Iowa Radio News

BREMER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A driver was found dead in a Bremer County cornfield, according to KWWL-TV. Carolyn Waggett, 73, from rural Waverly was found in a vehicle that had run off the road on Tuesday morning. Investigators say Waggett died as the result of a medical condition. DES MOINES (IRN) – More than a dozen protesters gathered Saturday afternoon at the Governor’s Mansion in Des Moines, according to WOI-TV. Gov. Terry Branstad has been under pressure from Iowa Republicans to eliminate all government funding for Planned Parenthood. Gov. Branstad says he doesn’t have legal authority to strip Planned Parenthood of taxpayer funding, and an effort to do so could lead to a lawsuit. The protesters disagree. WORTHINGTON, IA (IRN) – Authorities are trying to piece together a number of recent burglaries at city halls in Delaware County. KWWL-TV reports the Delhi, Worthington and Cascade city halls were all broken into last weekend. In all burglaries, small amounts of cash were stolen. Police say they believe these incidents are connected. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man is behind bars after police say he stole a taxi after he was discharged from Mercy Medical Center on Friday. KCCI-TV reports Luis Orellana-Rivera, 26, hopped in a running taxi that was parked outside the hospital. The driver immediately reported that his vehicle had been stolen. Police said Orellana-Rivera had the keys in his pocket at the time of his arrest. He told police he stole the taxi because didn’t want to walk six blocks home.  

BREMER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Authorities responded to a crash between a semi and a combine on Highway 218 near Plainfield in Bremer County Friday.  KWWL-TV reports both vehicles were traveling southbound.  The driver of the Target Distribution truck hit the combine after not seeing it, forcing the combine to roll over. The semi lost a tire, forcing it to go into the median.  No one was injured. STORM LAKE, IA (IRN) – A Storm Lake man was given 15 years behind bars for forcing his wife to terminate two pregnancies, according to KCAU-TV. Tony Lee, 55, was found guilty of two counts of forced consent to termination of human pregnancy and two counts of assault. Lee forced his wife to take pills that ended her pregnancy on two separate occasions. Lee also sexually assaulted his wife after threatening her with a machete. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a man charged with shooting at a Waterloo police officer in 2009. KCRG-TV reports Darnell Demery challenged the conviction, claiming his attorney was ineffective because he didn’t conduct deposition interviews before trial. The Court rejected that claim, ruling Demery failed to show how depositions would have changed the outcome of the trial. The officer was not injured. DES MOINES (IRN) – Governor Terry Branstad signed a proclamation Friday directing a special election to be held on December 8 for Iowa House District 21, following the recent death of Jack Drake of Griswold.  House District 21 is comprised of Adams and Union counties and parts of Cass and Pottawattamie counties. The Iowa code gives the governor the authority to set a special election. BURNSIDE, IA (IRN) – Exploding ammunition woke up the Lehigh Fire Chief before his home burned down in the northern Iowa town of Burnside Friday morning. WHO-TV reports Kirk Kelley and wife Sarah woke up when 2-3,000 rounds of ammo started to go off in a closet where the fire started. No one was injured. This is the third fire in department firefighters’ homes this year. Arson is not suspected.

TAMA, IA (IRN) – Funeral services are scheduled Sunday for a former Tama man killed in a crash last week in north-central Kansas. KCRG-TV reports Sgt. Thomas Packer’s vehicle left the road and entered the ditch. He overcorrected, came back onto road and into the path of a semi. Packer served two tours in Afghanistan and was stationed at Fort Riley, Kan. He is survived by his wife and daughter. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One person was sent to the hospital after their car collided with a Cedar Rapids fire truck Friday morning. KWWL-TV reports the fire truck was on its way to a training event when the accident occurred. Witnesses told authorities the car ran a stop sign prior to hitting the fire truck. One individual in the car was injured and transported to a local hospital. MANCHESTER, IA (IRN) – Two residents from the northeastern Iowa town of Manchester face child endangerment and other criminal charges after a man injected himself with a prescription drug at a local convenience store. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports James Howard, 42, injected himself with a prescription drug that had been given to him by his girlfriend Lori Sousa, age 40. The drugs had been prescribed to her son. COON RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Two uncertified commercial manure applicators were involved in a manure spill near Coon Rapids in Carroll County on October 9. A collision between two manure tankers owned by Schon Manure Hauling led to a 9,500-gallon manure spill. No one was hurt. A DNR investigation verified manure did not reach a water source or a tile intake. The DNR is considering filing charges. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – Hundreds of convicted sex offenders will soon be moved to the corrections facility in Newton, according to KCCI-TV. The Department of Corrections is transferring about 200 inmates from Mount Pleasant to Newton. Officials said the move will allow more of the inmates to receive treatment. The news that the sex offenders would be coming to town came as a surprise to almost everyone, including local politicians. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Women using the Cedar River Trail in Cedar Rapids are taking extra precautions. KWWL-TV reports that recently a man asked to join a woman jogger, and then tried to grab her and push her toward a wooded area.  Some runners, walkers and cyclists say they’ve started carrying protective items such as keys in their hands to stay safe on the trail. NEW HAMPTON, IA (IRN) – A grain elevator caught fire Thursday at Five Star Co-op in New Hampton. KIMT-TV reports at least six local fire departments responded to the corn dryer fire. Firefighters were forced to use any means necessary to gain access to the structure, which meant cutting several holes to remove burning corn. No one was injured. VENTURA, IA (IRN) – There’s some good news for hunters in the state of Iowa. The pheasant population is making a major comeback. The Iowa DNR reports a nearly 40 percent increase from population numbers last year. Populations had decreased for five years, and now we are on a two-year rebound. Hunters in Iowa are expected to take anywhere from 300 to 500 thousand roosters this year.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s credit unions contributed more than $1.1 billion to the state economy in 2014, according to a new economic report. The report, compiled by Iowa State University economist Dave Swenson, found that  every $1 spent by the state’s credit unions contributed another 77 cents to other parts of Iowa’s economy. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Department of Human Services says it has no documentation to support its claim that Governor Branstad’s controversial plan to hire private companies to manage Iowa’s Medicaid program would save taxpayers $51 million during its first six months. The Des Moines Register says the absence of public data behind the estimate is significant because the Legislature relied on the projection when it approved the budget for the current fiscal year. INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – The state’s highest court is hearing arguments over whether Warren County Supervisors broke the law when they fired a dozen workers last year. WHO-TV reports the Iowa Supreme Court will determine whether Warren County Supervisors illegally fired the staff without first talking with department heads or holding a public meeting. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Twenty-one people in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area were arrested and two underage victims were rescued in an FBI operation targeting human trafficking, according to KETV. Authorities targeted hotels, apartment buildings and truck stops, looking for victims. Across the country, 149 victims were recovered — the youngest is 12 years old, and three of the victims are transgender boys. 153 pimps were arrested, three of them were locals. GRINNELL, IA (IRN) – A Grinnell family is speaking out after they say a grade school educator made racist comments to their children, according to KCCI-TV. The parents say two of their children, whom they describe as mixed-race, were told by an para-educator at Bailey Park Elementary School that black people were “stupid” and shouldn’t go to school with white people. The school is investigating. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The Waterloo Community School District is looking into who shot off fireworks inside a moving school bus Wednesday afternoon. KWWL-TV reports someone at the back of the bus set off the fireworks while the bus was moving. The driver pulled the bus over and called the police. No one was injured. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City group is already working to make sure the families of veterans and current military members stay warm this winter, according to KMEG-TV. It’s called Operation Warming Hearts and it’s put on by Support Siouxland Soldiers. The program provides winter coats for children and grandchildren of veterans and active military personnel.  

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police answered an unusual crime call on Tuesday. KCCI-TV reports police were called to a home where a woman was looking at a property with a “build to suit” sign. The woman said the cellar door was open and she walked in. Inside the basement, she found a large ATM machine.  It appeared to be vandalized to get the money out. The case remains under investigation. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Two graduates of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop were named as finalists for the National Book Award Wednesday morning, according to the Iowa City Press Citizen. Angela Flournoy’s debut novel “The Turner House” and Karen Bender’s collection of short stories “Refund,” were named as two of the five finalists for the 2015 National Book Award for Fiction. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A Newton police officer has been acquitted of domestic abuse charges, according to WHO-TV. Dustin Hamell was charged with domestic abuse in July for allegedly assaulting his then-fiance. She called police claiming Hamell slammed a door on her arm and pushed her. A Jasper County Jury found Hamell not guilty Tuesday morning. CRESTON, IA (IRN) – A 45-year-old south-central Iowa woman who’s been sentenced to 20 years in prison has been told to pay back the vehicle dealership she stole from while working there. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports Lyndsay Huntsman was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $432,000 to Creston Automotive in Creston, where she’d worked for several years in the bookkeeping department. DES MOINES (IRN) – Former Hawkeye and New York Giants football player Tyler Sash died Sept. 8 from an accidental “mixed drug toxicity involving methadone and hydrocodone,” according to the Iowa Medical Examiner. Additional studies for chronic traumatic encephalopathy  (en-SEF-uh-LAWP-uh-thee), a degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma, are pending. Sash was 27. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A threat allegedly made against West High School in Iowa City via Snapchat sparked a change in policy at Tuesday’s school board meeting. KCRG-TV reports parents weren’t notified of the threat until days after the incident, because school policy said threats must be validated, and Snapchats disappear after they are opened. New policy doesn’t require verification before parents are notified. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A local police department is taking money from parking tickets and giving it back to the community. KCCI-TV reports Fort Dodge police plan to take some of the fines collected from parking warrants and give it to local food pantries. The warrants are for parking tickets that haven’t been paid in a long time. There are currently over 1,200 outstanding warrants. WAPELLO COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A little bit of the old west came to Wapello County this week. KTVO-TV reports three individuals have been arrested for horse theft. On Monday, Wapello County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report that two horses had been stolen from the Pioneer Ridge Nature Center south of Ottumwa. One Missouri man and two Ottumwa men have been charged. The horses are OK and back with their owners.