Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa lawmakers have reached a compromise over how much the state should spend on additional funding for K-12 education for the upcoming fiscal year. KWWL-TV reports lawmakers from the Democratic-majority Senate and Republican-controlled House voted in a special committee today for legislation that would increase spending for K-12 schools by 2.25 percent for the next academic year. The legislation will require formal approval in both chambers before Gov. Terry Branstad can review it. NEOLA, IA (IRN) – A high school student died and three others were hospitalized after a rollover crash in western Iowa according to KETV. The accident occurred Monday on a road between Tri-City High School and Neola. Witnesses reported that the driver lost control of the pickup and it ran into a ditch and rolled at least once. The four students were taken to Council Bluffs hospitals. One student was pronounced dead. BIRMINGHAM, IA (IRN) – A Birmingham man missing for five weeks has been found, according to KTVO-TV. According to a family member, the body of 20-year-old Morgan Elfers was found on Sunday in Van Buren County. An autopsy has been scheduled. WINNESHIEK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person has been found dead in a car just south of Calmar in Winneshiek County, according to KWWL-TV. The Winneshiek County Sheriff and the the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two men were injured Monday during an altercation that led to a shooting in West Des Moines. WHO-TV reports when police arrived at the home a man was found outside in the yard with a gunshot wound. The shooting suspect was inside, and authorities were able to get him to come outside. The suspect was taken into custody and transferred to a local hospital. The victim was taken to a different hospital. Police say the suspect and victim were fighting prior to the shooting. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A convenience store owner in Dubuque says he’s thankful no one was killed during an armed robbery Sunday night. Tom Thompson is the owner of the Oky-Doky Food Mart, which was one of two places involved in armed robberies late Sunday night. Police arrested 29-year-old Jeffrey Stonehocker of Dubuque in connection to the two robberies. Police also arrested 25-year-old Laci McGuire of Boone, who they believe drove the getaway car. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A man’s prized possession has been recovered from the ocean, according to KCCI-TV. Dave Ewing of Ankeny was swimming off Cabo San Lucas on the coast of Mexico when he realized one of his most prized possessions, a hall of fame ring, went missing in the ocean. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame presented Ewing with the ring in 2013. Ewing was a star for Iowa State in the 80’s and coached at Ankeny High School for nearly 30 years. Three men snorkeling found the ring, googled Ewing’s name, and were able to find him to return it.

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Police have arrested a “young Bonnie and Clyde” suspected of going on a non-violent crime spree across ten states, according to KWQC-TV. The two juveniles are believed to be behind a string of car and garage burglaries in Bettendorf. Police say the couple had gone on a ten-state crime odyssey, shoplifting and committing burglaries along the way to sustain themselves. Police have so far logged 85 stolen items from multiple states that the two had in their possession. DOW CITY, IA (IRN) – A teenager died in a boating accident while fishing on a pond Sunday afternoon, according to KETV. Dive teams spent hours recovering the 18-year-old’s body near Dow City, about an hour northeast of Omaha. The three teenagers were fishing on the pond when their boat overturned, throwing all three into the water. Two of the teens attempted to help the third but were unsuccessful. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating why a man careened off the road and landed his car in the fountain pond at the Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington early Sunday Morning. KBUR-radio reports that 25-year-old Jerome Strong’s vehicle left the road and wound up in the pond around 2:00 am. The pond was shallow, and police say that despite the worries of bystanders, neither Strong, nor his passenger, were in any real danger of drowning. SERGEANT BLUFF, IA (IRN) – One worker died and another was hospitalized while working to build a massive fertilizer plant in northwest Iowa. The Sioux City Journal reports the two men were working inside a tower tank Saturday when the problem occurred at the CF Industries construction site near Sergeant Bluff. The man who died fell unconscious inside the tank and couldn’t be rescued before his death. The second man escaped the tank, and was hospitalized. OELWEIN, IA (IRN) – The Country Cottage Cafe in Oelwein is closed after a driver crashed into the building Sunday, according to KWWL-TV. A male driver was pulling up to the cafe to park when he accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. Three people in the restaurant were injured and taken to the hospital. The driver was uninjured. DENVER, CO (IRN) – The Cyclones are heading to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in school history. Iowa State will face Virginia on Friday. The Hawkeyes and Panthers both lost on Sunday. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – The Special Olympics Midwest Magic matched-up against the Burlington police department for a basketball game fundraiser. WQAD-TV reports the basketball game started three years ago as a way to build relationships among Burlington police and the athletes on the Midwest Magic. The event was so popular in its first year, organizers decided to make it a fundraiser. On Saturday, over 1,000 community members packed the gym.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids teenager died in a shooting Friday in Cedar Rapids, according to KCRG-TV. When police arrived on scene, they found 15-year-old Senquez Jackson inside the home with a gunshot wound. Jackson was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on Saturday evening. BUFFALO, IA (IRN) – A Muscatine County man suspected of burglary assaulted a sheriff’s deputy and then took off in a transport vehicle Friday. WQAD-TV reports 38-year-old Barry Bennett was arrested for robbery. Bennett was being taken to jail but was able to able to escape by breaking the rear window. Bennett assaulted the officer in the front seat, took the vehicle’s keys and led officers on a pursuit that ended in rural Muscatine County. He faces multiple charges, and is in jail. The deputy is OK. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police in Des Moines say a man is recovering from a gunshot wound he received Saturday morning. WHO-TV reports the man told police he was walking home when he was shot in the leg. The victim walked to a nearby home for help and was taken to Mercy Medical Center. DENVER, IA (IRN) – Georges Niang scored 28 points in a 78-61 win over Little Rock in the second round of the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Cyclones advanced to their second Sweet 16 in three years. They will play the Virginia-Butler winner in Chicago next weekend. The UNI Panthers and Iowa Hawkeyes play today.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A plane with 192 people on board made a safe landing Friday morning at the Des Moines International Airport after an odor was reported in the cockpit. WHO-TV reports the issue was resolved while the plane was still in the air but as a precaution, the plane was still diverted to Des Moines. American Airlines called the odor a “mechanical issue.” CLINTON, IA (IRN) – A body found in the Mississippi River near Clinton on Thursday has been confirmed to be that of missing 36-year-old Joshua Snyder. WQAD-TV reports Snyder went missing in January when he left home to walk to his brother’s house a few blocks away. The family believed he was in danger because he hadn’t taken medicine he needs to control his seizures. The case is under investigation. FORT WORTH, IA (IRN) – A Fort Worth, Texas, police officer with Iowa ties is in critical condition Friday after he was shot seven times while chasing an assault suspect and his son. KCCI-TV reports Officer Matt Pearce was rushed by helicopter to a nearby hospital and has undergone several surgeries. Family who live in Polk City say Pearce is a loving husband, proud father of two girls and is a dedicated officer who’s served on the Fort Worth police force since 2009. TIFFIN, IA (IRN) – Johnson County authorities have accused a Tiffin man of trying to have the county jail pay his cable and phone bill, according to KCRG-TV. 33-year-old Lorenzo Johnson was released from the jail in late December and received a check for the balance on his commissary account. Johnson allegedly used the bank and routing numbers on that check to pay his $350 cable and phone bill. Johnson faces one count of identity theft. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (IRN) – Northern Iowa is the third men’s college basketball team in the state of Iowa to advance past the first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament, according to WHO-TV. In a stunning ending, Panther Paul Jesperson hit a game-winning half-court bank shot at the buzzer to beat Texas and send Northern Iowa to the second round. UNI now takes on Texas A&M Sunday, while the Hawkeyes play Villanova, also on Sunday, and the Cyclones play the University of Arkansas at Little Rock today.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A motorcyclist’s leg was amputated during a crash Thursday in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. The crash was reported near the Iowa State Fairgrounds. 33-year-old Mathew Brooks rear-ended a car with his motorcycle. The crash was so intense it broke the car’s rear axle and Brooks lost one of his legs. Police said alcohol was a factor. The driver of the car, 24-year-old Maria Ly of Pleasant Hill, was arrested and charged with OWI. Brooks is also expected to be charged. DUNKERTON, IA (IRN) – A former Dunkerton High School student is appealing his conviction for having a gun on school grounds to the Iowa Supreme Court. KCRG-TV reports in March 2014, a judge convicted Mar’yo Lindsey of having a gun on school grounds, possessing a firearm as a felon, going armed with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a controlled substance. Lindsey contends after he was injured in a football game and sent to the hospital, school officials conducted an illegal search of his bag. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a report of gunshots fired near a military recruitment office Thursday night. WHO-TV reports police were called to the Fort Des Moines Marine Corps Office around 8:00 p.m. A soldier leaving the building reported hearing shots fired. Police say no arrests have been made yet in the case, but a possible suspect has been identified. HINTON, IA (IRN) – Two people were seriously injured Thursday in a northwest Iowa grain elevator explosion. The Sioux City Journal reports the explosion occurred at Central Valley Ag in Hinton. Two people were taken to a Sioux City hospital in serious condition. Authorities have not identified the victims, and the cause of the explosion hasn’t been determined. AMES, IA (IRN) – An Iowa State University student fell out a third-story window while she was sleeping early Thursday, according to WHO-TV. Someone called police after hearing the woman call for help outside the building at 3:00 a.m. The woman has an elevated bed next to her bedroom window and was sleeping with her window open when she apparently rolled out. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be involved. Her condition has not been released. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo firefighters say discarded smoking materials caused a garage to catch on fire early this morning. KWWL-TV reports smoking materials were left in a trash can outside the garage but once they started smoldering, the fire spread to the garage. No one was hurt. AMES, IA (IRN) – An Ames family got a free meal and a life lesson after a stranger paid for their meal. KCCI-TV reports Amy Forbes took her daughters to El Azteca Mexican Restaurant for their first time this week. Instead of a check, Forbes received an anonymous note saying their meal had been paid for in memory of a girl who passed away from cancer.