The 2024 presidential race came to Des Moines Friday, as no fewer than three possible candidates addressed the Family Leader Summit. One of those was former Vice President Mike Pence, who said he’s seen enough from the Biden Administration. Pence noted that Republicans gained seats in the U.S. House in the last election, saying that proves the agenda he and President Trump put forward resonated with Americans. Also speaking at the event was Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; you can hear KXEL’s interview with Pompeo during the 9 o’clock hour of KXEL Live and Local today.
A father and son were killed instantly Friday evening when the roof of a barn they were in collapsed on top of them. Cedar Falls Fire Rescue crews were dispatched to the 9700 block of Viking Road just before 6:30 p.m. The following day, Dike-New Hartford school officials sent a letter to families indicating that Andy Kaufman and his son, Beckett, who was about to enter the fourth-grade there, were killed when a barn collapsed on them. After the collapse, witnesses tried to communicate with the two people trapped in the barn but received no response.
Police are investigating an early morning shooting Sunday that left one person injured. Waterloo Police were called to Logan Avenue, near the Motel Six, at around 4 a.m. following reports of multiple shots fired. Police confirmed one male victim was suffering non life-threatening injuries. No suspect in is custody and the investigation is ongoing.
Police are looking for the person who shot a man around 4:45 a.m. Saturday in Cedar Rapids. The victim was found at 1640 F Avenue NW. When officers arrived, they found the man with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Police took a ‘person of interest’ into custody, but no formal charges have been filed.
A new state law that bars schools from denying students from enrolling in other public districts in order to maintain demographic diversity is already having an impact on Iowa districts with large minority populations. Almost 140 students—nearly double what the state’s legislative analysis agency projected—have requested to open enroll out of the Waterloo Community Schools District. In Des Moines, nearly 300 students applied for open enrollment before the March 1 deadline, and another 95 have applied since the law was changed, school officials said. Supporters of the new law say it allows all students more choice in which school they attend. Before the new law, five Iowa school districts—Waterloo, Davenport, Des Moines, West Liberty and Postville—could reject requests for open enrollment to other public schools if the student leaving would diminish a district’s diversity.
An 18-year-old male was shot and killed Saturday evening in Dubuque. Police responded to 14th Street and Central Avenue on a report of an individual suffering a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to UnityPoint Finley Hospital where he was pronounced dead. City of Dubuque traffic cameras captured the incident and authorities located a 15-year-old male and identified him as the suspect. He was found at a residence and was taken into custody.
Rescue crews in Cedar Rapids recovered the body of a man who apparently drowned during a swim Friday evening. Crews were called to the Cedar River near 1st Street and O Avenue NW around 5:30 p.m. Friday. Witnesses said the man began to struggle while swimming, went underwater, and never resurfaced. 30 minutes after the search began, crews recovered the body of a man in his early 40s, 15 feet from shore in waters approximately 10 feet deep.
