Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that deceased Slipknot bassist Paul Gray’s child may sue for loss of a parent’s companionship, affirming the rights of children born after a parent’s death. The ruling Friday comes in the wrongful death lawsuit that Gray’s widow filed after the heavy metal bassist died of a drug overdose in May 2010. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids Police are investigating what appears to be a fight between five people in a parking lot at Jefferson High School that left one person injured and one under arrest. KCRG-TV reports by the time officers arrived, not all those they believe were involved in the fight were still at the scene. Police said both adults and school-aged children were involved. ATALISSA, IA (IRN) – A man driving a piece of farm equipment has been hospitalized after it was struck by a train in eastern Iowa, according to KCRG-TV. The accident occurred Thursday near Atalissa. The Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office says 40-year-old Matthew Carlson, of Muscatine, was injured when the fertilizer sprayer he was operating crossed a track and was struck by the locomotive. He was flown to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. DES MOINES, IA – Des Moines city officials are once again tearing down a homeless camp. KCCI-TV reports the area is north of the Raccoon River and Gray’s Lake. Crews are using heavy equipment to remove the camp. The people living there were warned of the eviction earlier this week. TAMA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Dustin Jefferson will spend the rest of his life in prison for helping his mother kill his wife. KCRG-TV reports the 40-year-old Jefferson was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. He helped his mother, Ginger Jefferson, stab to death his wife, Kerry O’Clair Jefferson in 2013. Ginger Jefferson is already serving a life sentence for committing first-degree murder. EASTERN IOWA (IRN) – Eight people have been arrested after 29 search warrants were executed by the FBI across eastern Iowa and Wisconsin into a methamphetamine conspiracy. KWWL-TV reports the 29 search warrants were executed in Des Moines, Marshalltown, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Denver, Dubuque, Greeley and Benton, Wisconsin. A total of 250 law enforcement officers participated in the arrests and search warrants. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A federal jury in Iowa has convicted three campaign advisers to 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul on charges they conspired to cover up campaign payments to a former state senator. KCCI-TV reports Paul’s staff illegally passed on $73,000 to Iowa Republican Senator Kent Sorenson. He dropped support for Michele Bachmann and endorsed Paul six days before the 2012 Iowa caucuses. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The investigation into who stole an Iowa lawmaker’s beehives continues, and detectives now have new evidence, according to WHO-TV. Surveillance video shows a white pickup truck hauling away two beehives belonging to Iowa Rep. Rob Taylor. It also shows a Volkswagen Jetta arriving and leaving with the truck, acting as a watchdog. The theft is more common than one might think. Since the start of the dwindling bee population in 2006, the number of bee related thefts has increased. Officials say to expect more.

CUMMING, IA (IRN) – Rescue crews were called to a fatal crash Thursday just west of Interstate 35 at the Cumming exit south of Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. A Ford van collided head-on with a Slingshot three-wheeled vehicle at the intersection. Josephine Rose Snyder, of Winterset, was killed in the crash. Two others were hospitalized. AMES, IA (IRN) – Police in Ames say they’ve tracked down the people behind a pesky, but pricey crime, according to WHO-TV. Over the span of just two days last month, about 40 to 60 people had their car windows shattered by BB guns. Now police say they’ve arrested two 16-year-old boys in connection to the BB shootings. They’ll both be charged in juvenile court. SIDNEY, IA (IRN) – A southwest Iowa pastor has been given 25 years in prison for sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl. KWWL-TV reports 68-year-old Roger Kissel was convicted of sex abuse and two counts of lascivious acts with a child. When he was arrested, Kissel was a pastor at the nondenominational Sidney Cowboy Church. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A rural Dubuque man faces seven assault and weapons charges after he shot at his wife three times, his son once, and pointed the gun at deputies. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports 67-year-old Thomas Steines was arguing with his wife, and then left the room. He returned with a .40-caliber handgun and fired one shot at her while she sat at the table and two shots as she walked away. She texted her son, and when he arrived his father took a shot at him. Both say he was drunk, and that he wasn’t trying to kill them. JEWELL, IA (IRN) – The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Jewell Police Department received numerous phone calls Tuesday of a possible animal abuse case. KCCI-TV reports the calls referred authorities to a video 22-year-old Paul Gage Arndt posted on Facebook. Police viewed the video, went to the home and found a pit bull puppy that needed immediate assistance. The puppy is now with a vet, and Arndt faces possible animal abuse and drug charges. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a shooting that left a bullet hole in a home, according to WHO-TV. On scene they found numerous shell casings. The occupants of the home heard six or seven shots. No one was injured. WINNESHIEK COUNTY, IA – (IRN) – A Wednesday afternoon fire at a farm outside of Ft. Atkinson killed about 20,000 birds, according to KWWL-TV. The fire started sometime Wednesday afternoon at S&C Organic Farms in Winneshiek County. The fire caused nearly half a million dollars in damage, including about $100,000 in poultry alone. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A brother-sister duo from Iowa City are producing and preparing to sell decks of playing cards that honor American women. KCRG-TV reports Zach and Zebby Wahls came up with the idea after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made a comment saying Hillary Clinton is playing the “woman card.” The deck will feature 13 famous women, each in all four suits. Some of the women include Clinton, Amelia Earhart, and Susan B. Anthony.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Experts say violent extremists are targeting youth in Iowa. KCCI-TV reports a former Des Moines Roosevelt student has admitted having contact with ISIS. Friends say Will Skelton became interested in Islam, and after graduating, he changed his name to Abdul Raheem Habil. In March, he walked into a Walgreen’s in Minneapolis, had an argument with a customer, and threatened to shoot and blow up the store, saying he was part of a terrorist group. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – After more than four hours of public testimony, Mason City’s City Council voted after 1 a.m. Wednesday to deny a development agreement with Prestage Farms and its subsidiary, Prestage Foods of Iowa. The company had planned to build a large pork processing plant on the south end of town. LONG GROVE, IA (IRN) – A woman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing her husband while he slept. WQAD-TV reports a 911 call from 64-year-old Ardell Oster of Long Grove came in just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday. Oster said that he had woke up to his wife Patricia Oster stabbing him. Police arrested 63-year-old Patricia Jean Oster, and have charged her with attempted murder. Patricia told deputies that her husband had tried to rape her. BOONE, IA (IRN) – A woman has been arrested and charged in connection with an incident in Boone Monday, according to KCCI-TV. Police were called to a residence on a report of a domestic fight. Officers found a man outside the home bleeding heavily from his neck. He was flown by air ambulance to a Des Moines hospital. 32-year-old Latasha Lee of Boone was charged with willful injury. She’s in jail. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old University of Iowa student from a Chicago suburb was severely beaten over the weekend. WLS-TV in Chicago reports freshman Marcus Owens required nearly a dozen stitches to his lip, sustained a damaged eye socket and had his front teeth knocked out. Owens was texting a friend while walking near campus when three white men yelled the n-word and began punching him. A passerby yelled at the men, who fled. Owens does not know his attackers. ANKENY, IA – The owners of a local Kentucky Derby-bound horse announced over the weekend they pledge to give derby winnings to DMACC. WHO-TV reports Ankeny billionaire Dennis Albaugh and his wife, Susan, say if their horse, Brody’s Cause, wins the 142nd “Run for the Roses” this Saturday, they’ll give the $500,000 prize to DMACC. Albaugh graduated from DMACC in 1972.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Grimes woman has been charged with child endangerment following an investigation into an incident at a metro hospital. KCCI-TV reports 19-year-old Alexandra Nicole Weir of Grimes, is charged with child endangerment causing bodily injury. Weir was recorded on video at Methodist Medical Center removing an IV from a 2-month-old infant’s arm, and then reported to the hospital staff that the child had done it. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A former Dubuque police officer who had sex with a 14-year-old he met online has been given a suspended prison sentence of 10 years. KCCI-TV reports Kyle Cross also faces lifetime state supervision as a sex offender. He’d pled guilty in March to sexual abuse after prosecutors dropped a second charge. He says the girl lied about her age. Cross worked as a Dubuque police officer from 2007 to 2012. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa dental school is apologizing for accidentally exposing more than 100 child patients to potentially unsafe levels of nitrous oxide. WQAD-TV reports that 124 patients who underwent procedures at a pediatric dentistry clinic between March 1 and April 20 face an “extremely small risk” of long-term health effects. Parents have been notified. DENVER, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating after one man was killed in an apparent accident at a construction site in the northeast Iowa town of Denver, according to KWWL-TV. The accident happened early Monday afternoon. The man killed was part of a crew working on building renovations. BOONE, IA (IRN) – Investigators are looking into a possible domestic fight in Boone that sent one man to the hospital, according to KCCI-TV. The Iowa DCI is assisting Boone police in the investigation. The man was injured in an altercation and was airlifted to a Des Moines hospital. His name and condition have not been released. JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – The City of Johnston announced Monday its fire chief stepped down from his position. WHO-TV reports Fire Chief Jim Krohse resigned effective April 21. Krohse was on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. The investigation involved a personnel matter, but city officials didn’t give additional details. Krohse was involved in the fire service for 37 years. MT. PLEASANT, IA (IRN) – Sports fans in Mt. Pleasant are celebrating. KILJ-Radio reports two former Mt. Pleasant High School football players signed with professional teams as free agents after the NFL draft wrapped up. Henry Krieger-Coble who played tight end for the Iowa Hawkeyes signed with the World Champion Denver Broncos. Leonard Wester, a standout offensive tackle at Missouri Western, signed with Tampa Bay.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny man is behind bars after a deadly accident last month, according to WHO-TV. A Ford pickup truck slammed into a semi and flipped over a guardrail. Police say 31-year-old Michael Wright behind the wheel of the pickup and he was driving drunk. He survived the ordeal but his passenger, 44-year old Susan Thompson, was pronounced dead at the scene. Neither Wright nor Thompson were wearing seat belts. Wright faces a number of charges including vehicular homicide and OWI. FAYETTE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Charges are pending against a Fayette County teenager after she crashed into the rear of a school bus stopped to pick up students. KCRG-TV reports 17-year-old Lucinda Hansel of Arlington was traveling west when she hit the back end of the school bus. The patrol said the bus had its stop arm extended and lights activated. There were 34 students on the bus, plus the driver. An ambulance took Hansel to the hospital to be treated for her injuries. No one else was injured. VENTURA, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa woman accused of stealing from a breast cancer charity group has pled not guilty, according to KWWL-TV. 51-year-old Leanne Hicks, of Ventura, entered the plea as she waived her preliminary hearing. Authorities say Hicks stole nearly $3,500 from Buddies for Boobies during the 19 months she served as the nonprofit group’s president. Hicks says she didn’t take the money. ST. MARY, JAMAICA (IRN) – The body of an Iowa missionary and a co-worker were found Saturday afternoon in Jamaica, according to KCCI-TV. They were murdered. The missionary has been identified as 48-year-old Randy Hentzel of Donnellson. Hentzel and his co-worker, 53-year-old Harold Nichols, went out on a motorcycle, and were later found dead beside it. Jamaican authorities have made no arrests, and are unsure of any motive. ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 20-year-old man is dead after a rollover accident in Allamakee County, according to KWWL-TV. William Johns of Dorchester died in the accident. The other two people in the car were hospitalized. The driver of the vehicle lost control on a curve and rolled it. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A man died in a house fire in Mason City Sunday morning. The cause of the fire is unknown, and the name of the man has not been released. Authorities are investigating. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Mark Minear is on a 342-mile mission to raise awareness about mental health. WHO-TV reports Minear is walking across the state of Iowa, averaging 28 miles a day to let Iowans along the way know that mental health is just as important as its physical counterpart. Minear is a psychologist at the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center.