Iowa Radio News

UNION COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A second body was found in Union County Saturday, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. KCCI-TV reports the remains of an unidentified person were found near a house in Thayer. Previously, 37-year-old Loretta Dillinger was found dead in a pond near Lorimor. Her ex brother-in-law, 37-year-old Jerry Dillinger was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Casey’s General Stores confirmed on Saturday that credit card skimming devices were discovered at six locations in Nebraska and one in Davenport.  WHO-TV reports after the first one was found, Casey`s launched a company-wide examination of all fuel pumps at approximately 1,900 stores across 14 states. This led to the discovery of additional devices. WARREN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A district judge has threatened to close the Warren County courthouse due to multiple health and safety issues. According to WOI-TV Chief Judge Arthur Gamble sent a four page letter to the Warren County Board of Supervisors on December 2nd, detailing multiple issues with the courthouse. He says it’s “neglected” and smells of “nauseating sewer gas,” among many other issues. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Sarah Pieterek visited Clarke University in Dubuque to discuss her wish to go to Walt Disney World, granted by the Make a Wish foundation. Little did she know that she would have two wishes granted. KCRG-TV reports when the 14-year-old leukemia patient entered the Walhert Atrium, “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson began playing as about 100 people flooded the room to begin dancing around her. Her wish? A flash mob. She’s going to Disney World too.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man wanted for a home invasion homicide in Kansas might have ties to Iowa, U.S. Marshals warned Friday. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports 20-year-old Bryan Bridges is wanted for first-degree murder, aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery. Bridges and others allegedly broke into a home in Kansas and shot and killed someone in the home when he surprised the suspects. THAYER, IA (IRN) – Iowa DCI agents and Union County deputies were at two homes Friday in Thayer as part of the investigation into the death of Loretta Dillinger. KCCI-TV reports 37-year-old Dillinger was found dead in a pond near Lorimor on Monday. The man who found her body was bow hunting when he saw what he thought was a cow or a deer in the water. When he got closer, he saw human feet and legs. SHELDON, IA (IRN) – Following what administrators are calling a “non-specific threat,” Sheldon High School in northwest Iowa will have additional security in place on Monday. KIWA Radio reports high school students won’t be allowed to bring backpacks to school, and there will be a police presence in the school that day. While school officials are confident the threat is a hoax, they say they take the responsibility of keeping their students safe very seriously. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Clients and staff at the Central Iowa Shelter in Des Moines were shocked when they learned more about their new director, 46-year-old Mark Hanrahan, according to WHO-TV. Hanrahan, once a high-level executive at Principal Financial, was charged with felony kidnapping in January. Hanrahan held a man at gunpoint and tried forcing him to buy crack cocaine. Hanrahan obtained a plea deal, and received two years probation. Board members say he’s doing a great job, and the shelter is a place for second chances. CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – Charles City Middle School has a new staff member–a therapy bunny named Comet. KIMT-TV reports school counselor Heather Wilson came up with the idea.  Wilson says it’s amazing to see how the bunny is helping kids already, and that “Comet doesn’t care what you look like or who you are. It’s just an unconditional acceptance for some of our kids who don’t always fit in.”  

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines mother has been charged with child endangerment after leaving three infants alone in a car in a Walmart parking lot Thursday, according to KCCI-TV. An off-duty police officer still in uniform was told by several customers about a vehicle in the parking lot with three infants left alone in the back seat.  An officer who approached the car reported one of the children was crying. 24-year-old Briana Webb was charged in the case. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa is renaming a longstanding program due to recent complaints. KWWL-TV reports the Iowa Student Information System is more commonly known as ISIS, the same as the terrorist group. The university says it’s only received a handful of direct complaints but takes those complaints seriously. The university has not yet decided on a new name. OGDEN, IA (IRN) – An Ogden man was killed in a crash on Highway 30 Thursday. The Iowa State Patrol reports a semi driven by 38-year-old Jeffrey Gray of Story City was eastbound on Highway 30 when an SUV driven by 79-year-old Thomas Myers of Ogden pulled out in front of the semi and was hit. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Two University of Iowa students are accused of going on a shopping spree with a stolen credit card. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports the victim reported that her wallet was taken while she was on a bus. Surveillance video and credit card records show 19-year-old Frensua Hooker and 18-year-old Danyelle Patton made numerous purchases with a credit card stolen from the victim’s wallet, including food, clothing and a bus ticket. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A woman was arrested after a 23-month-long investigation in connection to the death of a 3-year-old Ottumwa child. WHO-TV reports 31-year-old Kashenna Nichole Tucker was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree murder. Police say Tucker was the guardian of 3-year-old Wysdom Evans when he suspiciously died in 2014. Tucker was arrested in Utah by the Utah State Bureau of Investigation. DES MOINES (IRN) – The families of two men who were hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver four weeks ago are enraged to learn the suspect is out of jail Thursday night. KCCI-TV reports the crash killed lifelong best friends Randy Sonnenburg and Rick Hummell. The men’s families are angry they won’t be able to spend the holidays with their loved ones, while the alleged drunk driver will. The driver of the car, 53-year-old Deanna Gliem, posted bond and was released Thursday. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A real-life Grinch was caught on camera stealing Christmas decorations from a Davenport family. WQAD-TV reports the family put up a row of lighted candy canes in front of their home on Tuesday, and they disappeared later that night. Surveillance video shows a car pull up in front of the home, then someone gets out of the vehicle and looks around, before walking up toward the house, and stealing the decorations. AMES, IA (IRN) – It was a game for the ages when Monte Morris scored with nine seconds left and fourth-ranked Iowa State rallied from a 20-point deficit to stun Iowa 83-82 on Thursday night. Morris and Jameel McKay each had 20 points for the 8-0 Cyclones, who scored the game’s final nine points to remain unbeaten. Iowa is now 7-3, and has lost seven straight games in Ames.  

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A plane crash has shut down an interstate in Council Bluffs. KGAN-TV reports a small plane crashed into the median on I-29 Thursday afternoon. All lanes of the interstate were shut down, and the incident is being investigated. One person died in the crash. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A national group says Iowa regents did a “serious disservice” by influencing the University of Iowa presidential search to favor their pre-ordained candidate, businessman Bruce Harreld. KWWL-TV reports the American Association of University Professors said in a report Thursday the Iowa Board of Regents “acted throughout in bad faith” when regents allowed several prominent higher education administrators to believe they were participating in an honest search, when Harreld had the inside track. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – An autopsy has determined the identity of a body found in the Cedar River near Gilbertville earlier this month. KCRG-TV reports the body belonged to 18-year-old Moe Sed. Sed, a student at Waterloo West High School, was first reported missing on October 22. The State Medical Examiner’s Office had not yet determined the cause of death. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman is in the Polk County Jail after police say she shot at another woman during an argument over a man. WHO-TV reports forty-one-year-old Lashawnda Gatewood is charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon and going armed with intent. Gatewood and another woman were fighting over the man when she fired at a vehicle with the other woman inside. No one was hurt. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police are investigating after a stabbing victim walked into a restaurant. KWWL-TV reports police aren’t sure where the stabbing occurred. They learned about it after the victim walked into a Perkins Restaurant shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday morning. The victim was taken to an area hospital. DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines police are searching for the driver of a Lexus SUV that led them on a high-speed chase overnight. KCCI-TV reports the chase started after 2:30 a.m. when the driver refused to stop. The pursuit reached 100 mph with the suspect driving the wrong way down city streets. The suspect hit stop sticks and eventually ditched the vehicle near the AIB College of Business. He ran from the scene in an unknown direction. KEOKUK, IA (IRN) – Matrix Metals announced Wednesday the closing of its Keokuk Steel Castings facility. KHQA-TV reports the plant manufactures steel castings for use in valves, mining, drilling, transportation, military and other heavy industries. The closure is due to decreased demand in the oil and gas industries. Keokuk Steel Castings has operated in Keokuk since 1936. As recently as 2012, the facility employed over 500 people. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Green Iowa Americorps staff and volunteers planted two acres of pollinator attracting plants at the Cedar Rapids-Linn County Solid Waste Agency on Wednesday, to try to bring more bees, birds, and butterflies to eastern Iowa. KCRG-TV reports the Solid Waste Agency is doing this for species that have damaged or destroyed habitats. Three more acres of plants will go into the ground next fall.  

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The U.S. Marshals Service continues to search for a fugitive after one of its agents fired a weapon during an investigation. KCRG-TV reports members of a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force were searching for a suspect in Waterloo on Wednesday. Officers were taking part in a traffic stop connected to that search around 10 a.m. when the task force officer fired. The suspect got away. CUBA (IRN) – A man from Muscatine was caught by Cuban border guards after he allegedly stole a boat and took it to Cuba in an apparent attempt to run from federal charges in the U.S. WQAD-TV reports 38-year-old Shawn Michael Wegmann Luskey was accused of stealing a 13-foot Boston Whaler from a marina in the Florida Keys.   DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man who went on a shooting spree in Pleasant Hill last year was sentenced Wednesday morning. WOI-TV reports Pete Polson was sentenced to 55 years in prison after being found guilty of one count of attempted murder, one count of assault with intent to inflict serious injury, and several other related charges. During his trial, Polson said he was heavily intoxicated at the time and didn’t remember much from the shootings. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – Vandals struck the Webster County Courthouse early Tuesday morning. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports a vandal or vandals sprayed fire extinguishers early Tuesday morning throughout the third and fourth floors. A fine dust from the extinguishers covered surfaces throughout the building. The dust must be removed from all office computers, lest they suck in damaging material. The courthouse has no security system. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Roosevelt High School girls basketball coach is facing criminal charges, according to KCCI-TV. Coach Gerald “Tig” Johnson has been charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee and assault. He turned himself in to police Tuesday. Johnson had been coach until 2009, when he resigned to take a job at AIB. The girls team made five trips to the state championships, winning a state title in 2006. Johnson returned to lead the Rough Riders this year. OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – A large canine was shot in Osceola County by a coyote hunter on Sunday. The DNR says it resembles a wolf, and DNA testing is underway. Testing is necessary because many wolf characteristics are similar to domestic dogs. The hunter shot the animal from 100-150 yards away as the it was lying down. When the hunter realized it was not a coyote, a conservation officer was called. DES MOINES (IRN) – Caucusing as an absent Iowan will be easier than ever for Democrats this election cycle. The Des Moines Register reports the Iowa Democratic Party announced the first ever Tele-Caucus initiative. It will allow deployed service members and other Iowans living abroad to participate in the first-in-the-nation event. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Rose Bowl celebration is underway in Iowa City, according to WHO-TV. On Tuesday, the Iowa City Hy-Vee delivered 4,300 roses to the athletic department. The roses were a gift from the community to celebrate the Hawkeye’s season. Tickets to the game went on sale Tuesday, and by 2 p.m., there were nearly 40,000 ticket requests for the 22,000 tickets allotted to the Hawkeyes. The university will announce who gets tickets on Monday.