MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (KCRG) – The Mount Pleasant Community School District’s purchase of part of the shuttered Iowa Wesleyan University campus is drawing criticism from some in the community. Close to 100 people were at a school board work session Monday night. One man who took the mic during public forum said to the School Board, “My question is, just because something’s a bargain, you buy it?” In May, Iowa Wesleyan closed after nearly 200 years in the community. The Mount Pleasant Community School District (MPCSD) bought practice fields on campus for $115,000 and the central part of campus for about $1.1 million. Officials said the chapel could provide an auditorium and other buildings, like Howe Student Activity Center, could be spaces for district offices.
MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – At the August 28th, school board meeting the Linn-Mar Community School District approved a set of new policies regarding transgender students. These policy updates make the school compliant with Iowa state law that requires teachers report if a student requests to use a different name or pronoun to both an administrator and the student’s parents. One member of the school board, Matt Rollinger, said he was still concerned of how little access parents could have to a student’s private medical record at school, even if for example, a student tells a school nurse that he or she is being abused by a parent. The board passed the second reading six to one. If a student makes a request to a licensed employee to accommodate a gender identity, name, or pronoun that is different than what was assigned to the student in the student’s registration forms or records, the licensed employee is required by Iowa law to report the request to an administrator. The school administrator receiving the report is required by Iowa law to report the request to the student’s parent/guardian. This requirement also applies to all nicknames.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – Everyone made it out safely after a fire started in the bathroom of an apartment building in Dubuque early Tuesday morning. In a press release, Dubuque firefighters said they were called at about 4 a.m. by a tenant on the first floor of the building, located in the 1600 block of Ohio Avenue. Responding fire crews were able to find the fire in a bathroom and quickly extinguished it. Crews then worked to clear smoke from the building. Fire officials said the fire was accidental and was caused by a bathroom fan. Residents were allowed to return to their units safely. The building’s smoke detectors were working and alerted residents of the fire and smoke. No injuries were reported.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – On Monday, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office announced that it completed its review of a fatal June 2023 shooting by two Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies. The conclusion came off the basis of an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation report regarding the shooting. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said it happened in the 1100 block of W. Gilman Street in Sheffield at around 9:40 p.m. on June 20th, 2023. Deputies were called for a report of a domestic dispute. Upon arrival, deputies stated that the man, later identified as Mathew T.J. Davis, pointed a weapon at a vehicle and deputies. A deputy shot the man once after he refused to comply with orders to drop the weapon, the sheriff’s office said. Davis died at the scene. The two deputies were not injured. Bodycam footage showed that the officers pleaded with Davis to drop the gun at least 17 times. Davis approached the deputies with his gun at them, at which point the deputies opened fire. After securing Davis’s weapon, the deputies rendered medical aid and called for an ambulance. During this time, Davis stated to the deputies, “Thank you for shooting me.” Davis died as he was being transferred to a nearby hospital. The 911 caller also reported to police that Davis stated he wanted to be shot. The Attorney General concluded that the deputies were “legally justified” and that no criminal charges were warranted.
