Iowa State Patrol officials confirm pursuit of a stolen vehicle ended in a rollover accident after officers discontinued the chase. The incident started just before 7:30 yesterday morning on Interstate 80 east of Des Moines when an Iowa Department of Transportation officer located a vehicle stolen from the Waverly area. The DOT officer attempted a traffic stop, but the driver took off, leading the officer on a chase on Interstate 80, then southbound on Highway 65. Officials said the pursuit was called off due to the heavy volume of traffic in the area and other safety concerns. Soon after though, emergency crews responded to a single-vehicle rollover at the Highway 5 exit at Fleur Drive. Authorities say the vehicle involved matched the description of the stolen vehicle. Three juvenile males received minor injuries and were taken into custody. The driver was 15 and the two passengers were 16 years of age.
State Representative Ras Smith says he will make a major announcement in his hometown of Waterloo today. KXEL News will be at the outdoor event, open to the public, at the Riverloop Amphitheatre downtown, starting at 4:30 p.m.
The property management company that owns Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Washington Prime Group, which owns dozens of mall properties across the United States, including Lindale and one in Sioux City, announced the plan in a statement. Chapter 11 is often referred to as a “reorganization” bankruptcy, allowing companies to restructure debt to continue operations. Washington Prime says they have secured $100 million in new financing to allow all business operations to continue. Unrelated, Lindale Mall is hosting a 60th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, June 26.
An Iowa soldier missing in action for 70 years was finally laid to rest yesterday. Army Cpl. Eldert Beek died in December 1950 during the Korean War. His unit was attacked, so his remains could not be recovered at the time. Beek was from George, a small town in the northwest corner of Iowa. For 70 years, his family held out hope he would come home. They recently learned his remains were identified. He was laid to rest with full military honors yesterday, buried next to his parents. Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all state flags to fly at half-staff yesterday in his honor.
The FBI has arrested an Iowa man and his adult son after they discussed on social media their attendance at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Agents arrested 50-year-old Daryl Johnson of St. Ansgar and 29-year-old Daniel Johnson of Austin, Minnesota, last Friday morning. They made initial appearances in federal courts and have been released from custody pending further proceedings in Washington, D.C. They are charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct, violent entry, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
Officials at the city of Des Moines public water system are asking customers to begin using water wisely and cut lawn irrigation by 25% as water usage climbs and drought conditions reduce the flow of rivers feeding that plant. The Des Moines Water Works serves 500,000 customers in central Iowa. The Raccoon River, a major water source for the city, is flowing at less than 300 cubic feet per second compared to the median flow of 4,000 cubic feet per second. June temperatures have been much higher than average and there’s been almost no rain; normally, the city would have had more than 5 inches by this point in the month.
A 21-year-old man faces charges in connection with a Knoxville stabbing that left a man in intensive care late Sunday night. Police say emergency crews were called to the 400 block of East Montgomery Street around 11:45 p.m. and found Christian Blaine Durham stabbed multiple times. He was airlifted to a Des Moines hospital and was in intensive care at last report. 21-year-old Levi James Null was questioned and taken into custody, charged with felony level willful injury and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing prosecution. Court documents show Null intentionally erased his phone as officers were attempting to seize it for analysis. Null is being held in the Marion County Jail.
An Omaha aviation company is hoping to open a center at Sioux City’s airport and offer professional flight training there. Oracle Aviation of Omaha plans to partner with Morningside University to establish a fully-accredited aviation program, which will offer a bachelor of science degree in aviation-related fields. Documents show the project would include building a 39,400-square-foot facility, with 20,400 square feet of hangar space and a two-level office/training space.
