21-YEAR-OLD JAYSON LEE JONES WAS THE MAN WHO DIED EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AFTER ARRIVING AT MERCY MEDICAL CENTER IN CEDAR RAPIDS WITH A GUNSHOT WOUND. AUTHORITIES RELEASED JONES’ IDENTITY ON MONDAY. POLICE ALSO REVEALED DETAILS ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE SHOOTING IN THE 800 BLOCK OF 11TH AVENUE SOUTHEAST, ONLY THREE BLOCKS FROM THE HOSPITAL. JONES WAS BROUGHT TO MERCY BY CAR, BUT HIS INJURIES PROVED TO BE FATAL. THE POLICE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.
NEW OWNERS HAVE COMPLETED THE ACQUISITION OF A COMPANY THAT IS AMONG THE CEDAR VALLEY’S LARGEST EMPLOYERS. DURA SUPREME CABINETRY OF MINNESOTA WILL NOW OPERATE WATERLOO’S BERTCH CABINETS. ACCORDING TO GROW CEDAR VALLEY, BERTCH EMPLOYS OVER 900 PEOPLE. DEPARTING OWNERS GARY AND BECKY BERTCH CREATED WATERLOO’S LOST ISLAND WATER PARK AND ARE CURRENTLY BUILDING A NEW THEME PARK NEARBY. DURA SUPREME WAS FOUNDED IN 1954 AND EXPECTS TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENT BERTCH WORKFORCE.
SOUTH DAKOTA HAS FOLLOWED A COVID PLAYBOOK WHICH IS SIMILAR TO IOWA. GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM HAS APPLIED ONLY LIMITED BUSINESS RESTRICTIONS DURING THE PANDEMIC. DURING A RECENT APPEARANCE ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, NOEM SAID SHE TALKED WITH LAWYERS, AS WELL AS HEALTH EXPERTS, WHEN FORMULATING CORONAVIRUS POLICY. HEAR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM AT KXEL.COM.
THE VICTIM OF AN EARLY MORNING SHOOTING IN WATERLOO DURING CHRISTMAS WEEKEND WAS A 31-YEAR-OLD FORMER COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYER. ELIJAH HUNT WAS KILLED BEFORE DAWN ON DECEMBER 27TH. WATERLOO POLICE PROVIDED MORE DETAILS FROM THEIR INVESITGATION ON MONDAY. THEY SAY EVIDENCE IS STILL BEING SOUGHT FROM THE FATAL INCIDENT OUTSIDE AN ESTABLISHMENT NEAR EAST FOURTH STREET AND DANE. HUNT PLAYED BASKETBALL FOR WARTBURG COLLEGE; HE WAS ORIGINALLY FROM THE CHICAGO SUBURBS.
IOWA’S DELEGATION IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HAS LIMITED EXPERIENCE IN WASHINGTON. THE RETIREMENT OF SECOND DISTRICT CONGRESSMAN DAVE LOEBSACK AND DEPARTURE OF THE FOURTH DISTRICT’S STEVE KING CONTRIBUTE TO THE STATE HAVING THREE NEW REPRESENTATIVES IN ITS FOUR SEATS. COE COLLEGE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR BRUCE NESMITH SPOKE RECENTLY ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL AND SAYS THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY A DISADVANTAGE. THIRD DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN CINDY AXNE IS THE ONLY IOWA REPRESENTATIVE RETURNING TO THE CAPITOL THIS SESSION.
THE CITY OF CEDAR RAPIDS IS HIRING FROM WITHIN. ROY HESEMANN WILL BE THE NEW DIRECTOR OF UTILITIES THERE. HESEMANN HAS SPENT THE PAST TWO DECADES WORKING FOR CEDAR RAPIDS’ UTILITIES DEPARTMENT, WHICH MANAGES THE COMMUNITY’S WATER, SEWER, AND GARBAGE SERVICES. HESEMANN WAS NAMED TO THE NEW ROLE ON MONDAY AND IS TAKING OVER FOR STEVE HERSHNER, WHO RECENTLY RETIRED.
COVID-19 IS LEADING TO SOME DISRUPTIONS FOR THE SALVATION ARMY OF WATERLOO/CEDAR FALLS. THE CHARITY SAYS THE FIRST POSITIVE COVID-19 CASE AT ITS MEN’S SHELTER WAS RECORDED LATE LAST WEEK. TESTING RESULTS REVEALED ADDITIONAL CASES AMONG SHELTER RESIDENTS AND STAFF MONDAY. QUARANTINING AND ISOLATION MEANS THAT NEW RESIDENTS CANNOT CURRENTLY BE ACCEPTED. SOME SERVICES ARE ALSO LIMITED AT THE SALVATION ARMY’S WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S SHELTER, DUE TO REDUCED STAFF AVAILABILITY. THE SALVATION ARMY OF WATERLOO/CEDAR FALLS SAYS ONLY MINOR SYMPTOMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE. IT EXPECTS THE DISRUPTION TO ITS NORMAL OPERATIONS TO CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST JANUARY 12TH.
IT IS GEORGIA’S SPECIAL ELECTION DAY. TWO U.S. SENATE SEATS WILL BE DECIDED THERE, DRAWING ATTENTION FROM AROUND THE NATION. SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM WAS A RECENT GUEST ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL WHILE SHE WAS CAMPAIGNING IN GEORGIA. A REPUBLICAN WIN IN EITHER OF THE TWO SENATE RACES WOULD MEAN THAT THE G-O-P WOULD RETAIN THE SENATE DURING THE UPCOMING CONGRESSIONAL SESSION.
THE IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM MEETS THEIR THIRD TOP-FIVE OPPONENT OF THE SEASON TONIGHT. THE 2-5 CYCLONES ARE IN AUSTIN TO VISIT TEXAS. THE LONGHORNS ARE RANKED FOURTH IN THE NATION. THE GAME TIPS AT 7 P-M.
