DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – On Monday, the Dubuque County Auditor announced that the City of Dyersville’s email system had been compromised. Officials were clued in on the compromise after the City of Dyersville reached out to Dubuque County to check the status of an invoice they submitted regarding federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The City of Dyersville had been granted approval for the funds to be used for projects, and Dubuque County determined that the invoice payment had already been made to the City of Dyersville for the claim. An internal review found that the invoice payment of $524,283.88 was made to the City of Dyersville but that the city never received it. Officials believe the payment was orchestrated by a third party. The incident is under investigation.
BRANDON, Iowa (KCRG) – The semi crash on I-380 Friday morning near Brandon that caused traffic delays for several hours also resulted in the death of at least 12 cows, officials confirmed in an update. The Buchanan County Sheriff’s office released new details, saying the driver was heading northbound on I-380 when he fell asleep at the wheel. The semi entered the median and crashed through the guardrail, hitting a cement bridge rail. That caused the semi to overturn and go into Lime Creek. A pickup truck also traveling on I-380 hit some of the debris in the road after the initial crash. Officials estimated the damage to the pickup truck at around $1,500. Neither driver was hurt in this crash. The semi driver was cited for failure to control his vehicle. The semi was carrying about 60 cows. The sheriff’s office said about 12-15 of the cows were killed in the crash, or died afterward. The crash and cleanup efforts caused the roadway to be reduced to one lane for several hours. A Linn County Regional Hazmat Team had to be called in because the semi was leaking diesel into a nearby creek.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The unseasonably warm weather means Mount Trashmore in Cedar Rapids will be open briefly this week. Walkers can take advantage of the conditions again today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The facility was open similar hours yesterday. The Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency said the Overlook and Stumptown trails will be open, but the bike trail will remain closed. People will have to check in as usual in the 948 building before access. Mount Trashmore’s official opening is set for April.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – A parent of a 15-year-old who was killed in a 2022 shooting outside a Des Moines school, and a student who was also injured in that shooting, are filing lawsuits against the Des Moines Independent Community School District. On March 7, 2022, a shooting outside East High School killed 15-year-old Jose Lopez and injured two teenage girls including the plaintiff in one of the lawsuits, Jessica Lopez. Investigators say a group of 10 teens were involved in the shooting. Jose’s mother, Deborha Perez, and Jessica Lopez are now filing separate lawsuits against the school. Both allege that the school was negligent in keeping the school grounds safe and that they knew of a violent feud between the students involved in the shooting and Jose, but did not take substantive action against it. They also charge in their lawsuits that the school district has not honored an open records request that they filed back in April and December 2022, which violates Iowa Code chapter 22.
