KINGSLEY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say they had to free a person trapped inside a car wreck in northwest Iowa that injured multiple people.The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office says the single-vehicle crash early Thursday on a county road near Kingsley injured five people. One of the injured people was trapped inside the wreck. The Sioux City Journal says the five people were transported to a local hospital. Authorities say the injuries are not life-threatening. The names of the people have not been released. Authorities have not released additional information about the wreck.
ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) – A northwest Iowa day care provider charged with murder in the death of a 3-year-old girl has been released from jail after posting bond. Rochelle Sapp of Orange City walked out of the Sioux County jail on Thursday after a judge allowed her to post 10 percent of her $250,000 bond. Her attorney, Edward Bjornstad, says Sapp is “happy to be home.” Sapp pleaded not guilty Thursday to first-degree murder and child endangerment in the death of Autumn Elgersma. Investigators say Sapp threw Autumn to the floor after becoming angry with her while watching her on October 29th. They say Sapp falsely told Autumn’s mother that the child was injured after falling down a flight of stairs. An autopsy ruled that the girl died of blunt force head injury.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – An Illinois woman has been sentenced to probation for stealing more than $124,000 from an eastern Iowa staffing agency where she once worked. The Quad-City Times reports a judge told Heather Quist, of Carbon Cliff, Illinois on Thursday that he was giving her probation so she could work to pay off what she owed to Chenhall’s Staffing in Davenport. The 40-year-old Quist pleaded guilty in early November to two counts of first-degree theft after she was linked to stolen money from the company. She worked there for at least two years. Prosecutors say Quist issued checks to herself from the checking account of Chenhall’s Staffing and forged the name of the company’s owner. Police say she embezzled the money from October 2010 to December 2012.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A youth services shelter in Des Moines has added a scruffy new staff member that’s aimed at helping children. The Youth Emergency Services and Shelter in Des Moines says Tango the dog will help children facing a variety of difficult situations. Tango was originally trained to be a service dog for a disabled veteran. But a medical checkup revealed he has a genetic disorder that could make him blind in the future. The career-ending diagnosis means Tango has a new purpose at the shelter. Officials at the shelter tell Des Moines television station KCCI that they’re expanding the facility. They hope to add another dog to the staff soon.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is celebrating the 100th anniversary of American painter Conger Metcalf’s birth. The museum will have an exhibition of his work available from January 18th through May 11th of next year. Metcalf was born in Cedar Rapids and died in 1998. He began his studies at the Stone City Art Colony, a community of artists that gathered between 1932 and 1933 in Iowa. He later studied under American painter Marvin Cone at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. The museum says Metcalf also studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He stayed in Boston but maintained close ties to Cedar Rapids. A grant from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation will help pay for the exhibition.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A judge has again delayed the trial of a former Newton doctor accused of prescribing addictive painkillers. The Des Moines Register reports Lafayette Twyner’s trial is now set for March 3rd instead of January 27th. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose made a ruling on the date change last week. Rose, who previously wrote that January was a firm trial date, said she agreed to the change in part because a defense lawyer had a scheduling conflict. Twyner was originally scheduled to stand trial in October in federal court in Des Moines. Rose pushed that back in June to give lawyers more time to prepare. Twyner has been charged with 114 counts of health care fraud and unlawfully disseminating controlled substances. His lawyer has said his client denies wrongdoing.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Hawkeyes women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder has agreed to a one-year contract extension. University of Iowa Director of Athletics Gary Barta’s announcement Thursday means Bluder will be head coach of the women’s basketball program through the 2019 season. The school says Bluder is one of 13 active Division One coaches with 600 or more wins. She has coached the Hawkeyes to the NCAA tournament in each of the last six seasons. Bluder is in her 14th season as Iowa’s head coach and her 30th year overall. She said in a statement Thursday that she was honored by the extension.
