Iowa Radio News

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Major water damage has forced the Bettendorf Public Library to close, according to WQAD-TV. Repairs on a second-floor bathroom caused the leak. Workers were updating the bathroom Friday when a water pipe broke. The second floor was damaged, along with a section of the first floor that had been newly remodeled. The cost to repair damages is approximately $1 million. The library will be closed for at least three months. HUMBOLDT COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person was killed and another injured after a rollover crash involving a tractor in rural Humboldt County. The Iowa State Patrol says 37-year-old Thomas Griffin, of Waterloo, tried to pass a car when he was struck head-on by a tractor driven by 37-year-old Aaron Orwig. The collision caused Orwig’s tractor to rollover. He suffered minor injuries. Griffin was killed in the crash. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny woman was arrested Sunday after she allegedly left her 4-year-old child in a car for a half hour. KCCI-TV reports that 37-year-old Rebecca Rife was charged with child endangerment. A witness watched for 30 minutes as the child was sticking her body out partially-down windows of a parked car outside the Goodwill. When police arrived, they found Rife at the nearby Dollar Tree. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One person was taken to the hospital after an explosion at an apartment building in Cedar Rapids on Friday, according to KCRG-TV. The fire department found the 46-year-old victim after arriving at the scene. The Cedar Rapids bomb squad and ATF officials were called in to investigate. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The stork will soon visit the Blank Park Zoo. The Des Moines Register reports Ayana and Kiano, the zoo’s rare eastern black rhinos, are expecting a baby. Ayana’s pregnancy is the first confirmed fertilization among the eastern black rhino zoo population in two years. Des Moines’ rhinos are two of just 46 eastern black rhinos in North American zoos. Only six of those 46 rhinos are breeding females.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo man may spend the next 50 years in jail for killing his girlfriend and dumping her body in rural Linn County. KGAN-TV reports Shawn Hogan was sentenced today in the murder of Crystal Gaffney nearly two years ago. He admitted to beating Gaffney with a hammer and stabbing her in the head with a screwdriver. Her body was found on a rural road in Walker. Hogan is eligible for parole in 2051. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Davenport woman is dead after she crashed into the back of a semi on I-80 in Cedar Rapids, according to WQAD-TV. A semi-tractor trailer was stopped and had just started moving again eastbound on I-80 when a Cadillac CTS ran into the back of it. 28-year-old Nicole Van Hamme from Davenport was pronounced dead at the scene. The semi driver was not hurt. FORT MYERS, FL (IRN) – A Mason City woman was killed in a Florida car crash this week, according to KIMT-TV. A Fort Myers man reportedly rear-ended Kristin Lee’s vehicle and caused a seven vehicle pileup. Shortly after the wreck, her car burst into flames, and she perished in the fire. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids Police have arrested a suspect involved in a disturbance and high speed chase before barricading himself in an apartment this morning. KCRG-TV reports 22-year-old Christopher McGee stole items from a woman, including a safe. He displayed a handgun during the theft. Police found him in a vehicle in an alley behind her residence, and the chase ensued. He’s in jail. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A recreational biplane crashed into a hill Thursday evening after it tried to make an emergency landing in West Des Moines shortly after it left the Des Moines Airport. KCCI-TV reports that the front end of the aircraft was destroyed. A 65-year-old man was flying the plane while his 30-year-old son was a passenger. They are expected to recover. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Federal prosecutors have charged a Dubuque woman with harboring a fugitive and obstruction of justice, according to KCRG-TV. Prosecutors say Vivian Rochelle Weakley harbored and concealed Antwain Spratt. Federal authorities wanted Spratt in connection with a heroin distribution investigation. Prosecutors said Weakly also lied to a U.S. Marshal, telling him she did not know Spratt or where he was located. WEST BRANCH, IA (IRN) – 19 children were on board a West Branch school bus when it crashed into a semi yesterday, according to KWWL-TV. The bus driver, Amber Stubbs of West Branch, hit the back of the semi. Only minor injuries were reported in the crash. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two central Iowa cities are among the fastest-growing in the country. WHO-TV reports Ankeny ranked number three, with 6.5% growth. Des Moines earned the 104th spot. The fastest growing town in the U.S? Georgetown, Texas.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police had to disarm a drunk man after he threatened his neighbors Wednesday. The Des Moines Register reports 56-year-old Ricky Eugene Moore emerged from his apartment armed when police showed up. He held a black Katana sword in his right hand and a half-empty 40-ounce bottle of beer in his left. Officers ordered him to drop the sword and they took him into custody. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Authorities in Dubuque County say a man wanted for the murder of Collin Brown in rural Dubuque County is considered to be armed and dangerous. KGAN-TV reports they are looking for 19-year-old Tacari Minifee. Two other people have been arrested and charged with the murder of Collin Brown. Three suspects were robbing a residence Brown was at, and when he attempted to flee he was shot in the back. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – University of Northern Iowa president William Ruud is leaving the university to accept a position as the president of Marietta College in Ohio, according to KWWL-TV. Ruud will start at Marietta on July 3. The Iowa Board of Regents plans to name an interim President soon. AMES, IA (IRN) – People in Ames and Iowa City might want to consider how much they are drinking, according to a new report. 24/7 Wall St. ranks Ames eighth on the list, as nearly 25% of adults there report either binge or heavy drinking within the last month. Iowa City is ranked the 19th drunkest town in America, with over 23% of adults who drink excessively. Nationally, 18% of adults do. The drunkest town in America? Appleton, Wisconsin. MT. PLEASANT, IA (IRN) – Police officers in Mt. Pleasant went above and beyond the call of duty last Tuesday to help babies being born, according to KCII Radio. At 7:40 p.m., and then shortly later at 8:17 p.m., dispatch received calls regarding women in labor. Responding Officers Elijah Gnann and Keith Dugger, and Investigator Ryan Pilling took part in the delivery of two babies in two different locations. Both babies are doing fine. CARROLL, IA (IRN) – A naked man was found stuck in a chimney at the Carroll Redemption Center, according to KCCI-TV. 29-year-old Jordan Kajewski spent at least 11 hours stuck inside the chimney. Firefighters were forced to break the chimney’s brick wall to get Kajewski out. He’s in the Carroll County Jail. Police charged him with trespassing while causing damage. Kajewski says he was just playing hide and seek. MADRID, IA (IRN) – One of Iowa’s longest serving teachers is about to retire. Linda Silver has been teaching at Madrid Elementary School for nearly five decades. The first-grade teacher landed her first job at the school 46 years ago and never left. She has taught some families for three generations. What is she going to do in retirement? She plans to volunteer and substitute at the school.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque Police say they have some persons of interest in a cross burning case Chief Mark Dalsing calls a hate crime. KCRG-TV reports no arrests have been made. The recent cross burning brings back difficult memories for the community. In 1991, cross burnings were followed by a Ku Klux Klan rally to protest the city’s effort to attract more minorities to their community. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A man who was found unresponsive after crashing a motorcycle later died from his injuries, according to WQAD-TV. 25-year-old Spencer Dress crashed on the motorcycle around 12:20 a.m. on Heritage Trail near Dubuque. Dress was riding along the trail at a high rate of speed and lost control. FAYETTE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A jury has convicted a Maynard man for trying to run over a police officer with his vehicle. KCRG-TV reports jurors found 34-year-old Abel Quijas (KEY-hass), Jr. guilty Tuesday of attempted murder. He faces up to 25 years in prison. Oelwein officers tried to arrest Quijas (KEY-hass) for delivering drugs to a home. Officers fired shots when he tried to run over one of them with his vehicle, before he drove off. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A student videotaped her Des Moines Public School bus driver texting while driving, and the bus driver was fired, according to WHO-TV. Jacque Gibson says she should still have a job. With a decade of school bus driving experience, Gibson said her termination for texting and driving wasn’t fair. She believes the video was taken for revenge by a student not allowed to sit with “unruly friends,” not safety reasons. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Polk County Board of Supervisors is considering a minimum wage increase, according to KCCI-TV. Business owners, leaders and local advocacy groups will gather inside the Des Moines Convention Center today to discuss the potential change. A dollar amount for the possible minimum wage increase has yet to be proposed. RICEVILLE, IA (IRN) – A Riceville man is celebrating that he has now lived 32 years after a heart transplant. Larry Abel was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at 37 and three years later, his heart was shutting down. He opted for a risky heart transplant, and is glad he did. Abel is the former principal at Riceville High School where he also helped coach track and field.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a shooting today east of the Iowa Capitol complex, according to KCCI-TV. A man was shot while in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Police believe the shooting is related to a drug deal gone wrong. One man was taken to a metro hospital, while another was seen running from the scene. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Police were called Saturday night to 2 Dogs Pub in Iowa City, where 27-year-old Tommie Clay, of Forest Park, Illinois, was accused of punching another person in the eye. KCRG-TV reports Clay ran from the bar, and officers later caught him after a foot chase. He struggled, and an officer broke his ankle. Clay faces numerous charges. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A girl has died after a brick pillar collapsed onto a hammock she and her sister were sharing at their home in Des Moines on Sunday. The Des Moines Register reports that one end of the hammock was tied to a tree, the other end to an unreinforced pillar of bricks. The girl’s 16-year-old sister was on the hammock when her younger sister jumped in, causing the pillar to collapse and bricks to strike the younger girl’s head, killing her. NORTHWOOD, IA (IRN) – A former mayor of Northwood plans to assert diminished mental responsibility during his July trial on fraud charges. KCCI-TV reports 52-year-old Randy Severson has pled not guilty to a charge of ongoing criminal conduct and six counts of fraudulent practice. He’s accused of using the names of family members, customers and acquaintances without their knowledge to make phony invoices for lines of credit. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Police are looking for any information about what happened to Ryan Jansa, according to KWWL-TV. Jansa is in a coma after he was found unconscious in an alleyway in downtown Iowa City Saturday. He had trauma on both sides of his head, a fractured neck, and other injuries. Friends last saw Jansa at The Fieldhouse around 1:30 a.m. He was talking to a group of people at the bar, possibly a girl, when his friends left to grab some food. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Polk County authorities are investigating a scandalous blog featuring the backsides of multiple girls at Saydel High School. KCCI-TV reports school officials alerted the girls that their pictures showed up on a Tumblr page. The girls were photographed from behind without their permission by another student. All were fully clothed. They are calling them “creepshots.” While the activity isn’t criminal, authorities are working to have the photos removed. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – It took the City of Des Moines just one weekend to erase a 200-foot mural that took students a year to create, according to WHO-TV. And it all happened without notice. Teachers and kids at Des Moines Central Campus say they had permission from the city for the mural. The city says it was a tragic misunderstanding. NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – A North Liberty elementary school has some unusual visitors this week–goats. KCRG-TV reports a herd of goats is chewing away at unwanted brush at Penn Elementary. The school is planning on expanding its playground and the more than 30 penned-in animals are making way for the project by munching down on weeds. It’s a natural way to get rid of weeds without the use of chemicals. The service is being provided by a company called “Goats on the Go.”