DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is pushing for every car to have AM radio. She says it’s important for safety. A handful of auto manufacturers are no longer putting AM radios in newer vehicles. They cite that electric engines can interfere with AM stations. First Responders and politicians have pushed for car-makers to keep AM radio. They say important weather and safety alerts are broadcast over AM radio. Bird calls for every car being manufactured to have AM radios. Congress is currently looking at a bill that would do just that. This is as communities are recovering from Hurricane Helene and bracing for Milton.
SPRINGVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) – Two people were sent to the hospital after a crash in Linn County Wednesday afternoon. It happened at about 3:55 p.m. at Highway 151 and Wendling Lane. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office said a 2016 Dodge Ram was heading southbound on Highway 151 when a 2004 Toyota Camry turned into its path from Highway 151 North, causing the collision. Two 19-year-olds, one from Springville, and one from Marion, were in the Camry. They were both taken to the hospital for what are believed to be non-life-threatening-injuries. The crash caused the closure of one lane of southbound traffic for about an hour. The driver of the Camry was cited for Failure to Yield.
ATKINS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Atkins City Council is moving forward with plans to build a new fire station. On Tuesday, council members voted unanimously to award the $3,376,000 project to Garling Construction of Belle Plaine. Garling Construction was among the eleven companies bidding to work on the project. The new Atkins Fire Station will replace the one that was destroyed by the 2020 derecho. The department has been operating out of temporary facilities ever since. Solum Lang Architects has been working with city leaders since 2021 to design the station. The project is partially funded by proceeds from a FEMA grant.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCRG) – Firefighters say an explosion and fire caused damage to a home and a yard shed in Cedar Falls on Wednesday afternoon. Fire crews said it happened at around 12:45 p.m. in the 9900 block of Opal Lane. A caller reported having heard an explosion before seeing a yard shed at the home on fire. When first responders arrived, they said they found smoke and flames coming from the rear of the home and from a yard shed. Everyone was able to make it out of the home safely. But firefighters did save one cat that was inside the home. Paramedics provided emergency care to the cat. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire and prevented it from spreading to nearby homes. The home had “significant smoke, fire and water damage,” according to first responders. No one was injured. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but firefighters said it is believed to be related to one of the residents of the home performing maintenance on a motorcycle near the home just before the explosion.
