From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
JEFFERSON, Iowa (AP) – West-central Iowa officials say one of two teenagers badly burned in a New Year’s Day cabin fire has died of his injuries. Greene County Sheriff Jack Williams said Sunday that 15-year-old Harley McDonald had died in an Iowa City burn unit. Television station KCCI reported that McDonald and 14-year-old Lucas Oakes were in the cabin located less than a mile north of McMahon State Wildlife Management Area when it burned in the early morning hours of Jan. 1. Both were taken to the Iowa City hospital, and Oakes was released on Jan. 8. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire, but Williams has previously said officials believe a wood-burning stove in the cabin may have started the blaze.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz has disbanded an alumni advisory committee that was created after a 2020 investigation found evidence of racial bias against Black players in his program and bullying behavior by some of his assistants. The Gazette reports that Ferentz’ decision to end the committee came shortly after its leader, former offensive lineman David Porter, suggested it was time for Iowa to part ways with Ferentz. But Ferentz said he had decided to overhaul the committee last fall before Porter made his comment to other committee members in a text message.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that parents must be given preference in regaining custody of their children in cases where other people have been caring for the kids through a guardianship. In a decision involving the case of a single mother and her child’s grandparents, the court on Friday established that parents have a fundamental right to the care, custody and control of their children. The court said that in cases where parents are seeking return of children and a dissolving of a guardianship, the juvenile court must presume “the child’s best interests are served by reuniting the minor child with their parent.” The ruling was prompted by the case of a child born to 16-year-old mother. The child lived mostly with her grandparents but the mother sought full return of custody.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The nation’s longest-tenured head football coach plans to stick around even longer as University of Iowa officials said they were extending Kirk Ferentz’s contract through the 2029 season. Iowa on Friday announced the four-year extension that followed a 10-4 record in 2021. It was Ferentz’s 23rd season at Iowa. The university said Ferentz would be paid $7 million a year. That includes a $500,000 base plus $5.5 million in supplemental compensation and a $1 million “longevity bonus.” The contract will expire on Jan. 31, 2030. Ferentz has 178 career wins, placing him first for victories at Iowa and fourth in Big Ten Conference history. This year’s season ended in a 20-17 loss to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A 26-year-old man has been charged after his car allegedly hit a Cedar Rapids police officer last month. Cedar Rapids officials say Eddie Ayers III was trying to flee after a traffic stop on Dec. 17 when his vehicle hit the officer, who suffered minor injuries. Reserve Officer Scott Fruehling fired his weapon at the vehicle but Ayers was not hit. Investigators used video and other evidence to identify Ayers as the driver. He is charged with two counts of assault on persons in certain occupations, interference with officials acts, eluding resulting in injury and four traffic violations.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A 17-year-old charged with killing his parents has been found competent to stand trial in the stabbing deaths of his parents. A judge ruled Friday that mental health evaluations performed on Ethan Alexander Orton found he was capable of understanding the proceedings. Orton, who is being tried as an adult, is accused of killing his parents with a knife and ax at their Cedar Rapids home on Oct. 14. Court proceedings were delayed for the mental health tests after Orton’s attorneys said in a motion they believed he had mental health issues. Orton is accused of killing 42-year-old Casey Arthur Orton and 41-year-old Misty Scott-Slade.
