IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Police said they have cited 16-year-old Jonathan McCaffery, of North Liberty, as the driver who hit Iowa National Guard soldier Corey Hite. Police said they responded to the crash at around 4:16 p.m. on May 22nd at Melrose Avenue and Kennedy Parkway. Hite, 45, of Cedar Rapids died following the crash. The driver was later identified as McCaffery, the son of Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery. Jonathan McCaffery has been cited with Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian in a Crosswalk. Under Iowa law, a violation of this misdemeanor resulting in a death is punishable by a $1,000 fine, suspension of the driver’s license of up to 180 days, or both.
DES MOINES Iowa (KCRG) – Hours after Republicans in the Iowa legislature passed new abortion restrictions, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Iowa have filed a lawsuit to block those restrictions from taking effect. The “Fetal Heartbeat bill” would ban abortions in Iowa once cardiac activity is detected, which typically occurs around 6-weeks into a pregnancy. The bill includes exemptions for medical emergencies, rape and incest, or if the fetus is deemed not viable. The lawsuit filed Wednesday says that would “ban the vast majority of abortions in Iowa.” The lawsuit mostly hinges on the “undue burden” test, basically whether the law creates a hardship for someone seeking an abortion that is not outweighed by the interests of the government. Legal experts have said any would face a more difficult time because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling last year, which struck down constitutional protections for the right to an abortion.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services released data as part of the Iowa Youth Survey on trends in youth health and behavior from 2011 to 2021. Officials say that these trends are especially important to monitor as “many of the health-related behaviors that arise during adolescence have implications for both present and future health and development.” According to the survey, the state has made strides in reducing the prevalence of several key risk factors that lead to early death, disability, and disease across the youth’s lifespan. But there are also emerging trends in adolescent health that reflect larger public health concerns across the state and nation.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Police have arrested a New Jersey man they said was involved in a scheme to steal money from an older couple from Iowa City. Police said Johnn Tatis-Mendez, 26, of New Jersey, has been charged with First Degree Theft, for his involvement in a common scam used across the country, targeting older people. Specifically, the scammers called two people, ages 79 and 80, in Iowa City in June, posing as their son. The person claimed to have been arrested and needed $26,000 in cash for bond. Another person, claiming to be their son’s attorney, called and gave them instructions to put the money in a shoebox and give it to a woman in a Ford Escape. Police identified the woman as an unwitting Uber driver who had been hired through the app to take a box to a gas station in Grinnell. Police said they used surveillance footage from the gas station to watch as the scammers mill around, waiting for the delivery. Des Moines police said they took two reports of similar crimes in which victims lost $36,500 and $9,000. One of those victims was reportedly a person 72-years-old.
