From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
The Iowa Senate is finishing work on legislation to change child labor laws. It would allow people under age 18 to work later into the night, and in jobs considered dangerous, such as in meat packing plants. Supporters say this would help with the state’s current labor shortage. This measure has been on the Senate’s list of ‘unfinished business’ for about the last two weeks.
Trial is set to begin today for the Cedar Rapids man accused of killing a 22-year-old woman inside his home last April. Arthur Flowers is charged with first degree murder in the death of Emily Leonard. A judge deemed Flowers not competent to stand trial late last year, after he made several bizarre claims during a hearing. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
One man faces charges after police say he broke into Veterans Memorial Stadium and vandalized it. Andrew Reynolds was arrested shortly after the Sunday morning break-in. The Kernels game was cancelled later in the day due to inclement weather. Reynolds is charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and violating probation. Investigators say they were able to identify Reynolds because he took a video of himself running the bases on the field and posted it on Snapchat. He’s set to appear in court later this month.
Federal funding is coming to rural Iowa to support people battling homelessness. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is giving nearly $5 million dollars worth of funding for public housing projects in Iowa. That’s out of 171 million dollars going to projects nationwide. Funding in Iowa will go to the Iowa City Housing Authority, Cedar Rapids Housing Services, and the Muscatine Municipal Housing Agency, among others across the state.
A former teacher at Center Point-Urbana Middle School has been charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee. Prosecutors say Adam Hildebrandt sent multiple social media messages of a sexual nature to a 13-year-old student in June of 2021. The district allowed Hildebrandt to resign in December 2021. Hildebrandt entered a plea of not guilty in court.
