A HAMILTON COUNTY BOATING ACCIDENT TURNED FATAL ON SUNDAY MORNING. IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY’S CREW CLUB WAS PRACTICING IN COLD WATER ON LITTLE WALL LAKE WHEN ONE OF THEIR ROWING CRAFTS CAPSIZED. OF FIVE STUDENTS WHO WENT INTO THE WATER, THREE WERE RESCUED, THE BODY OF ANOTHER WAS RECOVERED, AND ONE WAS STILL MISSING AT THE END OF A DAYLONG SEARCH. THE RESCUED CLUB MEMBERS WERE TREATED AT AN AMES HOSPITAL.
WEATHER OFFICIALS NOTE THAT STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AND OTHER CONDITIONS CREATE WHAT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARACTERIZES AS EXTREME FIRE DANGER TODAY. BESIDES THE WIND, DRY AIR AND RISING TEMPERATURES MEAN THAT ANY FIRE COULD QUICKLY GET OUT OF CONTROL. BURNING IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED TODAY. THE WEATHER SERVICE ALSO ADVISES THAT ANYONE WHO SEES SIGNS OF FIRE CONTACT THEIR LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO REPORT THE DETAILS.
IN THE AFTERMATH OF HORRIFIC SHOOTING INCIDENTS IN GEORGIA AND COLORADO, THE U.S. SENATE HELD HEARINGS LAST WEEK. IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY IS THE RANKING MEMBER ON THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND SPOKE ABOUT THE ROLE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THOSE AND OTHER MASS SHOOTING SITUATIONS. HEAR MORE OF GRASSLEY’S REMARKS DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST.
THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE HAS ENDED. THE UNI PANTHERS GO INTO THE MVC TOURNAMENT AS THE 7TH SEED THURSDAY. COVERAGE OF UNI’S OPENING MATCH VERSUS DRAKE WILL BEGIN AT 4:45 ON OUR COMPANION STATION 107-3, HANK FM.
MASS SHOOTINGS IN ATLANTA AND BOULDER BROUGHT GUN VIOLENCE BACK TO THE FOREFRONT OF NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN MARCH. DURING REMARKS TO THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE LAST WEEK, IOWA REPUBLICAN SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY NOTED THAT LAWMAKERS CAN ONLY MOVE TOWARD SOLUTIONS BY WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE. GRASSLEY ALSO USED THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE HIS SUPPORT FOR MAINTAINING FUNDING FOR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.
IF YOU DRIVE ON U.S. 20 IN WATERLOO, THE BEGINNING OF SPRING CONSTRUCTION SEASON IS LIKELY BECOMING A REALITY RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES. WORK ON THE HIGHWAY IS GETTING STARTED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS BETWEEN HAWKEYE AND SERGEANT ROADS. LANE CLOSURES ARE EXPECTED AS CREWS PATCH THE ROAD AND BUILD A CROSSOVER AREA. THE ROUTE THROUGH WATERLOO IS EXPECTED TO SEE WORK BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER.
EASTERN AND CENTRAL IOWA RESIDENTS WILL BE DIALING MORE DIGITS ON LANDLINE PHONES LATER THIS YEAR. BEGINNING IN OCTOBER, THOSE IN THE 319 AND 515 AREA CODES WILL HAVE TO ENTER THE FULL NUMBER, EVEN WHEN MAKING LOCAL CALLS. OFFICIALS ARE PREPARING TO ADD A NEW THREE-DIGIT NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE. THE NUMBER IS 988, AND IT IS THE SAME AS A LOCAL EXCHANGE IN HUDSON, AS WELL AS A BLOCK OF NUMBERS IN DES MOINES.
HERE’S A WAY FOR IOWA TO GROW ITS POPULATION. A REPUBLICAN MINNESOTA STATE REPRESENTATIVE IS PROPOSING LEGISLATION THAT WOULD LET MINNESOTA COUNTIES SECEDE AND JOIN BORDERING STATES. THE IDEA SEEMS LIKELY TO BE TARGETED TOWARDS MINNESOTANS WHO WISHED THEY LIVED IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
A HIT-AND-RUN ACCIDENT INJURED A CYCLIST ON SUNDAY EVENING. BLACK HAWK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES WENT TO THE SCENE NORTH AND WEST OF JESUP SHORTLY BEFORE 7 O’CLOCK LAST NIGHT. A 22-YEAR-OLD MAN RIDING ON OSAGE ROAD WAS STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY A MOTOR VEHICLE. DETAILS ABOUT THE MAKE AND MODEL OF THAT VEHICLE WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE. INJURIES TO THE CYCLIST WERE NOT LIFE THREATENING, BUT HE WAS TAKEN TO A WATERLOO HOSPITAL. THE BLACK HAWK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT SAYS IT IS STILL INVESTIGATING.
SOMEONE WHO SAW SOMETHING AND SAID SOMETHING MAY HAVE SAVED MORE SERIOUS DAMAGE AT LOST ISLAND WATER PARK IN WATERLOO SUNDAY. SIGNS OF FIRE PROMPTED A PASSERBY TO CALL IN A REPORT IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON. WATERLOO FIRE CREWS FOUND A SMOKEY SITUATION, BUT WERE ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE IN A SHOWER ROOM BEFORE IT BECAME MORE SERIOUS. THE INCIDENT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. THERE WERE NO EMPLOYEES AT THE SCENE, AND THE WATER PARK AREA OF LOST ISLAND IS NOT SCHEDULED TO OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR ITS SUMMER SEASON UNTIL JUNE.
THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HELD A HEARING ON GUN VIOLENCE AFTER RECENT MASS SHOOTINGS IN GEORGIA AND COLORADO, WHICH KILLED A COMBINED 18 PEOPLE. IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY IS THE COMMITTEE’S RANKING MEMBER AND SAID A BROADER ARRAY OF PEOPLE ARE ARMING THEMSELVES LEGALLY. MEANWHILE, GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS IS REVIEWING STATE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD LOOSEN IOWA’S GUN SALES REQUIREMENTS.
