A 45-YEAR-OLD MAN AVOIDED SERIOUS INJURIES EVEN THOUGH HIS SMALL PLANE CRASHED ON MONDAY AFTERNOON IN IOWA COUNTY. THE BRIGHT YELLOW SINGLE-ENGINE PLANE COULD NOT GAIN ALTITUDE ON TAKEOFF AND CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN NEAR AMANA SHORTLY AFTER 2 P.M. PILOT ROBERT GARRETT TOLD AUTHORITIES THAT THE ENGINE GAVE OUT. GARRETT WAS NOT HURT IN THE ACCIDENT.
A 34-YEAR-OLD WATERLOO MAN WILL GO TO FEDERAL PRISON UNTIL HE IS IN HIS MID-60S. TRAVIS WERKMEISTER WAS SENTENCED MONDAY FOR HIS ROLE IN A DRUG DISTRIBUTION SCHEME. FEDERAL AUTHORITIES SAY WERKMEISTER WOULD RECEIVE POUNDS OF METHAMPHETAMINE AT A TIME, TRANSPORTED FROM MEXICO. HE THEN DIVIDED THE DRUG INTO SMALLER QUANTITIES IN HIS HOME FOR STREET DEALERS. INVESTIGATORS USED A WIRETAP WARRANT TO COLLECT EVIDENCE AND BUILD A CASE AGAINST WERKMEISTER. HIS SENTENCE FOR CONSPIRACY WILL LAST NEARLY 29 YEARS.
FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO WAS IN IOWA LAST WEEK. HE SPOKE WITH KXEL’S JEFF STEIN ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN FOREIGN POLICY BETWEEN THE BIDEN AND TRUMP ADMINISTRATIONS. POMPEO IS CONSIDERED A POTENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR THE 2024 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION. HEAR HIS FULL KXEL INTERVIEW AT KXEL.COM.
THE UNITED STATES SENATE’S JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HAS APPROVED LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REQUIRE SUPREME COURT HEARINGS TO BE TELEVISED WHILE ALSO EXPANDING VIDEO COVERAGE IN OTHER COURTS. IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY TALKED ABOUT THE MEASURE ON FOX’S “AMERICA REPORTS” PROGRAM. THE HIGH COURT HAS HISTORICALLY SET ITS OWN RULES FOR REPORTING ITS PROCEEDINGS. THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION WOULD STILL GIVE THE COURT DISCRETION TO TURN CAMERAS OFF WHEN THEIR PRESENCE COULD VIOLATE A PARTY’S DUE PROCESS RIGHTS.
WATERLOO LEADERS WILL NOT ALLOW AS MANY RENTABLE SCOOTER OPERATORS AS FIRST PLANNED. THE CITY COUNCIL DECIDED MONDAY TO TRIM THE NUMBER OF APPROVED SCOOTER COMPANIES FROM THREE TO TWO. BIRD AND HELBIZ BRANDED DEVICES APPEARED ON WATERLOO STREETS EARLIER THIS SUMMER. SOME CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS EXPRESSED CONCERNS THAT THE SCOOTERS ARE BEING RIDDEN IN DANGEROUS FASHION OR WHILE RIDERS ARE INTOXICATED.
BIKE RIDERS IN THE CORRIDOR ARE ENCOUNTERING THEIR OWN MOBILITY CHALLENGES. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED TO STEPHANIE MAI ABOUT A LARGE QUANTITY OF TACKS CYCLISTS HAVE ENCOUNTERED ON THE CEDAR VALLEY NATURE TRAIL BETWEEN SOLON AND CEDAR RAPIDS. THE TACKS HAVE HEADS THAT ARE APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF A DIME. MAI SAYS THEY ARE PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT TO SEE BECAUSE THEY BLEND IN WITH THE PAVEMENT.
DURING FOUR YEARS UNDER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT HAD A SOMETIMES CONFRONTATIONAL POSTURE AGAINST A NUMBER OF FOREIGN NATIONS, PERHAPS NONE MORE SO THAN CHINA. FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO WAS A RECENT KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL GUEST. POMPEO SPOKE ABOUT THE U.S.-CHINA RELATIONSHIP AND HIS FEARS ABOUT ALLEGED CHINESE ACTIVITIES IN THE U.S. HEAR MORE FROM POMPEO DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST AS HE OUTLINES DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN TRUMP AND BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES.
A CONCRETE PLANT IN WAVERLY IS ABOUT TO GET A NEW HOME. THE CITY COUNCIL THERE APPROVED A NEW LOCATION FOR CROELL INCORPORATED, WHICH WILL RELOCATE ITS FACILITY FROM 7TH AVENUE NORTHWEST TO LAND CLOSER TO WAVERLY’S AIRPORT. THE NEW READY-MIX OPERATION WILL BE LARGER. CROELL OFFICIALS SAID THEY WILL NOW BE ABLE TO DO MORE PRE-MIXING OPERATIONS ON-SITE. SOME NEARBY RESIDENTS EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT INCREASED TRAFFIC IN THE AREA OFF OF BUSINESS HIGHWAY 218.
THE CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS ARE BACK HOME TONIGHT. FIRST PITCH AT VETERAN’S MEMORIAL STADIUM AGAINST THE BELOIT SNAPPERS IS SCHEDULED FOR 6:35. MEANWHILE, THREE WATERLOO BUCKS WERE PICKED FOR THE NORTHWOODS LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME IN MANKATO. RYAN DUFFY, MAX JUNG-GOLDBERG, AND GARRETT MCGOWAN ALL EARNED SPOTS ON THE ALL-STAR TEAM.
