GASOLINE FUMES FROM A GARAGE MIGHT HAVE BEEN WHAT CAUSED A HOME NEAR CASCADE TO EXPLODE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. TWO PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE WERE TAKEN TO AREA HOSPITALS IN DUBUQUE; INJURIES TO JOYCE AND MICHAEL MCMULLEN WERE REPORTEDLY NOT LIFE-THREATENING, EVEN THOUGH THE EXPLOSION CAUSED AN ESTIMATED QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURE. FIRE OFFICIALS SAY THAT GASOLINE WHICH HAD LEAKED FROM A CLASSIC CAR MAY HAVE BEEN A FACTOR. FOUR DIFFERENT FIRE DEPARTMENTS RESPONDED TO THE INCIDENT.
IOWA CORRECTIONS OFFICIALS SAY 48-YEAR-OLD TIMOTHY MCGHEE JR., WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD MONDAY NIGHT, LIKELY DUE TO A COVID-19 INFECTION COUPLED WITH A PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITION. MCGHEE’S DEATH IS THE THIRD OF AN IOWA CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT INMATE THAT WAS LIKELY RELATED TO THE CORONAVIRUS. MCGHEE WAS SERVING A 15-YEAR SENTENCE FOR THREE CONVICTIONS OF SECOND-DEGREE THEFT FROM LINN COUNTY. HIS SENTENCE BEGAN IN LATE 2018.
COURTS ARE UNLIKELY TO DEFINITIVELY SETTLE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER MASK MANDATES ARE LEGAL OR WHAT LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT HAS AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE THEM. AS JOHNSON COUNTY CONSIDERS REQUIRING MASKS OR FACE SHIELDS IN PUBLIC, OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV9 SPOKE WITH UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LAW PROFESSOR TODD PETTYS. STATE OFFICIALS HAVE SAID CITIES AND COUNTIES DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE LOCAL MASK MANDATES OR STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS THROUGH FINES OR OTHER PUNISHMENTS.
KAREN PENCE – THE WIFE OF VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE – WAS IN HIAWATHA ON TUESDAY. SHE VISITED THE HAWKEYE AREA COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM FOOD BANK LOCATION THERE, WITH CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE ASHLEY HINSON AND IOWA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR ADAM GREGG. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT CBS2 WERE ON HAND AS HINSON TALKED TO HACAP OFFICIALS ABOUT HAVING MRS. PENCE IN THE CORRIDOR. OVER SEVEN MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD ARE DISTRIBUTED ANNUALLY BY THE ORGANIZATION TO RESIDENTS IN SEVEN COUNTIES.
CEDAR FALLS’ TRANSITION FROM FULLTIME FIREFIGHTERS TO CROSSTRAINED PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS HAS BEEN A POINT OF CONTENTION IN THE COMMUNITY. LEAANN SAUL IS SEEKING AN AT-LARGE CITY COUNCIL SEAT IN A SPECIAL ELECTION RUNOFF TUESDAY AND TALKED ABOUT THE ISSUE THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS ARE TRAINED AS BOTH POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS. SAUL IS ON TUESDAY’S BALLOT RUNNING AGAINST KELLY DUNN, WHO WILL BE ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL ON THURSDAY MORNING.
THE IOWA-IOWA STATE FOOTBALL GAME IN SEPTEMBER IS OFF, BUT THE CYCLONES HAVE FOUND A REPLACEMENT. IOWA STATE WILL HOST THE CARDINALS OF BALL STATE UNIVERSITY ON SEPTEMBER 12TH. THE INDIANABASED SCHOOL IS A MEMBER OF THE MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE. IOWA STATE IS NOW SCHEDULED TO PLAY EIGHT HOME GAMES AT JACK TRICE STADIUM. IOWA AND OTHER BIG TEN SCHOOLS CANCELED ALL OF THEIR NONCONFERENCE GAMES DUE TO COVID-19.
A CEDAR FALLS AT-LARGE CITY COUNCIL ELECTION WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR MARCH IS LIKELY TO FINALLY BE SETTLED IN A RUNOFF ELECTION TUESDAY BETWEEN LEAANN SAUL AND KELLY DUNN. THIS MORNING, SAUL WAS A GUEST ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL AND SPOKE ABOUT HOW THE GROWING COMMUNITY CAN REMAIN ATTRACTIVE TO RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES. CEDAR FALLS’ POPULATION HAS GROWN APPROXIMATELY 34 PERCENT IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. HEAR MORE FROM SAUL AT KXEL.COM. KELLY DUNN WILL BE A GUEST ON THE PROGRAM THURSDAY.
WARTBURG COLLEGE IS GIVING STUDENTS A CHANCE TO TIE UP LOOSE ENDS FOR FREE. THE SCHOOL IN WAVERLY HAS ANNOUNCED THAT FULLTIME STUDENTS DURING THE COMING YEAR WILL HAVE THE OPTION OF SPENDING A FIFTH YEAR ON CAMPUS WITH NO TUITION CHARGES. WARTBURG’S STATEMENT NOTES THAT MANY ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE ARE LIKELY TO BE DISRUPTED, OR IN SOME CASES CANCELED. THE SCHOOL SAYS THE OFFER WILL PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE THE FULLNESS OF THE WARTBURG EXPERIENCE.
IOWA CITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA WILL PRESERVE A 177-YEAR-OLD HOUSE AS PART OF THE UNIVERSITY’S NONFICTION WRITING PROGRAM. THE HOUSE WILL BE MOVED NEAR TWO OTHER HISTORIC BUILDINGS THAT ALREADY HOUSE THE IOWA WRITERS’ WORKSHOP AND IOWA’S INTERNATIONAL WRITING PROGRAM. THE CITY IS OFFERING THE $1 MILLION PIECE OF PROPERTY AT NO COST TO THE UNIVERSITY. MOVING AND RENOVATING THE HOUSE WILL COST OVER $1.2 MILLION. ACCORDING TO THE SCHOOL, A SUBSTANTIAL GIFT WILL MAKE THAT WORK POSSIBLE.
