IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Two people were injured in a collision on I-80 in Iowa City that involved four semis early Monday morning. An Iowa State Patrol report says it happened just before 5:30 a.m. when the driver of a semi lost control for unknown reasons and the vehicle rolled, blocking all eastbound lanes of traffic on I-80 near the Dodge Street exit. Three other semis crashed into it, one after the other. Two of those semis ended up in the ditch, but the fourth remained on the roadway. The two people injured in this crash were taken to the hospital. There is no word on the extent of their injuries. Shortly after the incident happened, Iowa DOT cameras in the area showed a long line of vehicles trying to exit off I-80 for a detour. Iowa City Public Safety reported a “considerable backup” on northbound Highway 1 due to the collision.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Police have identified the 16-year-old accused of shooting another teenager in Cedar Rapids Saturday night, and court records are revealing new details about the incident. Police were called to the 1800 of A Avenue Northeast just before 9 p.m. for a report of shots fired. When officers got there, they said they found a 13-year-old with a gunshot wound to the leg. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. Khristopher Hoover, of Cedar Rapids, is charged in connection with the shooting. Court records say Hoover had gotten in an argument with another minor earlier in the day on Saturday. That minor later showed up at Hoover’s home with a group of other youth to fight Hoover. That’s when Hoover came out of the home with a hand gun and fired into the group, hitting the 13-year-old in the leg, according to the court documents. Hoover is charged as an adult with Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Injure, Going Armed with Intent, and a minor charged with a dangerous weapon. The incident remains under investigation.
NEWTON, Iowa (KCCI/KCRG) – National layoffs at John Deere are having a trickle-down effect as a manufacturing company has announced it plans to close its facility in Newton, laying off all its employees. That announcement is likely tied to its relationship with John Deere, which has laid off thousands of workers across several states in recent months. As Newton Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Frank Liebl says, the shutdown wasn’t that big of a shock considering one of the company’s primary partnerships is with Deere. Liebl says the Gates Corporation has been a John Deere supplier since the business first came to Newton in 2017. Now, according to the Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN Notification List, Gates has notified 41 of its Newton workers that they will be getting laid off. According to the posting, all the workers will be officially laid off in November.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – A Coralville man has been arrested and is facing numerous charges after police said he fired a gun in a crowded area near a bar in Iowa City, injuring one person and damaging a food cart. In a criminal complaint, police said 23-year-old Iziah Poulsen got into an altercation with two people at a bar in the 200 block of S Dubuque Street just before 1 a.m. on July 20. He reportedly left, then returned with a gun and fired multiple shots, causing people in the crowded area to disperse. One person tried to take the gun away from Poulsen, but police said Poulsen fired a shot at them and then pistol whipped them. One bullet hit an unarmed person and another damaged a taco cart, grazing the hand of an employee. Police said Poulsen has previously been convicted of Carrying Weapons in Johnson County and is prohibited from having firearms.
