The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor was released yesterday morning, and a large area of northeast and east central Iowa is now in “extreme drought” status, including areas of Bremer, Grundy, Hardin, Black Hawk, Floyd, Chickasaw and Marshall counties, as well as all of Butler and Franklin counties. Areas around that are in severe drought status. Most of Linn and Johnson counties are abnormally dry, the minimal level on the scale. Waterloo received under a half inch of rain yesterday, while Cedar Rapids reported about a third of an inch.
A 47-year-old Waterloo man was sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison yesterday. Charles Ware entered a plea of guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon. The judge noted that Ware engaged in a shootout with a co-defendant, who was also a felon, which was “not unlike the Wild West” with bullets going through multiple windows. Judge C.J. Williams also noted Ware’s “fairly non-stop” criminal conduct, including 30 convictions, of which six were for violent assaults on women, as well as violent misconduct while in prison in the past.
Parents with children too young to be vaccinated called on the Iowa State Board of Education on Thursday to ask Gov. Kim Reynolds to reverse a state law passed in May that bans schools from requiring masks. With virus infections increasing again due to the more infectious delta variant, public health officials are advising mask wearing indoors in public places, even for vaccinated people. Several parents and a local school board member asked the state board to seek a reversal of the state law. But the governor’s office notes masks can be worn in school—but just can’t be required.
One of Iowa’s largest health care providers has announced it will require its more than 33,000 employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19—or else find a new job. The West Des Moines-based Unity Point Health System announced the vaccine requirement yesterday. System CEO and president Clay Holderman says the vaccination requirement is meant to protect the system’s employees and patients. The requirement applies to all employees, regardless of whether they provide direct patient care. UnityPoint employees must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1. Those who refuse must resign or be fired. Employees can request an exemption for medical or religious reasons, and pregnant employees—while strongly encouraged to get vaccinated—can request a temporary deferral.
Emergency crews responded to a report of person who jumped out of a moving pickup truck shortly after 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon on Highway 13 near Mt. Vernon Rd. in Linn County. Officials say 22-year-old passenger Zachary Heskje intentionally jumped out of a truck going south on Highway 13. Heskje was believed to be intoxicated. He was taken to a Cedar Rapids hospital for treatment of his injuries.
The former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district says he’s pleased complaints against him stemming from a refusal to return students to in-person classes last year, in violation of state rules, has been resolved. On Wednesday, a state panel approved an administrative law judge’s decision that former Des Moines Superintendent Thomas Ahart should have a letter of public reprimand placed into his permanent licensure file, rather than to have his credentials revoked. The school district did not extend Ahart’s contract beyond this past school year.
Sheriff’s officials in northwestern Iowa say an Omaha man drowned after rescuing his son from a weed-infested section of East Lake Okoboji. The incident happened late Wednesday morning when 41-year-old Brandon Urban swam into the lake to rescue his son, who had fallen off a paddle board and become entangled in the weeds. The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office says Urban was able to free the boy from the weeds, but became entangled himself and was unable to get his head above water. Investigators say Urban’s friends brought him to shore and started CPR until medics arrived. Urban was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
