Iowa Radio News

WASHINGTON, D. C. (IRN) – After more than two decades of service, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst has retired from the military. Senator Ernst was a company commander of a unit tasked with running convoys through Kuwait and into southern Iraq in 2003. Ernst was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard when she officially retired Monday. CARPENTER, IA (IRN) – A 21-year-old Carpenter man was arrested Sunday for assaulting a Mitchell County Sheriff’s deputy. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports Chance Steven Replogle was having an emotional breakdown in the Carpenter Bar and Grill parking lot. When the deputy attempted to speak with him, Replogle charged the deputy in an attempt to assault him. The deputy was able to defend himself and was not injured in the attack. Replogle is in jail. DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines police have identified the victims and a person of interest in a double homicide reported Monday. KCCI-TV reports the victims have been identified as 36-year-old Bryon Howard and 31-year-old Heather Belieu. Police identified 39-year-old Michael John Wanchanic as a person of interest in the case. An infant and toddler were taken out of the house to an ambulance in front of the home.  They are believed to be OK. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines teen is accused of making threats against a local school district, according to WHO-TV. Police say the threat was posted on the Urbandale Middle School’s PTO Facebook page Sunday night. Police identified the suspect through that posting and a 15-year-old is in custody, charged with first degree harassment. He is being held at the Polk County Juvenile Detention Center. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – 26-year-old Matthew Anderson is in Cerro Gordo County Jail after allegedly breaking into a home and strangling his ex-girlfriend Saturday, according to KIMT-TV. Anderson is accused of first-degree burglary and domestic abuse assault, both felonies, after allegedly forcing entry into the home where the mother of his children was staying, then physically assaulting her. DES MOINES (IRN) – Two different Des Moines Git-n-Go convenience stores were robbed Sunday evening, according to the Des Moines Register. At one store a man handed a lottery ticket to a cashier and asked her to explain the rules to him from the back of the ticket. When she looked, there was a message saying, “Give me all the cash in the register, don’t do anything stupid, I have a weapon.” At the second store, a man pointed a handgun at a clerk, demanded money, and then fled. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld is responding after a racist message was found on campus. According to KWWL-TV the message was carved into a bathroom door in Spence Laboratories. The door was sanded down to remove the comment. The university did not release what the message said. Harreld says, “This act is offensive to our community and will not be tolerated.” An investigation is underway. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Carbon monoxide detectors may have saved the lives of a Waterloo family of four. KCRG-TV reports Saturday night, two carbon monoxide alarms went off in the home. At first, the family thought it was failing batteries, but when the alarms wouldn’t quit, they called 9-1-1. They were told to evacuate the home by dispatchers, and firefighters told them it was a good thing they did, as meter readings indicated that they would have been dead by morning. The problem was a rusted furnace exhaust pipe.

DES MOINES (IRN) – A Des Moines man was shot during an attempted robbery along a busy city street on Sunday night. 41-year-old Charles Shur of Des Moines was found lying in a front yard near Drake University. Shur had been shot in the stomach and leg. He was able to talk to officers and told them he and a friend were walking to a nearby Walgreens when two men tried to rob them. Shur said the men shot him after not getting anything from him. DES MOINES (IRN) – Nearly five years after Iowa residents flocked to sheriff’s offices in a rush to obtain firearm permits, sheriffs are bracing for a wave of renewals, according to KGAN-TV. The initial spike in 2011 came after the Iowa Legislature changed the state’s permitting law from “may issue” to “shall issue,” giving law enforcement less discretion over who can receive a permit. The number of permits issued in Iowa skyrocketed after the change was made to more than 100,000 permit holders. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Davenport police have arrested two men who were found riding in a vehicle that contained a methamphetamine lab. The Quad-Cities Times reports that 33-year-old Christopher Ray Hicks and 38-year-old Collin Bundy Loader face multiple charges. The lab included materials used to make the drug, including camp stove fuel, coffee filters and cold packs containing ammonia nitrate. DES MOINES (IRN) – A Des Moines family reported finding their home ransacked and vehicle stolen after returning home from Thanksgiving. Officers arrived at the scene and searched the home. No one was inside. They found the back door damaged where the burglar apparently entered the home. Missing were a vehicle, a 60 inch TV, a laptop computer, six business suits, a razor, a coffee table and a piggy bank with $15 inside. FAIRFIELD, IA (IRN) – A 67-year-old woman is in the hospital after she was hit by a truck Sunday. The Iowa State Patrol reports 23-year-old Tyler Meinders of Fairfield was driving a Dodge truck when a pedestrian crossed in front of his path. Meinders tried to brake and avoid the pedestrian, but ultimately struck 67-year-old Marcia Grey, of Fairfield. Grey was transported by air to the University of Iowa Hospital for treatment. DES MOINES (IRN) – Authorities are investigating a home invasion that led to a shooting on Sunday night, according to WHO-TV. At least one suspect invaded a home near Drake University. The owner of the home chased at least one suspect out of the house and down the street, before the homeowner was shot. The victim was taken to the hospital. No additional information has been released. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – With the recent terrorism happening across the world, Eastern Iowa Islamic leaders are denouncing terrorism. KCRG-TV reports Imam Molhim Bilal tells the public, “when these terrorists attack innocent people, they’re attacking Islam,” and “Muslims all over the world believe all of this is wrong.” Imam Bilal told a packed room at the Iowa City Public Library Sunday “as Muslims who live in the United States, we came here for freedom.” NORTH POLE (IRN) – The gifts listed in the “The Twelve Days of Christmas” will cost you approximately $34,000, slightly more than last year. KWWL-TV reports only a few items went up in price. Lords a-leaping are 3 percent more expensive this year, while a partridge in a pear tree rose 3.5 percent. The most expensive is seven swans a-swimming, which cost $13,000.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Police in Des Moines are investigating a shooting that injured two people in the Court Avenue District early Sunday morning. WHO-TV reports two victims were found at 3rd Street and Court Avenue in the popular downtown entertainment district. They were transported to Des Moines-area hospitals, and their conditions have not been released. No suspect has been taken into custody. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City Police arrested a woman for child endangerment after she failed to take a child to the hospital after he was severely burned.  KWWL-TV reports 31-year-old Jamie Eakes-Netser was charged Wednesday. Two days after the toddler was injured, police received an anonymous complaint that he needed medical attention for the first and second degree burns. When officers responded to Eakes-Netser’s home she was drunk. FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – A family is without a home this holiday season after a Thanksgiving day fire. KIMT-TV reports the home in Forest City has extensive smoke and water damage and is uninhabitable. Four people were home at the time of the fire, but they were able to make it out safely. Officials believe the fire started because of an electrical overload. AMES, IA (IRN) – Sports Illustrated reports Iowa State University is expected to offer its head football coaching job to Toledo’s Matt Campbell. A deal is expected to be reached in the next two days, and interviews with other candidates have been cancelled. 35-year-old Campbell spent four years as Toledo’s coach, going 35–15, including a 9–2 record this season.  

DUBUQUE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A barn in Asbury is a total loss after being destroyed by a fire, according to KWWL-TV. The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office says the barn was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. The value of the shed and the items inside are estimated at $150,000. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A man was shot multiple times in the parking lot of Sneakers Eatery and Pub in Fort Dodge Friday, according to KCCI-TV. 25-year-old Damal Clayton received multiple gunshots wounds to his body. Officials located and seized multiple firearms and large quantities of narcotics from three residences throughout Fort Dodge in relation to the shooting. Arrest warrants have been issued for 22-year-old Torre Ashton Mosley. FAIRBANK, IA (IRN) – Buchanan County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a horse and buggy crash southeast of Fairbank Friday evening.  KWWL-TV reports 23-year-old Ashley Conner of Oelwein was driving a 2014 Chevy Cruze when she hit the Amish buggy. The collision caused severe damage to the buggy, but no serious injuries were reported to the seven people riding it. NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – Community leaders in North Liberty are considering renaming part of Highway 965 that runs through downtown. According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, the idea is designed to give the community more of a sense of identity. The city is planning to take name suggestions from the public. Down the road from North Liberty, Coralville has changed road names before — Highway 965 became Coral Ridge Avenue and First Avenue became Hayden Fry Way. LINCOLN, NE (IRN) – The Iowa football team completed an impressive undefeated regular season on Friday as they defeated Nebraska 28-20 on the road. Iowa is now 12-0 for the first time in school history, and will now play in the Big Ten Championship Game on December 5 in Indianapolis against an as yet to be determined opponent.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The DuTrac Community Credit Union in Dubuque was robbed this morning. KWWL-TV reports a man entered the credit union and passed a teller a note saying he was armed and wanted money. The teller complied and the man left with an undisclosed amount of cash. No weapon was displayed and no injuries were reported. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A former bank vice president and two accomplices have been sentenced for defrauding a bank in northern Iowa. KCCI-TV reports sixty-two-year-old Richard Jones of Emmetsburg and two conspirators were sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Jones used his position at Iowa Trust and Savings Bank to forge customers’ signatures on fraudulent loan documents and direct nearly $476,000 to the other men. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A West Liberty man has been accused of shooting his friend, and his friend has been accused of lying about how he got shot. KCCI-TV reports 21-year-old Jonathan Salas Jr., of West Liberty was riding with his friend 19-year-old Sergio Martinez of Iowa City,  when he pointed the gun at Martinez’s legs and pulled the trigger. The gun bullet went through both of Martinez’s legs. Martinez later told police he was shot by some men he didn’t know. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Two people were taken to a hospital and three drivers were cited after a five-vehicle crash Monday on the Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports 35-year-old Keith Brimeyer and his passenger 18-year-old Rain Bennett-Sweet, both of Kieler, Wis., were taken to Mercy Medical Center-Dubuque after the crash. Police said the bridge was icy. MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A Muscatine man and woman were arrested and charged in connection with the armed robbery of a hotel in Muscatine. WQAD-TV reports surveillance cameras captured images inside and outside of the hotel when a man – armed with a handgun – robbed the hotel clerk on Sunday. 35-year old Timothy Wadden and 39-year-old Tiffany Michelle Williams were charged with first-degree robbery. LAUREL, IA (IRN) – Authorities are investigating what’s been reported as an accidental shooting of a man in central Iowa. The Marshalltown Times-Republican reports that deputies were notified about the shooting around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday in Laurel. The man was taken to a Marshalltown hospital and then flown to a trauma center in Des Moines. His name hasn’t been released. Three people who were in the house when the man was shot are cooperating. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Shoppers and workers were evacuated Thursday night at the Jordan Creek Target store in West Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports fire alarms went off in the store just hours after opening for Black Friday. No injuries and no serious damage was reported. The minor fire was reportedly inside the front end of the store. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) –  A Thanksgiving Day fire in Cedar Falls has been ruled arson, according to KWWL-TV. Nicholas Kollasch of Cedar Falls has been arrested and charged with arson and criminal mischief in a fire that destroyed three vehicles and a garage. One of the vehicles caught in the fire was a van packed full of musical instruments belonging to the Evan Stock Band. The band has several performances over the weekend, and says the show must go on.