Waterloo Police are investigating an early morning shooting. Officers responded to the 1600 block of Franklin Street at 1 o’clock early this morning; that’s where the shooting occurred. The shooting led to a car accident, but police have not found anyone who sustained injuries in that accident. Police later located a 20-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his hand. He was taken to Allen Hospital.
The Waverly-Shell Rock Board of Education this week approved a $39.49 million budget for the next academic year, including a 3.63% increase in overall property tax collections. The district reduced its tax rate by 11 cents to $12.55 per $1,000 of taxable value. But the state-determined percentage of residential property value to be taxed, known as the “rollback,” will increase…that contributes to the higher tax collections.
A drive-in movie theater could come to the National Cattle Congress grounds. The Waterloo planning commission unanimously recommended approval of a special permit for the project. Tarelle Hoskins said he decided to “take a crack at it” after realizing there are limited options where he can take his own children to similar attractions. The project will now head to the Waterloo Board of Adjustment for consideration at its April 27 meeting. The theater would be open from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and each night would feature two movies. It is not known when the theater would begin operation.
The mural entitled “Our Freedom Story” at the Waterloo Center for the Arts was created by the Youth Art Team and students from Lowell and Kingsley Elementary Schools. The mural is now in need of repairs after being vandalized. According to the Waterloo Center for the Arts, at 1 p.m. Friday, crews will repaint/repair sections of the 3,000 square-foot long mural. Volunteers are welcome to help.
Less than three weeks before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn, lawmakers are still discussing an attempt to change Iowa’s four-decade-old law that requires nickel deposits on pop and beer cans. Although they also support changes in the deposit law, the committee’s Democrats opposed HF814; Rep. Dave Jacoby of Coralville called for a public hearing before the full House acts on the bill. The outlook for action is not great. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver recently said that despite progress made by bottle bill stakeholders, it will be difficult to wrap up the matter before the legislature is scheduled to adjourn on April 30. Under the current bottle bill, when a consumer returns a container, the retailer returns the nickel deposit to them. When distributors collect the containers from retailers and redemption centers, they pay a nickel plus a 1-cent handling fee. If enacted, HF 814 would allow retailers to choose not to accept containers if they have a contract with a redemption center
The Iowa House unanimously approved legislation yesterday creating a study of peace officer discipline. But lawmakers split mostly along party lines when the measure morphed into a broader bill that would offer qualified immunity to law enforcement, protect drivers who run into protesters blocking a highway from civil liability, withhold state funds from communities that defund the police and add or increase penalties for a variety of crimes. The House voted 63-30, with eight Democrats joining Republicans who voted “yes” and two Republicans among the “no” votes. The bill now moves to the state Senate.
Nearly 4,000 people have signed an online petition to save what they call a “cherished piece of Iowa football tradition.” The University of Iowa Athletics Department and Iowa Northern Railway Company said last week that the Hawkeye Express train would cease operations due to continued social distancing measures and need for equipment upgrades. The petition says a new marketing strategy could reach Hawkeye alumni and former players across the nation. The train, which started in Coralville and took passengers on a 10-minute ride to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, has operated for more than 15 years.
