From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
Curtis Padgett showed little emotion in a Linn County courtroom Monday as a judge read his verdict. He is guilty of first degree murder in the death of his Cedar Rapids neighbor. Padgett opted for a bench trial, meaning the judge heard the case and decided the verdict. In 2007, Padgett beat and stabbed his neighbor, 64-year-old Dennis First, to death.
University of Iowa Police say officers tore down the start of an encampment Monday morning. The group University of Iowa Action for Palestine posted pictures to Instagram and said it was behind the encampment to protest the war in Gaza. Organizers left after UIPD threatened to arrest them. The group has said it plans to return. This group is not affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine; that’s the group that held three days of peaceful protests during the weekend.
An Eastern Iowa blood donation center is asking for donations to offset the increased demand summertime brings. ImpactLife says the increase is largely in part due to an increase in traumatic injuries, since more people are outside doing potentially harmful activities, such as lawn care or construction. Plus, the number of blood donations is continuing to drop, as schools and universities are closing, which means they’re not hosting blood drives. Public Relations Manager Kirby Winn says they’ve had to step up their outreach to have enough to get by. He recommends any interested organization, school, or business reach out to ImpactLife to set up a mobile blood drive.
There are 400 puppy mills in Iowa; that’s according to Bailing Out Benji, an Iowa-based organization working to end puppy mills. Bailing Out Benji aims to educate people on the prevalence of puppy mills by making government health records and inspection records public. A research analyst says a major contributor to the number of puppy mills in Iowa is a USDA loophole. She says it allows federally licensed breeders–those that send animals outside of the state–to not have to follow the stronger, state regulations.
