Iowa Radio News

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A former Newton day care owner was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison in connection with a fatal dog attack on a 4-year-old girl.  KCCI-TV reports Jordyn Arndt, 4, died from injuries suffered in the dog attack in April 2013. Jena Wright, 26, was convicted of child endangerment causing serious injury, neglect of a dependent person, assault on a police officer and interference with official acts. CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A motorcyclist had to be airlifted from the Cedar Valley to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Sunday night. According to KWWL-TV, Paul Brase, 42, was on Highway 218 heading towards Waterloo when he crashed. The 42-year-old from Shell Rock remains in the hospital. His condition is not known. DES MOINES (IRN) – Gov. Terry Branstad announced today that six communities are in the second round of sites to achieve certification through the Iowa Economic Development Authority certified site program. These six sites are located in the communities of Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Norwalk, Marion, Mason City and Perry.  Branstad says certified sites are better able to compete for large-scale economic development projects. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Some residents in Sioux City may have gotten an early wake up call with a thunderstorm that went through the area Monday morning. KTIV-TV reports high winds took down trees in the community, and 600 people were without power. Much of the state faces either a heat advisory or an excessive heat warning through early evening. DICKINSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Women are closing the gap with men in binge drinking, according to the Des Moines Register. In 85 of 99 Iowa counties, the rate of increase in binge drinking from 2002 to 2012 was larger among females than males. The largest increase was in northwest Iowa’s Dickinson County, home to the Iowa Great Lakes. More than 1 in 4 women in the county are binge drinkers. DES MOINES (IRN) – Recent rainfall has resulted in 100 percent drought-free conditions for the first time in Iowa since November last year. The Iowa DNR reports streamflow remains normal to above normal for most of the state, while groundwater in one small area of northwest Iowa is slightly below normal. AMES, IA (IRN) – Researchers at the Critical Materials Institute in Ames have developed a new method for re-using rare-earth materials: by collecting the waste left over from creating magnets. The Ames Tribune reports by recovering some of the metal, researchers hope to decrease the high demand for rare-earth materials commonly used in high-tech products. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A mid-year tuition hike could be a reality for students attending Iowa’s three public universities. KCRG-TV reports the Iowa Board of Regents approved a freeze on tuition rates for the third consecutive year late in 2014. But according to Board of Regents staff, a state funding shortfall means the freeze could end in January.  

BLOOMFIELD, IA (IRN) – Five members of an Amish family were injured in a Friday afternoon crash near Bloomfield. KTVO-TV reports the driver of a pickup truck traveling westbound failed to see the buggy and hit it from behind. The four children and one adult in the buggy were transported to Davis County Hospital. Names and conditions have not been released. MARION, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Marion on Saturday. KCRG-TV reports the woman was driving east on Highway 100 when she lost control and crossed the median into the westbound lanes. A pickup then hit the car. The pickup driver suffered non-life threatening injuries. The woman’s name has not been released. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A fish kill taking place Saturday in a pond at a Mason City park was likely caused by low oxygen levels, says the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Officials investigated the kill at Black Pit, a 16-acre pond in Lester Milligan Park. Water samples indicated low oxygen levels were likely caused by an algae bloom in the lake. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – An excavating company claims the City of Dubuque owes it just shy of $1 million for work city officials requested it perform in 2010 on the Waste Pollution Control Plant. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports Mark Fondell Excavating is suing the city. The city denies the claim.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police have identified the individuals involved in a motorcycle crash Thursday night in Waterloo. KXEL-radio reports the motorcycle hit two parked cars. Officers say 54-year-old Kari Scribner and 54-year-old Michael Kielty are in critical condition. Police used her fingerprints to identify her. Alcohol is suspected to have been involved in the crash. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – An eight-month-old baby was hospitalized with a skull fracture after a domestic disturbance in Burlington, according to WQAD-TV. The baby was seated in a stroller when a woman and 25-year-old David Lee Miller were arguing on the front porch of a home. Miller kicked the stroller sending it down a flight of stairs. He is charged with one felony count of child endangerment. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Officials at Fort Hood in Texas say a soldier from Waterloo has died from an apparent gunshot wound.  KCCI-TV reports that 35-year-old Warrant Officer Sean Michael Young died July 5 from an apparent gunshot wound at his off-post home. The shooting is under investigation. DENISON, IA (IRN) – An Iowa company will be keeping a Confederate flag on its logo. The Des Moines Register reports Walmart recently asked the Crawford Ice Co. of Denison to change its packaging, which includes a rebel soldier holding the Confederate flag. The company is currently using plain blue bags for Walmart, but other customers will still be able to purchase ice with the old design. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man was rushed to the University of Iowa Hospital after he was injured in a garage fire Friday afternoon, according to the Iowa City Press Citizen. Firefighters were dispatched after receiving a report of a man caught inside a burning garage. Crews were able to put out the fire quickly. The man’s name and condition have not been released.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s residence and threatening her with a pair of scissors on Thursday. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports 30-year-old Kendall C. Johnson kicked in a door, threatened her, and held her against her will for an hour. The woman was not injured. Johnson faces charges of first-degree burglary, false imprisonment, and assault with a weapon. STORM LAKE, IA (IRN) – A Storm Lake man has been charged with a second case of sexually assaulting a minor, according to KCAU-TV.  Ricardo Juarez, 21, turned himself into police for the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old female. Police had charged him previously for sexually engaging with a 15-year-old between February and March of 2015. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man fired his gun twice at a father, hitting the family’s car during a road rage incident in Des Moines Thursday, according to KCCI-TV. The family reports a driver cut them off narrowly missing a crash. The father told police he yelled at the driver, who then followed and confronted them, and fired two shots, hitting the vehicle. No one was injured. WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – Waukee Schools Superintendent David Wilkerson has a message for Governor Branstad. WHO-TV reports Wilkerson says the Governor should stop looking at education as just a cost, and start looking at education as the investment that it is. He says Waukee school classroom sizes are already large, and that they will be larger this fall. Governor Branstad recently vetoed over $55 million in one-time state funding for schools. BEDFORD, IA (IRN) – A Bedford man has been charged with murder in the death of his three-year-old daughter. In May the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call for a child not breathing. Deputies found Janyiah King unresponsive. Charles Hall, 25, was charged with murder Thursday as a result of the investigation. Hall’s girlfriend, April Clair, 25, has been charged with child endangerment. DES MOINES (IRN) – A report released by the State Auditor’s Office on Thursday shows a University of Iowa doctor improperly diverted more than $1.8 million into his personal bank accounts.  KCCI-TV reports the investigation was requested after university officials raised concerns about Dr. Brian Adams improperly billing insurance companies and law firms for services he performed. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A safe filled with cash was found Tuesday morning in a field in Ankeny, according to the Des Moines Register. The safe and its contents were turned over to police. Police are not identifying how much money is in the safe, nor what the safe looks like. If the owner does not come forward, the safe and its contents could be claimed by the city. DES MOINES (IRN) – The State Office of Media Production announced Thursday a feature film from award-winning British Director Andrea Arnold and starring Shia LaBeouf recently finished filming in western Iowa and three other Midwest states. “American Honey” focuses on a teenage girl with nothing to lose who joins a traveling magazine sales crew.  

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police in Waterloo are searching for two men who they say assaulted someone in a home. KGAN-TV reports the victim says two men went into his home, hit him in the head with a shotgun, and fired a round into the ceiling. Police say both suspects were dressed in black and had their faces covered. No arrests have been made. DES MOINES (IRN) – Groups opposing plans to build an oil pipeline across Iowa say organizers have submitted more than 2,600 written statements against the project. Representatives for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and the Bakken Pipeline Resistance Coalition gathered Thursday morning outside the offices of the Iowa Utilities Board to submit the paperwork. DES MOINES (IRN) – Iowa chicken farmers are out of luck with the federal government.  WOI-TV reports FEMA is denying Governor Branstad’s request for help for four counties to deal with and prevent the avian flu.  According to FEMA, the damage from the flu isn’t so severe that the state can’t handle it. So far, Iowa has had nearly 32 million birds affected, more than any other state. DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines is in eighth place in the nation on a list of cities offering opportunities for creative people. Smartasset.com, a financial planning website, compared the cost of living in major U.S. cities to the concentration of creative workers living there. Other midwestern cities on the top ten list include Cleveland, Kalamazoo, Omaha, and Kansas City. The number 1 city for creative people? New Orleans. AINSWORTH (IRN) – A woman is dead after a one-vehicle accident near Ainsworth in Washington County Wednesday. The Iowa State Patrol reports Jorge Jon Paul Noivo, 32, of San Francisco was southbound driving a 2002 Cadillac Escalade on Highway 218 when he lost control, entered the median, overcorrected, and rolled. Passenger Wendy Ann Lane Littrell, 24, of Fairfield was killed in the accident. CLINTON, IA (IRN) – The city of Clinton discharged untreated wastewater after a main failed Wednesday. The city discharged an estimated 2,000 gallons per minute for much of the afternoon. When the break occurred, the city began hauling wastewater for treatment, but trucks could not keep up. The remainder of the wastewater flowed directly into the Mississippi River. DES MOINES (IRN) – A man in Iowa has been arrested in connection with a stabbing death in Texas.  The Des Moines Register reports the U.S. Marshals Service arrested 23-year-old Noe Lopez Trevino, of Abilene, Texas, near an apartment complex in Des Moines on Wednesday. Trevino allegedly stabbed a man in early April at a Texas nightclub. Trevino may have been staying in Des Moines with family and friends. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – State Senator Rob Hogg is considering running for U.S. Senate in 2016 for the seat currently held by longtime Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, according to KWWL-TV.  Hogg is a Democrat and is currently serving his third term in the Iowa Senate representing Cedar Rapids. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – Two paramedics suffered minor injuries after the ambulance they were in crashed and rolled into a ditch early Wednesday morning near Newton.  WHO-TV reports the driver of the vehicle told troopers the wind blew the ambulance off the road. Officials believe otherwise, as it wasn’t windy. Troopers think lack of sleep may have played a role. The driver was cited for failure to maintain control.