A DEADLY SHOOTING IN WATERLOO HAPPENED IN A HIGH-TRAFFIC AREA JUST BLOCKS FROM DOWNTOWN LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AUTHORITIES SAY THE VICTIM WAS HIT BY GUNFIRE OUTSIDE A CONVENIENCE STORE ON HIGHWAY 218 NEAR 9TH STREET. RESCUE CREWS RESPONDED TO THE HIGHWAY MEDIAN, BUT THE MAN’S WOUNDS PROVED FATAL. WATERLOO POLICE ARE STILL COLLECTING EVIDENCE AND ARE ASKING ANYONE WHO WITNESSED THE SHOOTING TO CONTACT THEM.
AMONG THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY TUESDAY’S POWERFUL STORMS, THE WIND CURLED BACK THE ROOF ON AN AUTO PARTS SHOP IN OELWEIN. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS FROM TV-9 TALKED TO RUSS MCNAMARA WHO OWNS BARON MOTOR SUPPLY AND WAS ON HAND WHEN THE STORM MOVED THROUGH. WIND GUSTS APPROACHING 100 MILES PER HOUR WERE MEASURED IN FAYETTE COUNTY.
IOWA FIRST DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN ASHLEY HINSON RECENTLY SHARED HER ANXIETIES ABOUT THE U.S. WITHDRAWL FROM AFGHANISTAN. MORE THAN 70,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN EVACUATED SINCE AUG. 14, ACCORDING TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. HOWEVER, VIOLENT CONFRONTATIONS OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT IN KABUL HAVE CREATED DIFFICULTY FOR THOSE TRYING TO REACH RELATIVE SAFETY.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS COLLECTING REPORTS OF WIDE-RANGING DAMAGE IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN IOWA FROM STORMS WHICH BLASTED THE STATE ON TUESDAY. THE SYSTEM FEATURED STRONG STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND NEARLY-HORIZONTAL RAINFALL. TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BROUGHT DOWN IN BUCHANAN AND FAYETTE COUNTIES, WITH STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS CONTINUING AS THE STORM MOVED EAST INTO DELAWARE AND DUBUQUE COUNTIES. HAIL AS LARGE AS AN INCH-AND-THREE-QUARTERS IN DIAMETER WAS SEEN IN MANCHESTER. POWER WENT OUT FOR NEARLY TWO THOUSAND WATERLOO HOUSEHOLDS, AND THE CITY RECEIVED NEARLY AN INCH-AND-A-HALF OF RAIN FROM THE FIRST ROUND OF SHOWERS.
THE DEPARTURE OF SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS FROM SOME CEDAR RAPIDS CAMPUSES COULD HAVE LONGTERM NEGATIVE IMPACTS. CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE LT. CORY MCGARVEY CALLED THE SRO PROGRAM THE DEPARTMENT’S BEST OUTREACH EFFORT. SPEAKING TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9, MCGARVEY QUESTIONED A DECISION TO REMOVE OFFICERS FROM MCKINLEY AND ROOSEVELT MIDDLE SCHOOLS. THIS WEEK, CEDAR RAPIDS SCHOOL BOARD OFFICIALS CONSIDERED A PACKAGE OF OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGES TO SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER POLICY.
THE NUMBER OF PRISONERS IN STATE CUSTODY INCHED UP OVER THE PAST YEAR. FIGURES FROM THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS INDICATED A PRISON POPULATION OF MORE THAN 77-HUNDRED ACROSS STATE FACILITIES. THAT’S ABOUT TWO PERCENT HIGHER THAN THE YEAR BEFORE. IOWA’S ALL-TIME HIGH WAS JUST OVER 9 THOUSAND IN STATE PRISONS IN 2011.
AS NUMBERS FOR CORONAVIRUS CASES AND HOSPITALIZATIONS CLIMB, VACCINATION RATES ARE ALSO GOING UP IN LINN COUNTY. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 REPORT THAT THE CASE COUNT CLIMBED 13 PERCENT LAST WEEK. TV-9 SPOKE TO HEATHER MEADOR OF LINN COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH, WHO WAS HOPEFUL THAT FULL FDA APPROVAL OF THE PFIZER VACCINE WILL HAVE A FURTHER IMPACT ON REDUCING VACCINE HESITANCY. ALMOST 58 PERCENT OF LINN COUNTY RESIDENTS HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE COVID-19 SHOT, UP ONE-AND-A-HALF PERCENT OVER THE WEEK BEFORE.
IN ADDITION TO THE UNITED STATES, AFGHAN REFUGEES ARE HEADED TO A VARIETY OF OTHER COUNTRIES, INCLUDING MEXICO, SPAIN, AND ITALY. IOWA FIRST DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN ASHLEY HINSON RECENTLY SPOKE TO KXEL ABOUT WHAT SHE WOULD LIKE TO SEE AS THE EVACUATION OF AFGHANISTAN CONTINUES. HINSON AND ARKANSAS SENATOR TOM COTTON WERE BOTH RECENT GUESTS ON THE KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL PROGRAM.
THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IS TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW MEAT GETS TO CONSUMERS, PARTICULARLY LABOR ISSUES FOR SMALL MEAT PROCESSORS. A 19-MEMBER BUTCHERY TASK FORCE WAS NAMED TUESDAY. THE GROUP INCLUDES HAWKEYE COMMUNITY COLLEGE APPLIED TECHNOLOGIES DEAN DAVE GRUNKLEE. THE FIRST MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 7TH.
