city check written to pay for a fire truck bounced. She had been writing city checks to herself. CEDAR RAPIDS (IRN) – Alliant Energy announced Wednesday a $1 billion expansion of a wind farm just south of Hampton in Franklin County. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports the expansion will be at Whispering Willow Wind Farm. The project is expected to generate millions of dollars in property taxes and result in more than 1,500 jobs at the height of construction. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump will be in Iowa today. He’ll speak at the Adler Theater in Davenport this afternoon at 4:00 p.m., and at the DoubleTree Hotel in Cedar Rapids at 8:00 p.m.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Safety says a laboratory criminalist is no longer employed with the department after making public comments on a social media site. KCCI-TV reports Amy Pollpeter’s employment ended on Tuesday. She was employed by the department for just over 10 years. They are not saying what she posted that cost her her job. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Firefighters rescued two dogs from a house fire in Davenport according to WQAD-TV. The homeowner had reportedly left just minutes before the fire. There was extensive damage to the home, but no one was injured. MARION, IA (IRN) – Many 9-1-1 calls came in to the city of Marion’s dispatch center about a white substance on cars and houses. KWWL-TV reports the Linn County Hazardous Materials Team was called in to investigate, and found the substance to be a broadleaf herbicide that may have come from a crop-dusting aircraft. Officials say there is little risk to the public. MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – The Muscatine Police Department is investigating a drive-by shooting, according to WQAD-TV. 17 shots struck the side of a house while three adults and one baby were inside. No one was injured. Twelve shell casings from two different guns were found at the scene. LECLAIRE, IA (IRN) – A man from the eastern Iowa town of LeClaire has been charged with child endangerment after hospital staff discovered his 2-month-old daughter has multiple broken bones. 33-year-old Jonathan Rose brought his daughter to a Davenport hospital where she was found to have a broken leg and at least three broken ribs. He says he couldn’t get her to stop crying, grew frustrated, and squeezed her. HARTFORD, IA (IRN) – Multiple agencies searched overnight for two tubers stranded on the Des Moines River between Pleasant Hill and Hartford, according to KCCI-TV. The two called 911 to report they had hit a branch, and their tube had deflated. Shortly after making the call for help, the tubers’ cell phone died. They were found about 1:30 a.m., and are OK. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Army Corps of Engineers has signed off on granting the final permits that were standing in the way of the Dakota Access interstate crude oil pipeline, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The approval by the Corps now means the controversial Bakken oil pipeline is greenlighted. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Kansas City couple who crashed into a deer near Osceola are praising the Iowa State Patrol, according to KCCI-TV. Anna and Juan Molina say when state troopers Cody Frank and Robert Deskin showed up, the officers called a tow truck, transferred their luggage to a squad car, drove them 45 miles to Des Moines to get a rental car and dropped them off at a hotel. The troopers appreciate the praise, but say it’s just the kind of thing they do every day.