BUTLER COUNTY, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Thursday night, said in a statement that on November 27th, 2025, the Iowa State Patrol (ISP) requested assistance from the DC with regard to an officer-involved shooting that occurred near the intersection of C13 and Franklin Avenue, in Butler County, Iowa.

The statement said that at approximately 9:10- a.m., Thursday, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a victim reporting a man shooting into their residence. The 911 caller reported multiple individuals were trapped inside the residence. ISP troopers and Butler County deputies responded.

When law enforcement arrived on scene, an ISP trooper made contact with a male subject carrying a firearm that matched the description of the subject provided by the victim. Shortly after the trooper made contact with the subject, an exchange of gunfire between the subject and the trooper ensued. After the exchange of gunfire, the subject fled into a nearby residence.

An ISP Tactical Team responded to the scene and was able to safely remove multiple individuals from the residence. Once the individuals were secure, an ISP Negotiator established contact with the subject and the subject surrendered and was taken into custody by ISP. The subject suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. The subject is currently receiving medical care, but is expected to survive.

The investigation determined the shooting was not random, and there was a connection between the victims and the subject.

The troopers and deputies involved in the incident were uninjured. The trooper involved in the exchange of gunfire with the subject has been placed on critical incident leave, according to department policy.

This is an ongoing investigation and no further details will be released at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – A retired Iowa State University sociology professor has combined his love of woodworking and music to help out young musicians. Paul Lasley played the upright bass for years in a local group, but took up the violin after retiring four years ago. It was smaller and easier to handle, and a nod to his great-grandfather who played what he calls the fiddle. One of his favorite old fiddles broke and he decided to try to bring it back to life.

He began looking for fiddles to fix at thrift stores and through relatives.

Lasley says he likes the challenge of getting the violins to sing again. Lasley decided to donate the revamped instruments, remembering his start in elementary school band in Queen City, Missouri.

Paul Lasley and one of the violins he’s working on. (ISU photo by Christopher Gannon)

His parents couldn’t afford a new instrument, so the school gave him a beat up metal clarinet that stood out among the newer clarinets other kids played. Lasley says it gives the beginners an instrument that looks good that they can start on.

Lasley so far has donated 18 to the Iowa State Center’s Stephens Auditorium instrument drive, which are loaned out to local school districts.

If you have a violin or parts to one that you’d like to donate, you can email Lasley at lasley@iastate.edu.
You can also donate other musical instruments to local band and orchestra programs or drop them off in the cart in the Stephens Auditorium ticket office lobby in Ames.

(Radio Iowa) – Until this week, Jeff Chelesvig held the title of president and C-E-O of Des Moines Performing Arts — which includes the Des Moines Civic Center and the Temple Theater a few blocks away. Chelesvig also expanded the organization’s reach over the past decade with educational programs, camps and stage shows for a million school kids from around the state. Chelesvig (CHELLS-vihg)  says it all fits with the organization’s mission — to bring world class entertainment, education and cultural activities to the Midwest.

Retired Des Moines Performing Arts CEO Jeff Chelesvig on the “Iowa Press” set at Iowa PBS. (Iowa PBS photo)

“We feel like we have this jewel of a 2700-seat venue downtown. We have all the things you need with parking and restaurants and hotels nearby,” Chelesvig said. Chelesvig was born in Eagle Grove, but his family moved and he went to high school in Belmond. During his senior year, he was cast as “Henry Higgins” in a production of “My Fair Lady.” Chelsvig went to college in Minnesota for a couple of years before enrolling at Iowa State.

Chelesvig moved to jobs in Minnesota and Florida before returning to Iowa and the Des Moines Civic Center job in January of 1995.

When he arrived, the organization was basically renting the Civic Center to a booking agency that picked which shows would be staged in Des Moines. In 1997, Chelesvig started what has turned out to be a very profitable season ticket series, featuring eight Broadway shows. Nearly 25 years ago, the Civic Center began investing in shows debuting on Broadway. It’s a move that has made the Civic Center among the first stops when a Broadway hit starts touring the country.

The organization’s chief financial officer is interim C-E-O until Monica Holt takes over in January. She was an executive at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. for 16 years.

(Creston, Iowa) –  Authorities in Union County have released information with regard to a single-vehicle rollover accident with injuries that took place Monday night, northwest of Kent. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, a 2004 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 22-year-old Sophia Marie Short, of Kent, was traveling west on Highway 34 east of Beechwood Avenue, when the vehicle went into the north ditch, striking the ditch and rolling over several times before coming to rest on its top. The accident happened at around 9:40-p.m.

Short told deputies she did not remember what happened. She mentioned she was not feeling good before she left from work. She was injured in the crash and transported by ambulance to the Greater Regional Medical Center, in Creston. The pickup sustained an estimated $20,000 damage, according to the sheriff’s report.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowan who’s a pilot has completed two missions to raise worldwide awareness of Rotary’s push to end polio. This fall, Peter Teahen of Cedar Rapids and a pilot from New Jersey took a 37 day journey across the Atlantic and raised a million dollars for the Rotary Foundation.

Teahen flew a single-engine plane around the world in 2023 and raised over two MILLION dollars for the effort. Teahen notes each shot of polio vaccine costs just two dollars — and the Gates Foundation is matching the donations.

Teahen’s co-pilot and fellow Rotarian on that 2023 mission was John Ockenfels of Swisher. There are fewer than 270 pilots alive today who’ve flown around the globe and Ockenfels says they intentionally took the Rotary logo off their plane — just in case.

Ockenfels and Teahen travel to Rotary clubs around the country to talk about their journeys and Rotary’s global effort to eradicate polio. Over the past 40 years, the organization has helped immunize more than two-and-a-half BILLION children against polio in 122 counties. Polio remains endemic in just two countries — Afghanistan and Pakistan.

(Red Oak, IA) – Police in Red Oak report a woman was arrested this (Thursday) morning, on an OWI charge. Authorities say 41-year-old Chandra Christine Baggett was arrested in the 700 block of East Oak Street, for OWI/1st offense (A Serious Misdmeanor) and Interference with Official Acts ( Simple Misdemeanor). Baggett was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

(Hospers, Iowa) – Officials with the northwest Iowa city of Hospers, posted to social media earlier this week, asking community members to “Please keep our Hospers Fire & EMS volunteers and families in your thoughts and prayers, following a training exercise” Monday night, during which two Hospers firefighters were injured. Officials were conducting a live burn simulation when the fire flashed over, leading to the injuries.

One of the firefighters – identified in a fundraising post as Phil Zeutenhorst- was reported to be in a burn unit in Lincoln, Nebraska, for treatment of his injuries. The second firefighter suffered minor burns. The number of firefighters who participated in the exercise is unclear.

The social media post from the City of Hospers said “We are all so thankful for these men and women from our town and all area volunteer Fire & EMS departments. Every time their pagers go off, they leave their families and loved ones to go and try to save someone else’s life or home. This Thanksgiving, may we all pray for their safety and recovery—both physical and mental. May we remember to appreciate all that they give.”

The incident is still under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – If it’s been a while since you’ve seen an older relative, Iowans may be noticing certain signs over the Thanksgiving weekend in how they’re acting that might indicate the start of a problem. Megan Benzing, program manager for the Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, says it’s supposed to be a joyful time of year, but it’s also an opportunity to take note of potential warning signs which may warrant further action.

Some of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s, especially early on, include forgetting recently-learned information, challenges planning or solving problems, and difficulty completing familiar tasks. It can be troublesome to watch a loved one struggle with what should be a simple chore.

She says the association offers a 24-7 helpline at 1-800-272-3900, with a wealth of information at alz.org.