A WATERLOO WOMAN WILL SPEND FIVE YEARS IN PRISON AFTER SHE DROVE AWAY FROM A FATAL COLLISION WITH A BICYCLIST IN FEBRUARY OF 2020. AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN PROSECUTORS IN THE CASE AND FRANKIE MAE PRICE WAS FORMALLY APPROVED BY A BLACK HAWK COUNTY COURT ON MONDAY. 45-YEAR-OLD GERRICK STOTSER WAS RIDING OVERNIGHT NEAR GREENHILL ROAD AND PROGRESS AVENUE WHEN HE WAS STUCK BY PRICE’S VEHICLE, AND THEN LATER BY OTHER DRIVERS. PRICE DID NOT REMAIN AT THE SCENE AND ONLY CALLED TO REPORT THE ACCIDENT LONG AFTER AUTHORITIES HAD BEEN ALERTED BY OTHER WITNESSES. PRICE APOLOGIZED FOR HER DECISION DURING MONDAY’S HEARING.
A FORMER UNI PANTHER FOOTBALL PLAYER AND THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA HAVE AGREED TO A SETTLEMENT AFTER THE PLAYER WAS INJURED DURING AN EXERCISE STUDY. PHILLIP ARENDT COLLAPSED AND HIT HIS HEAD DURING THE INCIDENT. RECORDS FROM THE CASE INDICATE THAT HE WAS STILL SUFFERING RESIDUAL EFFECTS MORE THAN TWO YEARS LATER. ARENDT PLAYED IN TWO GAMES AS A UNI OFFENSIVE LINEMAN IN 2016, BUT AFTER THE INJURY IN 2017 HE WAS UNABLE TO CONTINUE PLAYING. THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA AGREED TO PAY $150 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO SETTLE ARENDT’S SUIT FOR NEGLIGENCE.
THE MCDONALD’S STORES IN WATERLOO AND EVANSDALE HAVE A NEW OWNER AFTER BEING ACQUIRED BY THE SOIFER FAMILY MCDONALD’S FRANCHISE. EMILY GARDEN IS THAT COMPANY’S MARKETING MANAGER. THE SOIFER FRANCHISE IS BASED IN CHARLES CITY.
THERE WERE NO INJURIES FROM AN OVERNIGHT HOUSE FIRE IN CEDAR RAPIDS. FIRE CREWS MADE THEIR WAY TO THE 18-HUNDRED BLOCK OF BEVER AVENUE SOUTHEAST NEAR 3 O’CLOCK THIS MORNING. NO ONE WAS HOME AT THE TIME, AND THE REPORT WAS CALLED IN BY SOMEONE WHO NOTICED THE FIRE. THE HOME SUSTAINED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE.
A CAR CHASE THROUGH RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS ON WATERLOO’S EAST SIDE ON MONDAY LED TO THE ARREST OF A 44-YEAR-OLD MAN. DANTE HUNTER ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO ELUDE BLACK HAWK COUNTY DEPUTIES WHO RECOGNIZED HE WAS DRIVING ON A SUSPECTED LICENSE. AUTHORITIES REPORT THE PURSUIT INCLUDED SPEEDS MORE THAN 35 MILES PER HOUR ABOVE THE SPEED LIMIT. HUNTER REPORTEDLY ABANDONED HIS TRUCK, BUT POLICE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM ON FOOT.
ALL ADULT IOWANS BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR COVID-19 VACCINES AS OF YESTERDAY. HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE WHO MAKE APPOINTMENTS TO FOLLOW THROUGH. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED WITH PHARMACIST CRAIG CLARK OF CLARK’S PHARMACY IN CEDAR RAPIDS; CLARK SAYS IT’S A SCRAMBLE WHEN SOMEONE DOESN’T SHOW UP AS SCHEDULED. STATE AUTHORITIES TRACK THE NUMBER OF VACCINES WHICH ARE NOT ADMINISTERED BEFORE EXPIRING. THAT CAN REDUCE THE NUMBER OF DOSES DELIVERED TO COUNTIES DEEMED TO NOT BE USING THE VACCINE EFFICIENTLY.
IOWA STATE HAS EXTENDED ATHLETIC DIRECTOR JAMIE POLLARD’S CONTRACT THROUGH 2026. POLLARD ACCEPTED THE EXTENSION WITH NO SCHEDULED SALARY INCREASE. HE WAS EARNING $757,000 WHEN HE ANNOUNCED 10% PAY CUTS FOR COACHES AND SOME ADMINISTRATORS A YEAR AGO TO HELP OFFSET A $25 MILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL BECAUSE OF COVID-19. POLLARD HAS BEEN THE AD IN AMES SINCE 2005.
QUESTIONS ABOUT “THE ROCKET’S RED GLARE” ARE STILL UP IN THE AIR IN WATERLOO. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS REMAIN IN A HOLDING PATTERN AS TO WHETHER RESIDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO SHOOT OFF FIREWORKS DURING INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS. EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE COUNCIL INDICATED A DESIRE TO COORDINATE WITH NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES. MONDAY, THE ISSUE WAS SET ASIDE UNTIL MORE INPUT COULD BE PROVIDED BY WATERLOO POLICE. CURRENT CITY CODE ALLOWS FIREWORKS TO BE USED BY RESIDENTS BETWEEN JULY 3RD AND 5TH.
MASKS WILL REMAIN PART OF LIFE IN CEDAR FALLS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT MONTH. THE CEDAR FALLS COUNCIL VOTED 4-3 TO EXTEND ITS COVID-19 FACE COVERING REQUIREMENT. IN A RELATED STORY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS THAT BUSINESS OWNERS CAN REQUIRE MASKS, EVEN WHEN THERE IS NOT A LOCAL OR STATE ORDINANCE. SINCE BUSINESSES ARE PRIVATE PROPERTIES, OWNERS CAN SET THEIR RULES. IN ADDITION, THE OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE A SAFE WORKPLACE FOR EMPLOYEES, IS PROMPTING MANY COMPANIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO MAINTAIN MASK POLICIES.
THE EVANSDALE MCDONALDS WILL BE GETTING A NEW LOOK AFTER THAT STORE AND SISTER LOCATIONS IN WATERLOO WERE PURCHASED BY NEW OWNERS. EMILY GARDEN IS MARKETING MANAGER FOR SOIFER FAMILY MCDONALD’S OF CHARLES CITY. THE SOIFER FRANCHISE ALREADY INCLUDED LOCATIONS IN CEDAR FALLS, WAVERLY, AND SEVERAL OTHER NORTHEAST IOWA COMMUNITIES.
THE FIRST CROP REPORT OF THE SEASON WAS RELEASED YESTERDAY. APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD OF IOWA TOPSOIL WAS RATED SHORT OR VERY SHORT FOR MOISTURE LEVELS. SUBSOILS WERE EVEN DRIER.
