Iowa Radio News

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Five people were hurt after a shooting in Davenport on Friday. KQAD-TV reports that police responded to two local hospitals after receiving reports of five people who had gunshot wounds. Davenport Police say all the people shot suffered non-life threatening injuries, and the investigation continues. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man shot three times by Cedar Rapids police officers will be facing charges related to the incident that led up to the shooting in March. KWWL-TV reports the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation looked into the case and determined that the officers who shot Kyle Orth used appropriate force given the situation. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Police say that an armed robbery at a Sioux City bakery didn’t go as planned early Friday morning. ABC9 News reports that up to three people tried to rob Natalia’s Panaderia Bakery & Restaurant. Authorities say the men showed up in a van and brandished a gun inside the restaurant. A man wrestled with the gunman and was able to disarm him before chasing him out the door. Police say they were able to apprehend some of the suspects, but are currently looking for others. ANAMOSA, IA (IRN) – J & P Cycles, a homegrown Anamosa business that attracts tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts to its annual open house, is relocating its core operations out of state in moves that will idle 125 employees. KCRG-TV reports that the largest retailer of aftermarket parts, accessories and apparel for Harley-Davidson motorcycles will be moving its warehouse to Louisville, Ky., administrative offices to Dallas, and consolidating call center operations in Ormond Beach, Fla. GRIMES, IA (IRN) – A deadly two vehicle crash involving a dump truck on Highway 141 near Grimes closed the highway for hours on Thursday afternoon. KCCI-TV reports that the crash involved a dump truck and another vehicle. Christopher Jermier, 38, of Grimes, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A man wanted on a parole violation held a woman and child at knifepoint for more than an hour Thursday when Black Hawk County deputies came to take him into custody. KXEL reports that 36-year-old Brent Boggess of Waterloo ultimately surrendered and was arrested at his home. The Black Hawk County Sheriff SWAT Team and a crisis negotiator convinced Boggess to peacefully surrender. DURANT, IA (IRN) – One person died in a crash on Interstate 80 west of Durant Thursday. KCRG-TV reports that one semi rear-ended another in a construction zone, and a passenger vehicle was also involved in the crash. Both of the semi-trailers caught fire, and one of the drivers died. The name has been withheld pending family notification. AMES, IA (IRN) – Students at Iowa’s state universities may see tuition rates frozen for an unprecedented third year. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that with the legislative session ending and state funding for Iowa’s public universities becoming more clear, Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter suggested Thursday his board freeze undergraduate resident tuition — at least for the fall semester.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN)  — Four people, including three children, were sent to the hospital Thursday morning after a driver fleeing police hit their minivan in Coralville. KCRG-TV reports that a black sedan being pursued by law enforcement exited Interstate 80 and hit the van. The pursuit started in Cedar County and a plane was used to help track the suspect. Authorities say the injuries are not life threatening, and it is not yet clear why the driver was running from law enforcement. WEBSTER CITY, IA (IRN) – A 28-year-old Webster City man was sentenced Thursday morning in Hamilton County District Court to 40 years in prison in the death of his father. KQWC radio reports Corbin James Graesch pleaded guilty to one count of Voluntary Manslaughter and three counts of Willful Injury in the blunt force trauma related death of 61 year old Steven J. Graesch nearly a year ago at the residence they shared in Webster City. DES MOINES (IRN) – Leaders of both parties in the Iowa Legislature have agreed to support legislation that will keep the Mount Pleasant and Clarinda Mental Health Institutes open.  Under the terms of the agreement, the Mount Pleasant Institute will remain open as it was last July.  The two parties have also agreed to transfer operations of the Clarinda Institute to a private contractor. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Two eastern Iowa area banks are planning a merger. According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Garnavillo Savings Bank of Garnavillo is planning to merge with Community Savings Bank of Edgewood. It would create a financial institution with assets in excess of $370 million. PELLA, IA (IRN) – One person has died as a result of a single car accident on Highway 163 south of Pella Wednesday evening. The Iowa State Patrol reports that Allison DeBoef of Oskaloosa was eastbound when she lost control and over-corrected, which caused the vehicle to roll on the highway and then into the median. She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. JESUP, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol reports that a motorcyclist is dead after an accident in the northeastern Iowa town of Jesup. Larry Fangman, 57, of Waterloo was northbound when he crossed the center line and went into the ditch where he was thrown from the motorcycle. CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – A man convicted of threatening a “massacre” of school children in Charles City, who also stated he was a member of Al-Qaida, asked for his sentence to be reconsidered. KIMT-TV reports that Loren Todd Saxon, 49, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and public intoxication. Authorities said he was intoxicated when he made the threats last August, saying that he would shoot as many children as he could.  A judge denied his request to reconsider his sentence on Wednesday. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – KCRG-TV reports that the University of Iowa has received notice from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights of an investigation related to the firing of former field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum. Four of her former players filed a complaint saying the university refused to look into whether gender played a role in her firing. The complaint alleges that the university investigates complaints of male and female student-athletes differently and holds female coaches to a higher standard than male ones. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A passing motorist attempted to get a teenage girl into his vehicle Tuesday afternoon in Waterloo.  KWWL-TV reports that the 14-year-old girl was walking home from a park when a man driving a sport utility vehicle pulled up to her, engaged her in conversation, and then told her to get in her vehicle. The girl ran off and reported the incident. No arrests have been made.

FAIRFIELD, IA (IRN)  – The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports that when Fairfield Police Officers tried to stop a vehicle on Tuesday the vehicle refused to stop.  The vehicle was eventually pulled over in Van Buren County.  Officers with the Fairfield Police Department discharged their weapons during the incident.  The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody.  No one was injured. DES MOINES (IRN)  – Gov. Terry Branstad said Tuesday he expects the Legislature will have to approve temporary spending authority to keep state government operating once the new fiscal year begins July 1. State law gives the governor 30 days after the Legislature adjourns to take action on the bills sent to him. WAYLAND, IA (IRN) – Students in the southern Iowa school district of WACO will return to see big technology changes this fall. KCRG-TV reports that workers over the summer will transform the school buildings into Iowa’s first district completely powered by the sun. One large solar collector is already in operation with another to be installed in July. A cost savings of $20,000 has been realized since the first of the year. DES MOINES (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture is responding to two new cases of avian flu in Clay and Hamilton counties.  The Clay County case is a pullet farm with an estimated 1.1 million birds, while the Hamilton County facility is a turkey farm with an estimated 18,000 birds. A total of 30 million birds have been identified as infected. KNOXVILLE, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after a rollover crash Tuesday afternoon in Knoxville.  KNIA/KRLS Radio reports that witnesses saw a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on a residential street.  The vehicle started fishtailing, the driver lost control, the vehicle rolled, and hit a tree.  Police say 31-year-old Jordan Kirtley of Knoxville died at the scene. PELLA, IA (IRN) – A Newton man died in a car wreck Tuesday afternoon south of Pella. The Marion County Sheriff’s office reports that a vehicle driven by Otto Green, age 97, of Newton, left the roadway, traveled through a ditch and came to rest after striking a tree stump. Green was transported to Pella Regional Health Center, where he was pronounced dead. VERMILLION, S.D. (IRN) – Authorities are looking into the death of a 29-year-old Iowa woman whose body was found near a boat dock in southeastern South Dakota. KMEG-TV reports that Alicia Hummel, of Sioux City, was found in Vermillion near a boat launch where she had gone to fish. Police are looking for information on any suspicious activity between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the area on Monday. Authorities say a dark-colored sedan with tinted windows and a loud exhaust system might have been involved. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One person has been arrested and charged in connection to a bank robbery at the Community Savings Bank in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday. KGAN-TV reports that officers located a vehicle believed to be involved in the bank robbery, and a chase ensued. Officers were able to apprehend the suspect, identified as Christopher Feeney, 42, of Cedar Rapids.  Feeney was charged with two counts of Robbery 2nd Degree, Theft 2nd Degree and numerous traffic violations. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Fifteen members of the Iowa Hazardous Materials Task Force were activated over the weekend to assist federal agents with monitoring the bird flu outbreak. KETV reports that the task force will help with bio-security, cleaning and decontamination activities at infected premises and landfills. ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – Facebook announced plans Tuesday to build a third data center in Altoona. WHO-TV reports that the first building started serving web traffic last November, and that the second building should come online later this year.

CHICAGO (IRN) – Fred Hoiberg is the new head coach of the Chicago Bulls. The announcement was made this afternoon.  CBS Sports reports that Hoiberg and the Bulls have agreed to a five-year, nearly $25 million contract. In five years coaching at ISU, Hoiberg has a 115-56 record. Bulls general manager Gar Forman was a Cyclones assistant coach when Hoiberg was a senior playing at Iowa State. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) An Oregon man faces charges after authorities seized more than five pounds of hash oil with a street value of nearly $200,000.  KWWL-TV reports that investigators with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force received a tip that the hash oil was arriving in the Waterloo area. After a traffic stop, police arrested 39-year-old Eric Lee Hepperle from Tigard, Oregon.  Hepperle is charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana and a drug tax stamp violation. DES MOINES (IRN) – The Iowa Business Council has released its quarterly results. Businesses expect to maintain or increase employment within the next six months. The Overall Economic Outlook Survey Index is higher than last quarter and last year. All CEO’s on the Council expect an increase in sales and employment during the next six months. KIMT-TV FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – A Worth County woman is accused of stealing from a daycare in Winnebago County.  KIMT-TV reports 41-year-old Brenda Steinman of Northwood is charged with 2nd degree theft, fraudulent use of a credit card and tampering with records.  While director of Lake Mills Community Preschool and Daycare, Steinman allegedly used company credit cards for her own expenses.  The total involved exceeds $7,000. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police say a 6-year-old boy died Monday afternoon after a truck went through a fence and hit a trampoline with two children on it, pushing them both into a drainage ditch. KCCI-TV reports that the driver of the truck, 44-year-old Guadalupe Villa-Guzman, of Des Moines, will be charged with vehicular homicide by reckless driving, reckless driving causing serious injury and driving while suspended. JEFFERSON, IA (IRN) – An Illinois woman has been charged in relation to Monday’s Amber Alert for two children in Jefferson. Raccoon Valley Radio reports that 21-year-old Allison Tucker of Illinois was charged with child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor. The missing children were found safe in a hotel in Des Moines shortly after the alert was issued. INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – One of two inmates who escaped from the Warren County Jail Monday has been taken into custody. WHO-TV reports that Frank Manders, 26, has been captured, while Darian Crayton, 29, remains at large. Manders was in custody for forgery and vehicular homicide charges. Crayton was being held for driving while barred and various probation violations. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Iowa employers in smaller communities recruiting workers from other states to meet growth demands are facing a challenge — a lack of housing.  The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that Maxfield Research, a Minneapolis-based real estate consulting agency says the shortage is common in many communities in Iowa and other upper Midwestern states. In some communities it approaches a crisis situation where businesses can’t hire new workers because of a lack of housing. DES MOINES (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture is responding to two cases of the avian flu in Hamilton and Calhoun counties.  The case in Hamilton County is a turkey farm with an estimated 36,000 birds. The facility in Calhoun County is a turkey farm with an estimated 21,000 birds.  

STORY COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man from Texas was killed in a single-vehicle crash on a rural road in Story County on Saturday. KCCI-TV reports that the driver was Hernan Loza, 31, of Baytown, Texas. Authorities said his vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign, left the road and rolled several times.  Loza was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Two others were taken to Mary Greeley Medical Center with apparent non-life threatening injuries. HILLS, IA (IRN) – A registered sex offender in Johnson County has been arrested on a warrant for possessing child pornography.  KCRG-TV reports that Jason Dlouhy, 20, of Hills, had digital photographs on his Google account showing an underage girl in a sexual situation. Dlouhy admitted to knowing the girl was a minor. Dlouhy faces one count of possessing a depiction of a minor in a sex act, a Class D felony. INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – Residents in Warren County are being warned to be on alert after two inmates escaped from the county jail this morning. WHO-TV reports that Frank Manders, 26, and Darian Crayton, 29, escaped from the jail this morning. Manders was in custody for forgery and vehicular homicide charges. Crayton was being held for driving while barred and various probation violations. Officials said they should be considered dangerous. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN)  – Iowa City police were called to the Creekside Market Friday night for a report of a burglary. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that officers discovered 20-year-old Francisco Munoz near the convenience store carrying two cases of beer. Munoz’ shirt was covered in nacho cheese and there was a trail of snack foods and lottery tickets between him and the store. He was arrested and faces charges of third-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief and public intoxication. JEFFERSON, IA (IRN) – An Amber Alert issued this morning for two missing Jefferson children has been cancelled. Raccoon Valley Radio in Jefferson reports that the children were located in Des Moines, and are safe. MARSHALL COUNTY, (IRN) – One person is dead and four others injured after a head-on collision in Marshall County Sunday afternoon. According to the Iowa State Patrol, Frank Glenn, 50, of Marshalltown, was northbound in a pickup truck on a rural road when he crossed the center line. Glenn’s truck crashed head on into a Ford Expedition driven by David Akers, 39, of Eldora. Glenn was killed in the collision. Akers and his three passengers, two female members of the South Hardin golf team and their coach, were taken to a local hospital by ambulance. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One man was injured when he was shot in the leg in Cedar Rapids on Sunday morning. KGAN-TV reports that the victim was trying to stop two men from breaking into his vehicle when he was shot in the leg. The injury is described as non-life threatening. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – Six people were transported to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa by ambulance due to inhaling chlorine gas at the Holiday Inn Express on Sunday. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that bleach and acid were accidentally mixed in the laundry room on the first floor of the hotel, creating chlorine gas. The fumes were mainly contained to the first floor, but the entire hotel was evacuated. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines and Waukee police received a private donation Friday to purchase body cameras for their departments. The Des Moines Register reports that Rod French, founder of Kenworth Mid-Iowa Inc., a trucking company, gave $14,000 to Waukee to equip their entire department with 18 cameras and $125,000 toward Des Moines’ 250 camera or $500,000 goal.