A 37-year-old Cedar Falls man is facing charges after exposing himself to a child in the Waverly Walmart last Sunday. Waverly Police say Anthony Knudsen exposed his genitals to an 11-year-old girl. He tried to run out of the store, but was stopped by bystanders until law enforcement arrived. Knudsen is charged with indecent exposure, a serious misdemeanor. He has a history of sex crimes against children. He is registered as a sex offender in Iowa after a 2007 conviction in Butler County on a charge of lascivious acts with a child, who was under age 13.
Black Hawk County’s COVID-19 risk level moved to ‘high’ yesterday. With that, the Waterloo Public Library building is closed to the public again. Curbside services will be available beginning today at 9 a.m. The library had just entered phase 3 of its reopening plan about two weeks ago.
Elections officials are worried about Iowa’s rising number of coronavirus cases, saying that any illnesses or absences among key workers and volunteers could affect their services. County elections commissioners say they hope the virus does not sideline any of their small full-time staffs or their experienced poll workers. Officials warn any unexpected absences or last-minute substitutes could lead to delays and long lines, particularly because social distancing will be required for those waiting.
A Shell Rock ethanol plant has begun shipping a new protein feed ingredient produced with maximized stillage co-products technology. It’s the second Flint Hills Resources ethanol plant to receive an MSC addition. The protein ingredient, NexPro, is used in a variety of animal feed rations and is made by extracting protein from the whole stillage that remains after ethanol is made.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant, for up to $3 million, in response to the August Iowa derecho. An initial award of $1 million will create disaster-relief jobs to address debris cleanup and the delivery of humanitarian assistance. National Dislocated Worker Grants temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker training and employment programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance.
Meanwhile, the Trump Administration announced yesterday that the USDA is investing $1.8 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Iowa. It’s part of the second round of the ReConnect Program. Osage Municipal Utilities will receive 368-thousand, CLM Telephone Coop in Cherokee County will get 744-thousand, and Citizens Mutual Telephone Coop in Wapello Count will receive a $731,500 grant. To learn more about USDA grants and programs, listen when I talk with USDA Rural Development Iowa director Grant Menke, that’s in the 10 o’clock hour of KXEL Live & Local today.
Sixty people have been charged in a widespread magazine telemarketing scam that authorities say netted $300 million from more than 150,000 elderly and vulnerable people nationwide, including in Iowa. Charges were announced yesterday, and federal officials called it the largest elder fraud scheme in the country. Court documents say over the last 20 years, the defendants used a network of fake magazine sales companies and telemarketing call centers to trick people into making large or repeat payments.
A 26-year-old Story County man is facing felony level charges of child endangerment causing serious injury. Police say Christopher Moran is responsible for injuries to a two-week-old infant. The child was taken to a Nevada hospital on October 20 with bruising around the head, chin, and left ear. Other internal injuries showed signs of intermittent asphyxiation. Moran initially told police the baby had fallen, striking its head. Later, he said he may have dropped the child into a “bouncy chair” and squeezed its face. Moran also admitted to holding the infant up against his body, preventing airflow for upwards of 20 seconds.
