CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Linn County Treasurer’s Office closed to walk-in customers at noon on Thursday as staff said COVID-19 cases and exposures have caused a staffing shortage. The office will remain closed Friday, but is expected to reopen at 7:30 a.m. on Monday. Staff said transactions received through the mail, drop box, and email will continue to be processed, and staff will still be taking phone calls as the staffing level allows. People can still drop off payments, vehicle registration renewals or other paperwork at the white drop box outside the Public Service Center located at 935 2nd Avenue SW. Property taxes and vehicle registrations can still be paid online.
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (AP) — Crews were still searching for an 11-year-old girl who they believe drowned at a state park near Mount Vernon. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office was called Wednesday afternoon to Palisades State Park after someone went into the Cedar River and began struggling. The sheriff’s office said Thursday the girl had drowned and identified her as Zyah Thomas of Cedar Rapids.
BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Police say a 28-year-old suspect in the shooting of a Chicago police officer is in custody in Iowa. Burlington police say Jabari Edwards, of Chicago, was arrested Wednesday in Burlington. He was wanted in Cook County, Illinois, on warrants charging two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer. Chicago police say Edwards fired at two officers who were trying to stop a car he was driving on June 1. Officer Fernanda Ballesteros was shot in the head and is recovering at home. The other officer was able to drive Ballesteros to the hospital.
JOHNSTON, Iowa (KCCI) – Police say they arrested the command chief of the Iowa Air National Guard in Polk County on Wednesday night after he reportedly drove under the influence, damaging property at Camp Dodge. Thomas Fennell, 57, of Sioux City, enlisted in the Iowa air National Guard in 1988 and was named command chief in 2017. Court documents say Fennell registered a .282 alcohol reading on a preliminary breath test Wednesday night. He was booked into the Polk County Jail Thursday morning. He faces charges of operating while under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to provide aid or information.
