CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A Cedar Rapids mobile home is a total loss after a fire that killed multiple pets on Monday morning. Firefighters were called to the 200 block of Ripon Street SW at the Kirkwood Estates at around 10:15 a.m. for a mobile home on fire. Two residents were able to get out of the home safely with their dog. Two cats and a python likely died in the fire, according to officials. Firefighters said the fire was extinguished at around 10:40 a.m., but smoke and steam continued for a long time afterward due to the amount of material inside the home.
DECORAH, Iowa (KCRG) – Luther College is set to rename an athletics facility after receiving the largest monetary gift in the school’s 162-year history. The school announced on Monday that Michael and Nicole Gerdin gifted $10 million to help renovate the Regents Center which is home to Norse athletics and the wellness center. Luther College will rename the facility the ‘Gerdin Fieldhouse for Athletics and Wellness.’ Michael Gerdin is the CEO of Heartland Express in North Liberty and a 1992 graduate of Luther.
JASPER COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – On August 26, 2023, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident in a rural part of the county. Responders say that a 17-year-old passenger in the motor vehicle, Chloe Hutchcraft, died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. Following an investigation, officials last week charged the driver of the vehicle, 18-year-old Benjamin Kelne of Grinnell, with Reckless Driving, Possession/Purchase of Alcohol, Careless Driving, Failure to Maintain Control, and Involuntary Manslaughter.
BREMER COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Bremer County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to four crashes in a matter of an hour on Sunday amid wintry conditions. In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office shared images of damage done to vehicles involved in at least one of the four crashes they responded to. They did not say whether there were any injuries in the crashes. They also shared images of vehicles they stopped for speeding more than 90 mph despite the areas of slick spots due to blowing snow. One of the vehicles pulled over was reportedly a driver on an instruction permit. “With the blowing snow the roads are still slick in spots. There is no need for speeds like this in these conditions,” the Bremer County Sheriff’s Office said in the post. “Be better and smarter!!”
