Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gunshots were reported near East High School in Des Moines Wednesday, although police could find no suspects or evidence of any crime. The Des Moines Register reports the shots triggered a lockdown at the high school for about seven minutes. Police scanner traffic indicated that a fight had broken out in an alleyway near the school. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A board that oversees the Webster County assessor has voted to fire her. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports the county Conference Board voted Tuesday evening to dismiss Jeanette Thanupakorn. Her firing comes in the wake of the state’s order for a 16 percent increase in county commercial property valuations. The state had ordered a 38 percent increase, but Thanupakorn didn’t appeal the amount, so the county board had to. DES MOINES (IRN) – Two Des Moines women have filed a lawsuit against the Iowa cosmetology board, seeking to start a hair braiding business without acquiring state licenses. The Des Moines Register reports the women filed the lawsuit against the Iowa Board of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences on Tuesday. They say they don’t want to spend up to $22,000  and 2,100 hours in cosmetology school to attain licenses to braid hair. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man is accused of punching his 2-year-old son, sending the boy to the hospital. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports the boy was not doing what he was told and the father, 21-year-old Tyshaun Harris, was yelling at him. When the boy started to cry, Harris punched him in the chest. The child suffered a “fist-shaped” bruise on his rib cage and was taken to the hospital via ambulance. Harris was arrested and faces up to five years in prison. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A 22-year-old Cedar Falls woman delivered a baby unexpectedly Tuesday morning, saying she didn’t know she was pregnant. KWWL-TV reports paramedics found the newborn in his mother’s arms, wrapped in towels. The woman’s roommate is a nurse who helped the new mother and baby, while waiting for paramedics to arrive. It’s called “cryptic pregnancy” and about one in every 2,500 women don’t know they’re pregnant, until they’re in labor. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man has been charged after robbing a pizza delivery man in September. WHO-TV reports 34-year old Anzie Bester approached the Pizza Hut delivery driver as he delivered pizza to a home. Bester held the driver at gunpoint and took $60 as well as two pizzas. Bester is charged with first-degree robbery, third-degree burglary and fifth-degree theft. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – Three days after being shot in an Ankeny McDonald’s parking lot, 18-year-old Justin Phongsavanh (FONG-sav-uhn) is still in the hospital surrounded by family and friends. They say he may never walk again. KCCI-TV reports 36-year-old Gabriel Coco, a complete stranger, shot Phongsavanh (FONG-sav-uhn) and his friend Nickolas Culver after witnessing their “poor behavior” in the restaurant Saturday night. The bullet is lodged in Phongsavanh’s (FONG-sav-uhn’s) spine, and it may cause more damage if removed. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – Elementary school student Avalon Burns loves everything about Halloween, especially the costume parade at Lincoln Elementary in Cedar Falls. KWWL-TV reports she noticed last year not everyone had a Halloween costume. She also noticed the big price tags at stores, so she came up with a solution. She started a costume drive where kids can bring in costumes that have been used before so other kids can wear them. All the costumes in the drive are free.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A 22-year-old woman was shot at while in her car Monday night in Council Bluffs, according to KETV. The woman said that her dog was recently stolen and she was searching for the pet before the vehicle stopped behind her. She tells police that the shooter opened his back passenger door and fired multiple rounds. No injuries were reported. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – The city of Cedar Falls has blown the doors off last year’s construction activity in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reports building permits in the city from July through September totaled nearly $79 million, topping $78 million for all of fiscal year 2014-15, which ended June 30. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo Police say the driver responsible for a hit-and-run that left a teenager injured turned himself in this morning.  KWWL-TV reports early Sunday morning, 13-year-old Lyisha Dixon was hit by a car as she tried to cross the street. The car then took off. Dixon was taken to the hospital. This morning, 30-year-old Steven Arceneaux, Jr. contacted police, saying he may have been the driver involved. He’s been charged with leaving the scene of an accident. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque police are investigating a report that a driver caused a total of $9,500 in damage to three vehicles and fled the scene Sunday. The Dubuque Herald Tribune reports the vehicle ran into the back of a parked vehicle, which pushed it into another parked vehicle. The force of impact caused the second vehicle to hit a third parked vehicle. All the parked vehicles were unoccupied. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A gunman fatally shot himself after incidents in Davenport and Bettendorf Monday. WQAD-TV reports several shots were fired inside a law firm in Davenport, and then minutes later in Bettendorf at Miller Meier Limb & Brace, a prosthetic and orthotic manufacturer. When police arrived a 40-year-old white man standing in the parking lot fatally shot himself. There were no other reported injuries. JANESVILLE, IA (IRN) – Fire officials are investigating a house explosion in Janesville. Both the Janesville and Waverly fire and rescue crews responded to the explosion around 1 pm Monday. KWWL-TV reports the homeowner had just walked out of the house seconds before the house exploded and that neighbors reported hearing a big boom. No one was injured in the explosion. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Governor Terry Branstad announced he’s launching a new division designed to help people who were wrongly convicted of crimes. WHO-TV reports the Wrongful Conviction Division will focus on hair comparison analysis. The FBI recently admitted to serious errors in testimony on those tests, many times overstating how close hair from a crime scene matched a defendant. 100 cases have been flagged for review. DES MOINES (IRN) – Iowa pork producers are not thrilled with the new World Health Organization report that says daily consumption of processed meats increases the risk for cancer. The National Pork Board in Clive disagrees with the report. The board suggests a balanced diet is key to good health and adds that there is also evidence that “people who drink wine and eat pickles get cancer” too.

DOWS, IA (IRN) – An Ohio homicide suspect has been apprehended in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports the Iowa State Patrol stopped a vehicle travelling northbound on Interstate 35 near Dows at 98mph. The driver was identified as 34-year-old Burley Blankenship of Cleveland Ohio. Blankenship is wanted regarding the death of his mother. He’s in jail in Webster City awaiting pickup by Ohio authorities. DES MOINES (IRN) – A short chase Sunday night ended with a stolen car crashing into a garage in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports the driver of the stolen car hit a utility pole before going right through a garage and hitting another car inside. After a foot chase, the driver was taken into custody. 22-year-old Brandon Lee St. Peter was arrested and charged in the case. St. Peter told an officer that he had used marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy about an hour before the crash. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City man sought emergency treatment after suffering a gunshot wound to his abdomen on Sunday. KIMT-TV reports the circumstances of the shooting are not known, although it is not thought to be a suicide attempt. Mason City Police are investigating. SHELLSBURG, IA (IRN) – What started as a complaint about a stolen vehicle turned into a death investigation in Shellsburg, according to KWWL-TV. A neighbor says a woman’s truck was stolen Sunday, and when later recovered, he followed a trail of blood and found the woman’s body. He says there was evidence of a struggle, and suspicion that the person who stole the truck was dating the woman. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was charged after police said he shot two men outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Ankeny. KCCI-TV reports Gabriel Coco, 36, of Des Moines, faces two charges of willful injury after he surrendered himself about 30 minutes after the incident Saturday. The victims suffered serious injuries. Investigators said an argument over poor behavior at the restaurant escalated into gunfire. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A Jasper County inmate has taken his own life while lodged in jail, according to WOI-TV. It happened Saturday evening when inmates in the man’s pod noticed that Michael Criqui, 23, of Newton was attempting suicide and they yelled for help. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. Criqui used a bed sheet tied around his bunk to strangle himself. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former basketball coach who was accused of scamming parents, his landlord and a church has moved his con to Las Vegas. WHO-TV reports Glendon Alexander ran a basketball academy in Urbandale. Parents say Alexander made a lot of big promises about training their kids, and they wrote a lot of big checks. But parents say it all turned out to be a scam. He skipped town, was arrested in Dallas, and has now been named in a scam in Las Vegas.  

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A man was detained by police Saturday night after he allegedly assaulted two victims near a McDonald’s parking lot in Ankeny. KCCI-TV reports one person was shot, and another was pistol-whipped. Officials said the victims were taken to a hospital with no word on the extent of their injuries. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – The state of Iowa canceled an Amber Alert that was issued Saturday afternoon for a 13-year-old girl. Authorities were looking for Paige Janet Johnstone. She was taken by 19-year-old Kevin Ariel Toala Ramirez. The two were last seen in Ottumwa and were believed to be heading to Fort Pierce, Florida. The child and suspect were found safe in Georgia. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A Council Bluffs woman will stand trial on a charge of aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of her young daughter. The Daily Nonpareil reports authorities are not naming the woman to protect the identity of her daughter. The woman’s former boyfriend has been charged with several felony sex abuse counts. The mother told investigators that she saw the boyfriend sexually abuse her daughter over several years, starting when the girl was younger than 10. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Seventeen convicted drug offenders will be released from a Sioux City halfway house next week, the result of a federal sentencing guideline amendment that has reduced the prison terms of thousands of federal inmates.The Sioux City Journal reports that in the past year, federal judges across the country have reconsidered over 23,000 drug sentences and reduced 75% percent of them.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Firefighters battled an early-morning fire Saturday at an auto auction in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports first responders were called to the Copart Salvage Auto Auction about 4:30 a.m. Investigators said a building and several cars were affected by the blaze. The cause of the fire has not been determined. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman was intentionally set on fire in West Des Moines on Thursday, according to KCCI-TV. The woman suffered burns on her upper torso. She claimed that she and John Allecks Moore Jr., 58, were involved in an argument, when Moore threw an unknown flammable substance on her and set her on fire. Her wounds are not life-threatening.  Moore was intoxicated at the time, and remains in jail. Neighbors say the police are at the address regularly. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police are looking into a burglary that happened at a home that caught fire just days before.  KWWL-TV reports 64-year-old Rebecca Lavenz died in her home on Tuesday. Waterloo fire officials are calling her death an “accidental death related to the fire.” Police say on Thursday, a relative discovered her home had been burglarized overnight. Police say a laptop, coins, jewelry, medications, and two firearms were stolen. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A report of shots fired near Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids on Friday led to the college sending out an alert regarding campus safety. KCRG-TV reports police responded to an apartment complex near the college, where residents said someone fired shots into a door and tried to kick it down. The investigation is ongoing. DES MOINES (IRN) – Three central Iowans gave the gift of life to three others in need of a kidney. WHO-TV reports that on Friday, they met for the first time. The three donors are part of a kidney donor chain organized by Mercy Hospital. Janet Hircock is responsible for starting the chain. Once Hircock donated her kidney, the daughter of Hircock’s recipient gave her kidney to someone else, and so on.