CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman has reached a severance agreement with the city. Jerman aged out of his officer certification when he turned 66 years old. Iowa State law states “The maximum age for a person employed as a peace officer pursuant to this section is sixty-five years of age.”A list of requirements on the Cedar Rapids Police website states: “Maximum age for Peace Officer is sixty-five (65) years of age.” He will be able to retire tomorrow if the city council agrees on a more than $240,000 severance agreement. The agreement includes 12 months’ salary, accrued and unused flex leave, and reimbursement expenses. Jerman had been chief for about 10 years.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – After residential property assessments increased by about 20%, hundreds of people across eastern Iowa are appealing their assessment. The increase in assessed value will affect how property tax bills are calculated throughout the state, which can’t be calculated until the assessment limitation and levy rate are finalized. Those three factors can vary by county, city, township or neighborhood. According to the Johnson County Assessor’s Office, around 25 people in Johnson County are appealing the assessment. The Cedar Rapids Assessor’s Office said it has 267 people appealing while the Linn County Assessor’s office said it has around 350 making an appeal. These increases are being seen statewide. Polk County saw home values increase by an average of 22% since 2021′s reassessment. It said the increase is the steepest hike in residential values in at least 40 years.
BREMER COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – On April 10th, at approximately 9:45 am, an 18-year-old man was injured while attempting to elude law enforcement. Officials say a 2008 Volkswagen Beetle was actively fleeing law enforcement while driving Eastbound on Highway 3, west of 10th Ave SW in Waverly. The driver, Wyatt Allan Mitchell made an abrupt steering maneuver in the roadway that caused his vehicle to enter the north ditch. The vehicle vaulted and rolled, ejecting Mitchell who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time. Mitchell was taken to a nearby hospital. No word on the extent of his injuries. The incident remains under investigation.
CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — At first, the winner of a $40 million jackpot says he couldn’t believe he won the lottery on April Fools’ Day. Earl Lape, a 61-year-old retired mechanic from Dubuque, Iowa, said he thought it was a joke. He believed it only after confirming his winning Lotto America ticket with a convenience store clerk. Claiming his winnings Monday, Lape said: “I laughed. I thought it was April Fools’.” He opted to take his winnings in cash: a cool $21.28 million. The $40 million prize winnings would’ve been paid over 29 years. Lape said he’ll use the money to help his family, and will make donations to benefit children with medical issues.
