Iowa Radio News

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo man has been charged in a home burglary after police say they found his DNA inside gloves left at the scene. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 40-year-old Robbie Siemens is charged with first-degree theft and third-degree burglary. Siemens broke into the home in May and stole jewelry, gold coin and over $40,000 in cash. He left two gloves behind at the scene. JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Army National Guard is mobilizing a Johnston-based supply outfit for an Afghanistan support mission. Approximately 60 soldiers in the 185th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion will be on active duty for about a year. They’ll spend some time training at Fort Hood, Texas, before flying overseas. AMES, IA (IRN) – An Ames man fell five stories off the top of the parking garage at Mary Greeley Medical Center on Monday, according to the Ames Tribune.The 37-year-old man’s identity has not yet been released. The man was taken by air ambulance to a Des Moines hospital for extensive injuries. The incident remains under investigation. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Two University of Iowa students went to the hospital in Missouri after falling from a balcony over the weekend, according to the Daily Iowan. The incident happened Saturday at the Lake of the Ozarks. The Delta Chi fraternity was holding a spring formal when a balcony holding a number of people collapsed. Both students are expected to be OK. STORY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Alexander Kozak has been found guilty of first degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Andrea Farrington at the Coral Ridge Mall on June 12, according to KCRG-TV. Kozak’s attorney attempted to argue during the two week trial that he suffered from a “mental defect” at the time of the shooting. The jury took just 90 minutes to deliberate the case. Kozak faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. He did not react when the verdict was read. NASHUA, IA (IRN) – One person was killed in a fatal crash near Nashua Monday. The Iowa State Patrol reports 21-year old Zachary Gueller of Mason City was driving a minivan on Highway 218 when the van got a flat tire. Gueller pulled onto the shoulder and got out of the van to fix the tire. A truck driven by 28-year-old Loren Musch of Clinton went onto the shoulder, hitting Gueller and the van. Gueller died. Three others in the minivan were hospitalized. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines skyline is about to change, according to KCCI-TV. A $100 million, 32-story building will replace the parking garage on 5th and Walnut streets downtown. Once it’s built, it will be the fourth-tallest building in Iowa. Plans for the building include high-rise residential units, more than 500 parking spaces, retail space and a nine-screen movie theater. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The actions of two Des Moines police officers received special recognition Monday at City Hall. Officers Michael DeMoss and Gretchen Rosendahl are credited with saving a man’s life after he was involved in a crash on his motorcycle. Matthew Brooks’ motorcycle collided with a car, and his leg was amputated in the crash. The two officers saved Brooks’ life by applying a tourniquet and treating his injuries until an ambulance arrived.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – The Marshalltown Fire Department is asking for the public’s help with a series of arson cases, according to KCCI-TV. Authorities say they have responded to six fires that were intentionally set. All the homes were abandoned or unoccupied at the time of the fires. GLIDDEN, IA (IRN) – A bicyclist has died after being struck by a pickup truck in western Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol reports that 60-year-old Joleen Stork was mountain biking Friday on a county road just north of Glidden when a pickup truck drove up behind her and struck the bicycle. Stork was thrown into a ditch and pronounced dead at the scene. Officials say the driver did not see Stork on her bike. AMES, IA (IRN) – The Navy’s newest Virginia Class attack submarine will be named the USS Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports this continues a military custom of having American warships with ties to Iowa, its communities and its military heroes. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus plans to visit Ames Wednesday to make the announcement official at a news briefing at Iowa State University. He will be joined by Gov. Terry Branstad and ISU President Steven Leath. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is envisioning a different look for Des Moines’ main waterways, according to WHO-TV. The proposal is seeking to remove downtown dams on the Des Moines River, which would make the river safe for kayakers and tubers. The plan also calls for the addition of natural boulders to allow for a whitewater course. FAYETTE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Oelwein man was killed while turkey hunting Saturday. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports the shooting happened in Fayette County just north of Maynard. Dead is 63-year old Michael Adams. Someone in his hunting party fired a 12-gauge shotgun hitting Adams in the face and chest. The Iowa DNR is investigating. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old man accused of stabbing a Bettendorf High School classmate last April has pled guilty to a reduced assault charge in the case. The Quad-City Times reports Drew Romkey pled guilty on Friday to assault causing serious injury. Romkey stabbed 18-year-old Jacob Woodard four times in the stomach. Woodward survived. AMES, IA (IRN) – The Ames Police Department has taken 34 reports of car windows being shot out with BB guns in a spree of vandalism, according to WHO-TV. Police believe two juvenile suspects may be responsible but haven’t announced any arrests. MAQUOKETA, IA (IRN) – A program that offers new dentists help paying off their student loans is helping attract dentists to small towns in Iowa, according to KIMT-TV. Since the program started in 2002, 28 of the 31 dentists who received grants through the program have remained in Iowa. Delta Dental provides most of the grant money while the state and local communities add to the total. The state has designated 65 of Iowa’s 99 counties as being short on dentists.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One person was killed in a crash on Interstate 235 Saturday morning in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. Witnesses say wood was spread around the scene. Police are investigating. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Police have charged a 40-year-old Council Bluffs man with kidnapping and sexually abusing a teenage girl. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Fednol Garly St. Cyr was charged Friday with first-degree kidnapping, third-degree sexual abuse and indecent contact with a child. St. Cyr could face life in prison if convicted of the kidnapping charge. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The Waterloo Police Department arrested a man Saturday morning after investigating a shots fired report, according to KCRG-TV. Police say they found one man near the location in an alleyway with a handgun. Officers arrested him at the scene, and they say he’s now charged with possession of a firearm as a felon. No one was hurt. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – More than 1,000 people gathered at Principal Park in Des Moines Saturday morning to help fight multiple sclerosis. WOI-TV reports walkers then headed out into nature for a stroll by the Raccoon River. This was one of seven walks taking place across the state of Iowa, and it’s expected to bring in more than $100,000 for multiple sclerosis services and research.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Attorneys for three north Iowa counties are asking a judge to dismiss part of Des Moines Water Works’ water-quality lawsuit, arguing in part that the drainage districts being sued contribute little of the high nitrate levels the utility has been forced to remove. The Des Moines Register reports attorneys for the counties also say the utility is suing drainage districts that have no authority to require farmers to adopt practices that could reduce nitrates. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – University of Iowa police issued a crime alert Friday night after getting a report of a sexual assault, according to KCRG-TV. Police say the assault happened Sunday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. This is the fourth reported sexual assault on the university campus this year. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was arrested Thursday night in West Des Moines after a scuffle with police officers. WHO-TV reports 28-year-old Curtis Weis was loitering inside a Git-N-Go acting suspiciously. When Weis stepped outside, the clerk locked the door and called police. Weis walked to a bar across the street, and when police questioned and tried to arrest him he resisted. Police discovered a Taser and a knife, as well as methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in his possession. He’s in jail. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa and Minnesota lawmakers are exploring a system to allow Iowans to buy medical marijuana from a Rochester dispensary – three hours northeast of Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports Iowans with severe seizures can legally obtain a prescription for marijuana oils, but no Iowa pharmacies carry it. Minnesota’s marijuana dispensary program launched last summer. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A post office in eastern Iowa may be re-named in honor of a fallen Iowa soldier, according to KWWL-TV. New legislation passed through the United States House this week to honor Army Sgt. 1st Class Terry Pasker by renaming the 6th Avenue U.S. Post Office in Cedar Rapids in his honor. The bill is now awaiting the Senate’s approval. Terry Pasker was just 39 when he and a civilian police officer were shot and killed by an Afghan officer.

FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – An Albert Lea man has pled not guilty to accusations he had sex with a 13-year-old girl in Lake Mills, according to KIMT-TV. 27-year-old Jamie John Kujak is charged with three counts of 3rd degree sex abuse and one count of lascivious acts with a child. He says he’s not guilty. LANSING, IA (IRN) – A northeast Iowa town will lose dozens of jobs with the closing of a button factory, according to KCCI-TV. Workers were told Wednesday that the Blumenthal Lansing Company facility in Lansing would be closing in phases that will be completed by mid-July. Lansing Mayor Mike Brennan says the company employs about 70 people. He says he was told the company was closing because better access to major highways was needed. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The parents of a 3-year-old Dubuque boy who shot himself in the face have pled guilty in federal court, according to KWWL-TV. Twenty-five-year-old Raven Harris and 29-year-old Willie Horsley Sr. each were charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The little boy, Jeremiah Horsley, was playing with the .45-caliber handgun when it went off. His parents have pled not guilty to charges of child endangerment and other charges. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Sentencing has been scheduled for June 7 for a 19-year-old convicted in the slaying of an Illinois man in Des Moines. The Des Moines Register reports that Keith Collins was found guilty of first-degree murder. He was convicted in the 2014 shooting death of 24-year-old Aaron McHenry, of Rockford, Illinois. Police say the shooting likely involved a drug deal. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The man who committed the double murder at the Drake Diner in 1992 could be released from prison on parole, according to WHO-TV. Joseph “Jo-Jo” White gunned down two people in the diner in front of dozens of patrons. White was 17-years-old when he was sentenced to life behind bars, but a 2012 Supreme Court ruling banned mandatory life-without-parole sentences for anyone under the age of 18. White’s re-sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 17. AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University police are searching for five men who burglarized an Ames apartment Thursday afternoon. KCCI–TV reports five men entered the apartment, held a gun on the occupants, and told them to get on the ground. The thieves then stole cash and a phone before fleeing. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Davenport police are looking for a white Mercedes Benz after a bicyclist was hurt in a hit and run crash, according to WQAD-TV. Police say a 56-year-old man was riding a bike and was hurt in the hit and run. He was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to Iowa City where he was treated for serious injuries. Police say the vehicle will have passenger side damage. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An eastern Iowa man is worried about his job, his freedom and his future. KWWL-TV reports T.J. Cassidy was shot in the neck and spine when he was 18, and it left him mostly paralyzed from the neck down. He lives on his own in Iowa City and has a job, but he recently received an email from his former in-home care agency saying they will no longer be able to continue caring for him because the privatization of Medicaid in Iowa has lowered reimbursement rates and led to a shortage of staff.