Iowa Radio News

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A construction worker was sent to the hospital after a power line came down on some equipment, shocking the man. WHO-TV reports West Des Moines fire, police and EMS were dispatched to the scene on a report of an electrocution. When they arrived, crews found a large excavator between two electrical poles with electrical lines on the ground. A piece of construction equipment came in contact with power lines. The worker suffered apparent non-life-threatening injuries. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Decatur County Sheriff’s Office reports that an injured 3-month-old infant who was flown from Grand River to a Des Moines hospital has died. The child’s father, 25-year-old Joshua Russell Guill, and mother, 20-year-old Jasmin Leigh Kifer, have been charged with child endangerment causing serious injury. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A fatal fire in Cedar rapids has been ruled a homicide, according to KWWL-TV. The fire started just before 3:00 in the morning last week at a condominium. Robyn Furmanski was found in her condo where the fire is believed to have started. Neighbors say she had just retired from the Cedar Rapids School District where she had worked for 30 years. They also say she was the “heart of the condo,” and like a mother to everyone. One neighbor said she “can’t comprehend why anyone would want to kill such a kind person.” SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City woman who approached her husband for a kiss instead bit and tore his lower lip. KIMT-TV reports 59-year-old Carol Smith was charged with felony willful injury. The incident occurred in the couple’s Sioux City home. Smith’s husband required plastic surgery and his psychologist reports that the man now suffers from a post-traumatic stress disorder. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines man is celebrating nearly 50 years of volunteering for the American Heart Association. KCCI-TV reports a friend asked 89-year-old Bob Clark to help out in 1968, and he enjoyed it so much, he keeps volunteering. Clark says he has met many friends, and plans to continue to volunteer as long as he possibly can.

A 34-year-old man from North English being held at the Washington County Jail died late Thursday night. KCII Radio reports Washington County Jail personnel found an unresponsive male, and conducted CPR until an ambulance arrived at the scene. The man was identified as Everette William Christner. The Washington County Medical Examiner pronounced Christner deceased. An autopsy will be performed by the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny on Monday, April 11th. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A passerby called Des Moines police to report two naked people, one covered in blood this morning. KCCI-TV reports police are investigating an assault case at a home. An identification team was called to the scene to take photos and gather evidence. At least one person was taken to a metro hospital to be checked out. Their name and condition are not yet available. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are connecting the dots between a long list of recent robberies, according to WHO-TV. Seven gas stations, all Git n’ Go stores, have been robbed in a little under a month. Some of the stores were even hit multiple times. Now police say they believe at least some of them are connected. The discovery comes after store clerks kept giving similar descriptions for the suspect–a slender white male, likely in his 20s. MAHASKA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Ottumwa man is in custody after fleeing into a wooded area Thursday. KCCI-TV reports 37-year-old Elijah Utterback was found yesterday afternoon in northern Mahaska County. A Jasper County deputy and K-9 located Utterback hiding in a tree. Utterback was charged with first-degree burglary, and second-degree theft, among other charges. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – An attic fire impacted nearly two dozen people at a Dubuque apartment building Wednesday night, 16 of them children. KCRG-TV reports firefighters responded after a passerby noticed smoke coming from the building. The cause was apparently an electrical issue in the attic. The Red Cross is providing assistance to the now homeless families. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A Thursday evening fire in Ottumwa destroyed a car and nearly took a house with it, according to KTVO-TV. The owner of the vehicle says that he noticed smoke coming from his vehicle as he pulled into the alley by his home. He went inside to get a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, and called 911. The fire destroyed the car, and when firefighters arrived the side of the home was in flames. The fire was quickly extinguished. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Falls family is exhausted and seemingly out of options for their four year old, Garrett Decker. KWWL-TV reports Garrett suffers from seizures nearly every day. The Deckers are asking Iowa lawmakers to approve the proposed expansion of Iowa’s Medical Marijuana Law, to allow for the availability of cannabis oil in the state. Cannabis oil has allowed many epilepsy patients to experience a seizure-free life. The Deckers see it as a chance for their son to have a more normal life. The future of the bill is in doubt in the legislature.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police are having a hard time cracking down on the use of fake $100 bills meant to be props for movies and music videos at local stores. KCRG-TV reports there have been about a dozen cases in which the fake bills have been used in transactions over the past few months in Waterloo. At least one person has been arrested in connection with the fake money. Although the fake bills look phony, they’re still slipping past inattentive clerks. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A woman is facing charges after punching a Dubuque police officer, according to KDTH Radio. Monday night, police received a report of a woman walking in traffic on a major highway. When an officer arrived at the woman’s location, he determined that 23-year-old Katie Lee Thompson was under the influence of some kind of drug. Thompson took off into oncoming traffic when the officer approached. He followed and eventually caught up to Thompson, who then swung at the officer several times, striking him in the face. DECATUR COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa father was charged Tuesday in Decatur County after his baby was found unresponsive on Monday, according to KCCI-TV. 25-year-old Joshua Russell Guill was arrested and charged with child endangerment causing serious injury. Guill allegedly abused his 3-month-old child, who is now on life support because of the injuries. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Two robbers went into a Davenport gas station with a gun overnight and ended up getting away with cash, according to WQAD-TV. The armed robbery happened at a Kwik Shop around 3 a.m. One of the men displayed a handgun and discharged one round into the wall and demanded money from the clerk. He got it. No one was injured. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police officers are trying to get their lives back to normal after losing two officers in a crash last week. KCCI-TV reports two officers were sitting in a squad car outside of an elementary school when a girl about 12 years old approached them. She handed them a note, and said ‘I’m sorry for your loss, blue lives matter,’ and ran away. The note says “Dear officer, I want to thank you for your service and everything you do for us. Your life matters to me. Thank you for waking up to serve and protect Iowa, no matter what.” AUGUSTA, GA (IRN) – The 2016 Masters golf championship is underway in Augusta, Georgia, and Iowan and 2007 champion Zach Johnson will begin his quest for his second green jacket. At yesterday’s Masters par three event, Johnson was one of a record nine players to record a hole in one. Johnson’s ace was a spectacular shot. It landed and did an incredible slow roll back to the cup. Also making a hole in one was the ageless 80-year-old golf legend Gary Player.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Terry Branstad has signed the legislation into law that sets new funding levels for K-12 education in the next state budget. KCCI-TV reports Branstad signed legislation Wednesday that will increase K-12 education spending by 2.25 percent for the fiscal year that begins in July. The state currently pays about $6,445 per student in most school programs. The new legislation will increase that by $145. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a robbery at a Git n’ Go convenience store Tuesday night. WHO-TV reports the suspect was armed with a knife and got away with money from the register and the store safe. Police say the suspect was a white male wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and had scarf covering his face. He fled the area on foot. No one was injured in the robbery. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A former purchasing supervisor for John Deere in Waterloo is accused of a scheme that cost the company at least $250,000. KWWL-TV reports Harvey Ulfers faces federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Ulfers was responsible for coordinating the shipments of scrap metal to scrap yards. He’s accused of creating of false shipping orders that would understate how much the metal was worth. He then worked with others to sell it for what it was really worth and pocketed the difference. HARTFORD, IA (IRN) – The Warren County Sheriff is investigating an attempted abduction last week in Hartford, according to KCCI-TV. The 11-year-old girl said she was walking home when a white man in a red car pulled up behind her and got out. She said he grabbed her wrist and hip and told her to get into his car. The girl kicked the man in the shins and ran away. He chased her on foot until another car driving past scared him off. She says she’s seen him before in a white SUV. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police say a bullet hit a female victim in the head Tuesday evening. KCRG-TV reports police are searching for vehicles they think the suspects are driving. The bullet grazed the woman’s head, and her injuries are considered non-life-threatening. Police found shell casings at the scene. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – For the second time this year, a credit card skimming device has been found on a Sioux City gas pump. KCAU-TV reports the device was attached to a pump at a Cenex station. Police say the skimmer was found after a routine inspection of the pumps. While the first skimming device in Sioux City was easily discovered from its suspicious appearance, this one was an internal skimmer that would have been almost undetectable without a trained eye. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A rare white stag, on the loose in Dubuque since late January, is back home with his owners, according to KWWL-TV. A white stag is a deer with a condition known as leucism (LOO-kihz-ihm) that causes its hair and skin to lose its natural colour. There were numerous sightings of the missing stag, including reports of him chasing brown does, meaning he could have impregnated them. So look out for more white stags near Dubuque – there’s a 50/50 chance that a white deer will be born when they breed.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police say a Waterloo man dumped a glass of beer on his wife’s head at Sac’s Pub in Waterloo Friday. KWWL-TV reports 23-year-old Brandon Bork then poured gasoline throughout their house and pulled a stove from the wall. The wife told police she smelled gasoline or natural gas when she got home. Bork also threatened to kill his wife if she called 911. He’s facing multiple charges for reckless use of explosives, first-degree harassment and domestic assault. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Hancock Fabrics locations in Des Moines, Ankeny, Council Bluffs and Waterloo will be closing as part of a nationwide bankruptcy by the company. The company is closing all 185 remaining store locations after announcing in February that it would close 70. Two Cedar Rapids stores have already closed. LEE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Keokuk man died after crashing his truck into a tree Sunday night, according to WGEM-TV. 65-year-old Daniel McDowell Dawkins was driving when his 1996 Dodge pickup ran off the the side of the road and hit a tree. He later died at a local hospital. Alcohol is believed to have been involved in the crash. Tests showed Dawkins’ blood alcohol content was 0.17. CLINTON, IA (IRN) – A fire broke out at a manufacturing and processing facility in Clinton last night, according to WQAD-TV. The workers at the Collis Company were already evacuating when responders arrived. They were called when a machine involved in a powder coating process caught fire. No one was hurt during the incident. BLACK HAWK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A head-on collision between a minivan and semi killed one person in Black Hawk County Monday morning. KWWL-TV reports the minivan was headed northbound on Highway 63 when it collided with the semi, which was traveling southbound. The minivan driver was taken to the hospital, but was dead upon arrival. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman is in the Polk County Jail after police say she stabbed a man early Tuesday morning. WHO-TV reports fifty-one-year-old Kristine Blessing is charged with willful injury and domestic abuse assault display or use of a weapon. When police arrived on scene they found a man suffering from a stab wound to the upper torso. He was taken to a local hospital where his condition is unknown. OLIN, IA (IRN) – Firefighters responded Monday evening to a fire in Olin, a small community east of Cedar Rapids. KCRG-TV reports two people in the home at the time called in the fire and were able to escape without injuries. Fire investigators believe an electrical issue caused the fire. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Capitol is about to get a new look. An Iowa lighting company that has worked on the White House, the Statue of LIberty, and Mount Rushmore is at the Capitol this week testing new LED lights. Oskaloosa-based Musco Lighting is working to remove the orange glow that’s currently thrown on the building at night, to try to render the Capitol closer to the color it appears during the daytime. Musco isn’t charging for the lights. Just for the installation.