Protests in Eastern Iowa tied to the death of a man while in police custody in Minneapolis were peaceful, but those in Des Moines turned violent on both Friday and Saturday nights.
Officers used tear gas Saturday night to break up a protest and vandalism at the Polk County Courthouse in downtown Des Moines. A small group of people was seen spraying paint on the courthouse and breaking at least one window on the building’s first floor. Police arrived about 9:40 p.m. and shot tear gas about 10 minutes later, causing what appeared to be about 250 protesters to scatter. The protest Saturday night started at the Des Moines police station and later moved to the state capitol grounds, where state police turned the protestors away with tear gas; that’s when they moved to the county courthouse. Friday night, a police car and officer were attacked and windows were broken at the federal courthouse, Embassy Suites hotel, and a family-owned tire business downtown. Some 20 people were arrested in Des Moines Friday, another 47 on Saturday.
Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids closed early Sunday afternoon as a precaution after social media posts threatened causing property damage to the area. Des Moines area Walmart stores also closed early yesterday.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered to peacefully protest in downtown Cedar Rapids both Saturday and Sunday…and hundreds more gathered in downtown Waterloo early Friday evening…again, peacefully.
A suspect is dead after leading Mahaska County law enforcement on a chase. Shortly after 5:30 Saturday morning, the driver threw items out of the car on State Highway 163, East of Pella, while trying to get away. The driver eventually lost control, hit a building and was thrown from the vehicle. No other information was released.
Four people were shot late Saturday night in the Sunset Village Mobile Home Park in Hiawatha. Police say 31-year-old Joshua Lathrop of Hiawatha was killed in the shooting which happened just before midnight. Three others were taken to the hospital for treatment. No information about possible suspects or motive for the shooting was released. Witnesses described more than dozen shots fired in what they believed to be a drive-by shooting.
A man died after being shot in a Des Moines neighborhood just east of the state Capitol. Police say officers invested a report of gunshots about 8:30 a.m. Saturday in an area a few blocks from the Capitol and found 20-year-old Robert Lee Trey Freeman of Des Moines with a gunshot wound. He died a short time later at a hospital. No arrests have been made. It’s the capital city’s 11th homicide of the year.
The Iowa Department of Transportation is alerting drivers that the southbound I-380 to eastbound Highway 30/Kirkwood Blvd/Bowling Street Interchange is now closed, and will remain closed for about eight weeks. The DOT is asking motorists to detour off of I-380 by going west, then turning around on the 6th Street Interchange. This detour is not only important to regular users of the interchange, but those now using it to reach the Test Iowa site at Kirkwood Community College.
Tomorrow is Primary Election day in Iowa, and three current members of the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors face primary challenges to retain their seats. It’s the only contested courthouse race in the county primary. Current supervisors Tom Little, Linda Laylin, and Chris Schwartz face challenges from Marty Postel and Terrance Hollingsworth…with only three of the five moving on to the November general election ballot.
Waterloo City Council members are scheduled to consider an ordinance tonight that would raise the average residential sewer user’s monthly bill by about $1.80 beginning July 1…that’s a more than six percent increase. This follows a two-stage 10 percent sewer rate hike last year. The city looks for additional funds to upgrade its treatment plant and collection system…it’s a $100 million plan, including $56 million in the next five years alone.
Waverly City Council members are scheduled to again discuss the future of the historic Third Street Southeast bridge over the Cedar River. The single-lane green-painted bridge was built in 1917 and has been the subject of multiple proposals for the past two decades. It’s been closed since inspectors found corrosion on key bearings of the structure five years ago. Council members voted 4-3 at their last meeting to reject a $1 million state grant that would have obligated the city to replace the structure with a two-lane bridge. Some are calling for a pedestrian-only replacement bridge to avoid pushing traffic into what is a residential and park area. A pedestrian bridge also could be designed to allow a single lane of traffic for emergency vehicles only.
State budget experts say Gov. Kim Reynolds and the legislature will have about $360 million less to use for next year’s budget than earlier expected. The Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference, a group of three people responsible for estimating state revenue, set lower expectations for this year and next after debating the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The group lowered the state revenue estimate for the current year, which ends June 30, by $150 million from a March estimate. No budget cuts will be needed because the state has ample reserve funds. For the fiscal year that begins July 1, officials will have about $7.88 billion to work with. That’s about $360 million less than had been estimated in March.
