MONTICELLO, Iowa (KCRG) – As part of a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2022, Camp Courageous raffled off a 1971 VW Bus on New Year’s Eve. Charlie Becker, long-time director of Camp Courageous, obtained the ‘71 VW Bus from a friend of his son who lived in San Diego, CA. They used it every day to commute to and from work. The vehicle was trailered in San Diego and brought to Iowa for the giveaway. The bus was then stripped to the metal and painted candy apple red by Brad Johnson, Custom Auto Rebuilders in Marion. The top was repainted white. During this time new parts were added as needed. After Becker finished restoring the iconic vehicle, he donated it to Camp Courageous in honor of the organization’s 50th Anniversary and in appreciation for his 42 years with the camp. Tom Bagge, the owner of Oak Street Manufacturing, finished the interior, and Steve Davis, of Hopkinton, provided signage. Amy Wright, from Monticello, was the winner of the raffle to take home the vehicle. The raffle raised around $160,000 for the camp and was their third largest fundraiser of the year.
BUCHANAN COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – At around 2:10 pm on Saturday Buchanan County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to an accident in the 1800 block of Slater Avenue, which is located north of Aurora. Deputies learned that 19-year-old Duncan Charles Schott from Cedar Rapids had been heading north on Slater avenue when he lost control of the 2008 Dodge Ram he was driving. The Dodge Ram went into the west ditch and continued until it hit a creek bed, and came to a stop at the other side. Schott wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Schott was taken to the Regional Medical Center in Manchester due to his serious injuries. Authorities are still investigating the incident and there are charges pending. The Winthrop Fire Department, the Iowa State Patrol, RMC Ambulance, and AMR Ambulance helped the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (KCRG) – The grandfather of an Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker was killed in an incident in Nashville the night before the team played a bowl game in a city, according to officials. The University of Iowa Athletics Department said that William Smith, Jr., 76, of Waterloo, was killed in an incident involving a vehicle and a pedestrian. Smith was attempting to cross West End Avenue around 10:15 p.m. on Friday night when a hotel’s shuttle van hit him. Smith was taken to nearby Vanderbilt Medical Center where he died from his injuries. Nashville Police said that Smith’s family had attempted to stop him from crossing the road at the time, but he was unable to hear them due to rain falling at the time. Smith was the grandfather to Jack Campbell, a senior linebacker for the Hawkeyes. The school said that Campbell was not told by his parents of the death of Smith until after the bowl game on Saturday to allow him “one last time to play with his Iowa Hawkeyes teammates.” No one in the hotel shuttle van was injured. The driver of the van is not anticipated to be charged with a crime, according to police.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A police chase in Des Moines ended after a squad car pushed a pickup truck into a home. The chase began Friday afternoon when an officer tried to pull the truck over because its license plate didn’t match the vehicle. The vehicles reached speeds of 80 mph in a 35 mph zone before police got in front of the truck and forced it to stop. The driver was still trying to drive away when an officer hit the truck, pushing it against the house. The driver was taken to a hospital and later arrested.
