Des Moines News Archives

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Channel 13's Sonya Heitshusen has been investigating Des Moines' regional bus system DART after several accidents injured pedestrians.

The Des Moines School District is considering a charter school as a way to curb its rising drop-out rate.

From the east bank of the Des Moines River Monday, Paul Shao looked back in time.

Governor Culver has broken his silence about a state lawmaker's claim the two were drinking together before the lawmaker was arrested for drunk driving last February.

A construction worker died Wednesday morning after a tragic accident. Police were called to 4008 Southwest 26th Street just after 10:00 a.m. Callers said there had been a construction accident.

An update to breaking news from Wednesday night at nine. Police say 30-year old Christopher Clark of Cedar Rapids got trapped in the roller dam while on a jet ski and died.

It's called an Aha moment. A time of clarity in your life when everything seems to make sense.

Des Moines school officials will present preliminary plans for a new charter school at a series of public forums starting tonight.

Police say a man who may have been Jorge Gonzalez walked up to a bench on the second level of Kaleidoscope at the Hub in downtown Des Moines, took off his hat, smiled at a man standing nearby and then jumped off the ledge.

Will Riordan, 28, survey technician for Snyder & Associates 1. CRISPITOS from Super Quick on the southeast side.

Honk if you love pedestrians. A pedestrian crosses the street in front of a city bus at a downtown crosswalk, Wednesday, July 29,... A pedestrian crosses the street in front of a city bus at a downtown crosswalk, Wednesday, July 29, 2009, in Des Moines, Iowa.

A construction worker has died after an accident on the city's south side. Police said a worker driving a Bobcat was backing up at 10:18 a.m., just south of the intersection of S.W. 26th Street and Watrous Avenue.

Kerry Burt New details in a report released by Ankeny Police claim State Rep. Kerry Burt told police he had been out drinking with Gov.

Officials say a Des Moines man has died after being injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident in northern Iowa.

Jeremy Sprague needed to get his head right. In July 2004, Sprague, then a Dallas County sheriff's deputy, was one of four law enforcement officers who shot and killed a suicidal man who allegedly pointed a gun at authorities in rural Van Meter.

Officials announced Wednesday that Holmes Honda in Des Moines has been sold to an Indiana automotive group.

The prospect of lost money overrode City Council members' misgivings about state and federal requirements for historic preservation in certain sewer projects on Monday.

A woman crashed her car into the front of a Des Moines eye-care clinic today. No one was injured in the crash, an employee said.

The city of Des Moines recognized the men credited with a rescue seen around the world.

Police have identified a second person arrested in a Sunday afternoon clash between more than 20 officers and a group of people north of downtown Des Moines.

Nine protesters were arrested Monday afternoon at the Des Moines headquarters of Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Amtrak has put on hold for a least a year plans for a study on passenger train service between Des Moines to Chicago.

THE DRIVER OF THE TRACTOR-TRAILER RIG, 59-YEAR-OLD ERNEST KERR OF ELKLAND, MO., SAYS HE SAW A CAR ON THE WESTBOUND SHOULDER WITH ITS HOOD UP.

The Des Moines police department is going to move forward with the idea of pursuing a contract to have traffic cameras installed at high accident intersections in the city.

Police say a 40-year-old Des Moines woman has died after she ran into the path of a truck on a freeway in Urbandale.

A pedestrian was injured in downtown Des Moines this morning when she was hit by a bus.

A woman who lied on an employment application to get hired as a compliance officer at an insurance company after being convicted of a felony has been sentenced to four months in prison.

Posted on Jul 24, 2009 by John McGlothlen . From the Sioux City Journal today: Former Sgt.

Des Moines school board members Connie Boesen and Patty Link announced in press releases today that they will seek another term on the board that represents the state's largest district.

A Sunday morning fire involving two vehicles may be arson, Des Moines police said.

One man was stabbed and another man shot Friday night on Prentiss Street near City Electric Supply, a witness on the scene said.

An Iowa City man, allegedly under the influence of drugs or alcohol, is accused of killing two people in a rollover crash early Saturday on the mixmaster northeast of Des Moines where interstate highways 35, 80 and 235 meet.

By Daniel P. Finney - The Des Moines Register via Gannett News Service Posted : Tuesday Jul 21, 2009 12:00:19 EDT Hy-Vee Food Stores Inc.

Des Moines city leaders are considering a ban on pit bulls in the city, but the head of the Animal Rescue League said he thinks it's a bad idea.

The Des Moines Menace will host a pair of divisional playoff matches Friday and Saturday at Valley Stadium.

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A spat between a Des Moines motorist and two bicyclists led to misdemeanor assault charges Friday against the driver, who allegedly swerved his car on the road and clipped both men.

ADDRESS: 851 Sixth Ave. PHONE: 288-7245 WEB SITE: www.dmstamp.com PRODUCTS: A variety of stamping devices, including pre-inked stamps, inspection stamps, mechanical self-inking stamps and engraved signs.

A Des Moines man was charged Friday with kidnapping, assault with intent to commit serious injury and first-degree harassment after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend over a period of several hours.

Fans of passenger rail service from Eastern Iowa to Chicago will rally Sunday when Gov.

Volunteers are still needed for the AAU Junior Olympic Games, which begin Monday and continue through Aug.

San Diego alternative group Switchfoot, which formed in 1996 and played the grandstand at the 2005 Iowa State Fair, rose to national fame thanks to its songs being prominently placed in the film 'A Walk to Remember.' Its hits include 'Dare You to Move' and 'Meant to Live.' Originally known as a Christian rock band, Switchfoot members have rejected ...

A man found dead July 12 in a parked truck in West Des Moines is a Des Moines man who was reported missing on June 26, police confirmed Friday.

The team of construction workers responsible for saving a woman from drowning in the Des Moines River near the Center Street dam in June will be honored Monday by the Des Moines Fire Department.

Associated Press - July 23, 2009 1:24 PM ET DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa veterans are demanding more parking be provided for a Des Moines memorial to World War I to make it easier for them to visit the site.

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver held a news conference Thursday at the Des Moines Public Works to highlight the I-JOBS program.

President Barack Obama has rock- star appeal among the investing class - except in his own country.

Public school officials will begin their annual "Get on the Bus with Us" tour today.

Angie Plager, 26, Ms. Wheelchair Iowa 2009 1. MS. WHEELCHAIR IOWA 2009. This pageant is not a beauty competition, but rather a program to recognize women of achievement who happen to be wheelchair users.

Money from a statewide sales tax would be used to update schools that haven't been renovated in the past 10 years, Des Moines school officials said Wednesday.

The Buchanan County prosecutor says taxpayers will be on the hook for an additional $4,100 to try a high profile murder case.

It won't keep him in Iowa City if he wants to leave, but it's looking more and more like this is Kirk's last job.

ADDRESS: 204 Fifth St. in West Des Moines PHONE: 255-0733 SERVICES: Shoe, luggage, belt, purse, leather coat repair OWNERS: Jim and Bev Raymond HOURS: 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday FOUNDED: 1979 QUALITY: 'We know our stuff,' owner Jim Raymond said.

A judge has paved the way for a man charged in connection with the beating of his infant son to be released on bond as soon as later this week.

Jacob Scott Hilgendorf, 19; Denise Leone Frei, 43; and Jessica Anne Dayton, 19, were all charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Curtis Bailey, 33, View Source Email this page to a friend Google Map Loading ... Google Streetview Disclaimer: This is a Google Maps Street View of the approximate area where the crime occurred.

The United Nations, at its June meeting, gave approval for the broad application of the first agricultural methodology for Clean Development Mechanism projects for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

While two American astronauts made history with man's first steps on the moon, the people of Des Moines spent a typical, if somewhat quieter than usual, July Sunday.

The group CCI is Citizens for Community Involvement. They're lobbying for more regulation of interest rates in what they call the "predetory loan business". Organizer Chris Sedlon says the current laws keep low-income Iowans trapped in debt: "Our statistics show only two percent of people who take out payday loans for emergencies don't get a ...

The Grand View University Athletic Club will sponsor a fall baseball league for boys in grades nine through 12.

Open Casting Call Saturday, July 25th, 2009 From 10am to 6pm Valley West Mall 1551 Valley West Drive West Des Moines, IA 50266 NBC' S The Biggest Loser is back and casting family member teams of 2! Are you ready to change your life forever and compete with a family member? Do you each have a at least 100 lbs to lose? If so, we are now casting ...

A Des Moines teenager who was stabbed early Sunday morning has been released from Mercy Medical Center.

A Des Moines suburb plans to launch a crime watch program. The suburb of Urbandale is planning to enact the Community Crime Eye program.

Daniel Shipton, founder of the downtown co-working facility Impromptu Studio and the art/media collaborative Market Street Media Foundry , is pulling his resources together to launch cultivate:dsm - " a coalition of independent thinkers working to improve local community, culture and economy.

US Senator Chuck Grassley just Tweeted about President Obama's statement on health care reform this afternoon, and Grassley's statement isn't flattering.

The car was parked unlocked in the driveway of his home, and he was inside painting with the windows open when the computer was taken.

The Iowa State Fair 's annual butter sculptures will not feature a moonwalking Michael Jackson.

A Des Moines photographer was stabbed near 28th Street and University Avenue Thursday afternoon as she was taking photographs of buildings in the area.

The U.S. Postal Service said it could lose $6 billion this year and it's looking for ways to cut its budget, including possibly closing some Des Moines branch offices.

Two men jumped into the cab of a parked semi tractor, kidnapped the driver who was sitting there, and forced him to give them his bank card and his security number.

Associated Press - July 16, 2009 4:04 PM ET DES MOINES, Iowa - A Des Moines woman has been charged with assault and resisting arrest for allegedly throwing her dog at an animal control officer.

The vehicle was a red 1995 Saturn SL1. 6500 block of Pleasant Drive, July 1 - A West Des Moines man reported his golf clubs were stolen from his open garage.

Judicial activism might be one of the most overused and least meaningful terms in the English language, because there is no objective way to describe what it looks like.

Des Moines police are looking for a gunman who robbed a man Tuesday night while he was smoking a cigarette in a west side parking lot.

Des Moines police arrested a 33-year-old woman early Saturday morning after a caller reported a stabbing.

Thunderstorms have brought large hail and heavy rain to Iowa, breaking windows and knocking down large tree branches and power lines.

A historic gas station in the East Village area of Des Moines, Iowa, that CSP Daily News reported was being offered on eBay has been sold, according to The Des Moines Register .

Disagreements over payments and equipment have disrupted an agreement between city officials and a Des Moines lawn care company hired to mow parks and other green spaces.

Des Moines Police have arrested the parents of a six-week old child over suspicions of abuse.

Des Moines police are looking for two men in connection with a beating in an entertainment district last Saturday.

The South Des Moines Chamber of Commerce will hold its July membership luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 21 at the Wakonda Club, 3915 Fleur Drive.

Des Moines police are asking for the public's help in identifying a driver in a fatal hit-and-run crash.

DES MOINES, IA A published report says that bankruptcies in Iowa were sharply higher in the first six months of 2009 as compared to the same period in the previous year.

Construction on two Iowa Army National Guard facilities and an undersized Iowa Air National Guard building are expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs.

Dancing the night away in Des Moines doesn't seem to be at the top of many must-do lists.

A basement fire caused damage to a house just north of downtown Des Moines this afternoon, according to the Des Moines Fire Department.

Police are investigating the discovery of a body in a truck in West Des Moines. Officers from the Des Moines and West Des Moines police departments were called to the scene near Southwest 63rd Street and Park Avenue just before 3 p.m. after a tip from someone driving by.

Police say a Des Moines man is in critical condition after a fight broke early this morning.

Arenafootball2 officials are looking for a new home for the league's headquarters, and Des Moines is in the running.

The downtown Des Moines pedestrian bridge is starting to look more like a bridge.

A violent melee on Des Moines' west side left two people dead and police searching for answers Saturday night.

Officials of the Iowa Republican Party say they are trying to attract Alaska Gov.

Skip Moore, a municipal arborist for the city of Des Moines, has officially announced plans to seek the at-large City Council seat being vacated by Michael Kiernan.

A private Christian school for "families in urban Des Moines" will open this fall at Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church, organizers announced this morning.

Joshua Sims told Des Moines police he was trying to fall asleep early on Wednesday when he saw a head poke through a window of his home in the 2500 block of Morton Avenue.

After a 54-year-old woman became the sixth pedestrian to be hit by a Des Moines Area Rapid Transit bus downtown in the past two years, DART officials said they've been working to prevent these kinds of accidents.

Des Moines firefighters were called Monday to put out a fire in a large garage where homeless people have been seen in recent weeks.

Two people were hospitalized after an accident at Highway 30 and Jappa Road in Linn County.

Ozzy Osbourne's pet dog has been eaten by a coyote. The Pomeranian, who Osbourne, the former lead singer with British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, called Little Bit, was attacked on Tuesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa a ' Plans for a Michael Jackson statue made of butter are churning up so many comments that Iowa State Fair organizers are putting the proposal to a vote.

By: Tiffany Tauscheck, 30 Job: Vice president of marketing for the Des Moines Convention and Visitor's Bureau 1. HITTING THE TRAILS.

A group of Des Moines ministers say they will open a school offering Christian instruction they hope will appeal to low-income families.

A charge of child endangerment has been filed against a Des Moines man for allegedly picking up a small child by one arm and throwing him onto a couch.

A shooting victim taken to a Des Moines hospital early Wednesday was in serious condition.

A homeless man who wanted to go to jail is where he wanted to be today, thanks to a law that says a person can not file a false report.

If you were anywhere near the open-air stage where Public Enemy was doing its gig last Friday night, you were probably either dancing or fighting the urge to.

The economy has put a damper on a lot of Iowa families' plans for vacations this summer, but, Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge says she has a solution.

A settlement of a dispute between Des Moines sports talk personality Marty Tirrell and his former employer has been reached - clearing the way for an earlier return to radio, Tirrell's lawyer said Tuesday.

Assault suspect David Verle Smith, 56, was asleep when Des Moines police arrived to investigate a report of domestic assault at 2219 South Union Street early today.

Chicago police are investigating the weekend shooting death of two men, including one from Iowa, in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the city's south side.

The following West Des Moines students were named Presidential Scholars at AIB College of Business: M. Crutison, Tyler Kern, Bruce Remmey and Nora Tran.

The driver of a pickup truck ran a downtown traffic light before he slammed into an elderly woman's car Monday, then drove down the street in reverse and plowed into a utility pole and several cars in a parking lot, Des Moines police said.

Burglars broke into two Des Moines businesses early this morning, gaining entry in each case by throwing rocks at glass.

From staff reports Valley Junction seeks craft vendors The Historic Valley Junction Foundation seeks artists and crafters to participate in its annual Fall Art Market, which is set for Sept.

Associated Press - July 5, 2009 5:54 PM ET DES MOINES, Iowa - Police in Des Moines have arrested a Chicago man on first-degree murder charges in the deaths of 2 women who were hit by an SUV.

The following is Des Moines Police Officer Ryan Mann's written narrative of the scene that he and his partner, Officer Jeff Robinson, encountered at 21st Street and Forest Avenue: 'At 18:51 hours on 4 July 2009 Officer Robinson and myself were dispatched on a report of a fight in progress at 21st and Forest involving approximately 50 people.

On July 7, 1930, as the Great Depression tightened its grip on America, the Des Moines City Council voted to pass an 'ordinance to provide for prohibition, license, regulation and supervision of public dances within the city of Des Moines.' Nearly 80 years later, a group of cultural advocates is petitioning the council to overturn the ordinance, ...

The 16th annual O'Donnell and Friends Open at Toad Valley Golf Course this year raised some $60,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa and Shoes that Fit.

Des Moines police have asked for the public's help in finding a man who went missing Friday.

A $300,000 federal grant will speed plans to demolish about a dozen run-down houses and garages in Des Moines.

DES MOINES, IA Police say that around 30 pieces of art reported stolen over the weekend during the Des Moines Arts Festival have been found near an alley.

A 19 year old Chicago man is in the Polk County Jail held under $500,000 cash bond.

The Des Moines Playhouse has a new attendance champion: "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" is the number one non-musical in the theatre's 90-year history.

The city of Des Moines will receive a $251,907 federal grant to help increase housing opportunities for disabled people.

Des Moines University is seriously considering opening Iowa's first optometry school.

More than 800 former unincorporated Warren County and Polk County residents became part of Des Moines last week.

An Independence Day event will be held at the Fort Des Moines Museum from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.

June 30, 2009 - Warmbrodt Hotel Investments, Inc. announced today it advised in the sale of the 92-room America's Best Inn located in Northwest Des Moines, Iowa.

A 46-year-old business on Des Moines' east side, Thrasher's Hardware, is about to disappear.

A thistle to the Des Moines City Council for naming a community center on the southeast side after a sitting member of the council in 1995.

Downtown streets will be closed for 80/35 Music Festival setup and concerts through Sunday morning.

Cash for clunkers is now formally called the consumer assistance to recycle and save act or the CARS act.

A Des Moines man convicted of killing his wife and a neighbor last August committed suicide Thursday at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, a prison spokesman said.

Auditions for "All Shook Up" will be held at The Des Moines Playhouse at 6:00 P.M. on Sunday, July 19.

The Copywriter conceives, writes and produces quality, creative and effective print and electronic communication solutions for internal and external clients as assigned by the Creative Director.

Dominic Mathew had always felt it was better to give an armed robber whatever was demanded.

A West Des Moines man's philanthropic efforts were recognized when he was selected as a contestant for a program that picks fans to represent their favorite Major League Baseball clubs at the All Star game.

A new Iowa law lets you take your bottle of wine "to-go." As of today, if you don't finish the bottle, the restaurant can cork it for you.

A Des Moines teenager has been found guilty of assault with intent to cause serious injury in the June 2008 shooting death of a 21-year-old man outside a suburban Des Moines bar.

A new Iowa law lets you take your bottle of wine "to-go." As of today, if you don't finish the bottle, the restaurant can cork it for you.

Associated Press - July 1, 2009 6:44 PM ET DES MOINES, Iowa - The city parks department director says a steel safety cable that stretched across the Des Moines River near the Center Street Dam wasn't replaced after floods last year.

A ticket for animal neglect was issued to a Des Moines man this week after a dog died in Tuesday's heat.

Authorities say a former Lacona city clerk faces a charge of first-degree arson in a blaze that caused $500,000 in damage to city hall last August.

Registration for lifeguarding and swimming classes will take place today through the Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department.

A construction worker dangles from a crane, his arm stretched out to reach a terrified woman trapped in swirling water at the base of a dam.

Six additional charges have been filed against a Des Moines man in a fatal stabbing in Winterset.