Iowa Radio News

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital in Waterloo is reviewing a breach of patient information which occurred over about seven years. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the hospital is notifying approximately 1,600 patients that a former employee inappropriately accessed their personal information in the hospital’s electronic medical record. WINNESHIEK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – It’s official. North Winneshiek School will close its doors and consolidate with the Decorah School District in the 2019-2020 School Year, according to KCRG-TV. The School Board formally approved the decision Monday during their regular meeting. The school board also approved or looked at other cost savings measures. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – Waukee released new population numbers today showing the city has added more than 4,000 people since 2010. KCCI-TV reports a special census just conducted showed over 4,000 new residents pushing the city’s population to nearly 18,000. City officials said that equals a 30% increase in residential growth since 2010. Dallas County is the fastest growing county in Iowa and ranks 13th in the nation. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The FBI is searching for a Dubuque man in connection to a methamphetamine raid carried out across the state last week called Operation Ice Pirates. KCRG-TV reports Dennis Sharkey II is wanted on a federal arrest warrant. Officers arrested nine other people and served 29 search warrants on Thursday, with the help of about 250 officers, including nine SWAT teams. They seized more than six pounds of meth, valued at just over $270,000, and dismantled five meth labs. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A new study out of Iowa City finds that children living or attending school near agricultural fields are at the greatest risk for pesticides linked to cancer and brain development. KWWL-TV reports the research shows links between pesticides used in food production and cancers such as leukemia and brain tumors as well as developmental disorders and autism. WEBSTER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Residents of two Iowa counties say flies are taking over this spring in Webster and Wright counties. KCCI-TV reports residents say the infestation is driving them crazy. Sides of houses are covered, and it’s almost impossible to take a drink of pop without getting a mouthful of flies. Residents point the finger at a local chicken farm. The DNR and county health departments have been contacted, but say they can’t do anything. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines woman is crediting a neighbor with saving her life, according to WHO-TV. Blake Havard heard screaming outside of his house Friday night, and found a woman who had just returned from the store being attacked. The man had her on the ground, and was trying to rob her. When Havard arrived, the man fled. He helped the woman up, and she’s calling him her “guardian angel.” Havard says he was glad that he heard her–he’s almost deaf.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man is facing numerous charges after police found an active meth lab in his backpack, according to KGAN-TV. Police responded to a report of a man looking inside vehicles Monday. They confronted 32-year-old Nicholas Rotter, who resisted arrest, injuring two officers as they took him to the ground. Rotter also sustained injuries to his head and face. Police found a meth lab, filled syringes, and various other drugs in his backpack. He’s in jail. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A Davenport woman allegedly gave birth in a University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics bathroom Sunday, then tried to flush the baby down the toilet because she thought it was stillborn. WQAD-TV reports 22-year-old Ashley Hautzenrader said she didn’t know she was pregnant when she entered the restroom, and thought the baby was dead. She tried flushing the baby down the toilet, but then put the baby in a pillowcase, which she placed in the trash can. An employee found the baby. Its condition is unknown. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Two people were injured when the vehicle they were riding in crashed into a Des Moines fire station Sunday. The Des Moines Register reports the vehicle jumped the curb in front of Fire Station 4 and crashed into the station’s garage doors. One passenger was seriously injured and transported to a hospital. The vehicle’s driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, and a third passenger fled from the scene before officers arrived. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a robbery at a credit union in Des Moines, according to WHO-TV. Police say just before noon yesterday two armed men entered the Financial Plus Credit Union west of downtown, demanded money, and fled. The same credit union was robbed on April 19 by a man in a Halloween mask. DUNKERTON, IA (IRN) – The former police chief of the northeastern Iowa town of Dunkerton has pled guilty to misusing city money. Last year Tim Schultz was arrested and charged with theft. It came after the state auditor’s office said Schultz bought more than $2,500 in gas when he was not on duty. Schultz resigned from his position as police chief in 2014 as the investigation was underway to determine whether he used a city credit card improperly. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A century-old former bank in Des Moines has been turned into a homeless shelter for young adults, according to KCCI-TV. The Iowa State Bank Building has transformed from a structure that sat vacant for decades into a state-of-the-art facility. The plan is for homeless youth ages 16 to 22 to be able to get a meal, shower, and resources necessary to obtain a job or enroll in school. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids fifth grader is tackling the legislature in order to save his school’s Spanish program. KCRG-TV reports when 11-year-old Ben Drzycimski (driz-ih-zihm-SKEE) learned elementary spanish was being cut from the Cedar Rapids school district to save money, he knew he had to take action. He’s collecting signatures for a petition to take to the Iowa State Legislature. He’s not blaming the school district for the cuts–he’s blaming the legislature for not adequately funding public schools.

JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Alexander Kozak, the man who was convicted of killing 20-year-old Andrea Farrington in the Coral Ridge Mall, has filed a motion for a new trial, according to KCCI-TV. Kozak was convicted April 26th of first-degree murder. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 6th in Johnson County. A conviction of first-degree murder in the state of Iowa carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Urbandale police are investigating a report of a drive-by shooting shortly after noon today, according to KCCI-TV. Minor injuries to one younger adult male was reported. The investigation is ongoing. MONROE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Bloomfield man died in a car and minivan head-on crash Saturday. The Iowa State Patrol reports a car driven by 47-year-old Mark Garretson of Bloomfield was traveling north on Highway 5 in Monroe County and a minivan driven by 69-year-old Marlyn Copeland of Ottumwa, was driving south. The minivan entered the northbound lanes and hit the car head-on. Copeland was hurt in the crash as well as two children. They were hospitalized. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Authorities evacuated the federal building in Council Bluffs after reports of an odor of natural gas this morning, according to KETV. Crews responded, checked out the building, and cleared everyone to go back inside. LOUISA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person was killed in a single-vehicle crash in rural Louisa County Saturday morning, according to the Iowa State Patrol. 24-year-old Ruger Dean told troopers he swerved to avoid hitting a deer in the roadway, lost control, and the vehicle flipped. The passenger, 24-year-old Alexandria Edwards of Columbus Junction, was pronounced dead at the scene. JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is dead after losing control of his vehicle Sunday morning. KWWL-TV reports 26-year-old Rashad Carrington was driving northbound on I-380 when he lost control. His vehicle struck a guardrail, and came to a rest in a ditch. Carrington was a starting point guard and team leader for the Cedar Valley CourtKings, a minor league basketball team. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police in Des Moines are investigating a shooting that occurred on Sunday night on the east side of the city. WHO-TV reports that a man was shot in the stomach and is now in the hospital in stable condition. Police say they’ve made arrests. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The families of about 60 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers said goodbye Sunday as the 185th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, based out of Camp Dodge, is headed into a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan. KCCI-TV reports the Mother’s Day departure was an emotional one, not only for the soldiers, but also for the over 1,000 friends, family, and other well-wishers attending the send-off ceremony.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating after finding the charred remains of a human body at a homeless camp in northeast Des Moines last month. The Des Moines Register reports that the victim has not been identified. The body was found near a burned shed near the homeless camp on private property. SPERRY, IA (IRN) – A man has died after being pinned by a piece of farm machinery near the southeastern Iowa town of Sperry, according to the Hawk Eye. The farmer’s name and other information are being withheld pending notification of his family. DES MOINES, IA – Des Moines police are still searching for the two men who seriously injured a man riding his bike last Sunday, according to WHO-TV. 65-year-old Charles Wesley Brown was riding his bicycle when two white males in their 20s’ assaulted him. Brown was hospitalized and is still in critical condition almost a week later. Police say it appears to have been a “random, cowardly act of violence against a guy who was minding his own business.” LOUISVILLE, KY (IRN) – An Iowa based horse proved he was one of the fastest horses in the nation with a seventh place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Brody’s Cause is owned by Dennis Albaugh and Jason Loutsch of Albaugh Family Stables in Ankeny. Nyquist, the favorite at 2-1, won the race with Exaggerator coming in second.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – On Tuesday Mason City City Leaders voted 3-3 to deny Prestage Farms an incentive package to build on the south end of town. KIMT-TV reports those with Prestage Farms say they are disappointed in the decision saying they believed Mason City was the perfect location. The company is still looking to find a location for their processing plant, but this sets them back about a year. 15 Iowa communities have already reached out to try and start working on a plan. OSAGE, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa teen convicted of killing his mother has been sentenced to prison. KCRG-TV reports 17-year-old Noah Crooks was sentenced to up to 50 years in prison for the March 2012 shooting death of his mother, 37-year-old Gretchen Crooks. He will go to prison once he turns 18 this summer. Crooks was 13 years old when he repeatedly shot his mother in their Osage home. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Police have charged a Davenport man in connection with hitting a bicyclist last month, according to WQAD-TV. 24-year-old Walid Grewal is charged with leaving the scene of a crash resulting in serious injury. Grewal was driving a Mercedes on loan from a dealership in Illinois, when he hit the 56-year-old bicyclist and fled. Police were able to identify the Mercedes based on the car parts left at the scene. DES MOINES, IA – The city of Des Moines is about to start a yearlong study on which one-way streets downtown should be converted to two-way streets, according to KCCI-TV. East Village businesses are thriving, and the city is considering adopting the model for the rest of downtown. Business owners find that two-way streets often mean more people come through business doors. If the city decides to convert more roads, the process could take 20 years. LOUISVILLE, KY – Officials are hoping to see record attendance at today’s Kentucky Derby, according to WHO-TV. Horse racing is coming off its biggest year in over four decades, mainly because last year saw a Triple Crown winner for the first time since 1978. Iowa has an entry this year–Brody’s Cause, from Ankeny. Over 200,000 people are expected to be in the grandstands today–and many of them will be sipping mint juleps.