Christian Life Church in Cedar Rapids says Michael Jaramillo’s Homegoing service will be held in Des Moines this weekend. The 11-year-old from Marion was killed in an accident on the Raging River ride at Adventureland Park in Altoona on July 3rd. The homegoing service will be at the Corinthian Baptist Church in Des Moines at 3 p.m. on July 17th, with a reception to follow the service.
In less than two weeks, the annual Zach Johnson Foundation golf classic fundraiser is scheduled to be held at Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids…and yesterday we learned that Zach Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19. Johnson made the announcement yesterday morning, saying he will withdraw from the Open Championship as a result. The two-time major champion had just finished playing at the John Deere Classic near the Quad Cities this past weekend and said he felt ill as the final round came to a close.
Staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Saturday found dead fish in Dry Branch Creek about a mile and a half west of Ossian in Winneshiek County. After following the creek upstream, the source was identified as a chemical leaking from a farm’s underground storage pit. The chemical is a soil conditioner that a nearby farm uses on crops, but stores underground until conditions are right for its use. The DNR says the farm had built small dams to protect the creek. But they found high levels of ammonia in the creek for about 8 miles downstream until the creek went underground. The DNR did not specify how many fish were killed but says that the cleanup and a count were underway. The department is continuing to investigate but will seek a penalty for the fish killed.
A murder trial in the stabbing death of a man who was found buried at a Cedar Rapids home two years ago is beginning this week. Jury selection is set to begin today in the case of 33-year-old Drew Blahnik, who is charged with first-degree murder, obstructing prosecution and abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of 31-year-old Chris Bagley. Bagley went missing after leaving his home in Walker on Dec. 17, 2018. His body was found buried at a home in southeast Cedar Rapids on March 1, 2019. Investigators say Blahnik stabbed Bagley in retaliation for his robbery of a large-scale marijuana trafficker.
Self-proclaimed voting rights activist Deidre DeJear said yesterday she is considering a run for Iowa governor. DeJear announced the formation of an exploratory committee and a tour of seven Iowa cities this week to discuss the idea with Iowans. The tour begins at a Des Moines hair salon, then moves on to Clinton, Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington, Fort Madison and Ottumwa. DeJear was the Democrat nominee for Iowa secretary of state in 2018, losing to Republican Paul Pate in the general election. Incumbent Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds has not announced her plans, but all indications are she will seek re-election. State Rep. Ras Smith of Waterloo, a Democrat, announced his candidacy last month. Fellow Democrat State Auditor Rob Sand told KXEL News he is considering a run for governor.
Agreements between Iowa and Texas show Iowa is donating the use of state troopers and their equipment at “no cost to Texas” to fight crime along the U.S. border with Mexico. Despite that language, a spokesman for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says there still is a chance Texas could eventually pick up the costs after the mission concludes. The agreements show Iowa troopers, tactical officers, command staff and an investigator will be part of the deployment. Iowa officials have said previously they expect to send 25 to 30 officers from the Iowa Department of Public Safety for a two-week mission this month. The agreements show Texas and Arizona asked other states to “absorb the associated costs with this mission” for the good of the country.
