CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – UnityPoint St. Luke’s Hospital and University of Iowa Health Care have been forced to conserve their IV fluids due to the national shortage. One of America’s largest IV fluid manufacturing plants, Baxter International, located in North Carolina, suffered substantial damage from Hurricane Helene. This has resulted in a shortage of IV fluids nationally, and in Eastern Iowa. KCRG-TV9 reached out to UnityPoint St. Luke’s, University of Iowa Healthcare, and Mercy Medical Center to ask how they are handling the shortage. UnityPoint St. Luke’s told KCRG-TV9 in a statement, “UnityPoint Health is taking proactive measures to preserve its supply of IV fluids. Our clinical and supply chain leaders are actively working together to implement evidence-based conservation measures while ensuring the delivery of safe patient care,” it said. The hospital also said it isn’t canceling or postponing any surgeries. University of Iowa Health Care told KCRG-TV9, “Conservation protocols are currently active at UI Health Care to support patient care needs across the health system. Patient care operations continue uninterrupted,” it said. Mercy Medical Center told KCRG-TV9 that it uses a completely different manufacturer than other hospitals. It said it hasn’t been affected by the shortage at all, and it still has enough IV fluids.
TAMA, Iowa (KCRG) – Police are searching for a man wanted for a parole violation out of Wisconsin. The Meskwaki Nation Police Department said Justin Silvers, 40, was involved in a short vehicle pursuit Monday morning that ended in the 100 block of West Village Road on the Meskwaki Settlement. Silvers ran on foot away from his vehicle, into the woods in the area. Officers used a drone and searched on foot, but were unable to find him. Silvers was last seen wearing a red/orange T-shirt and jeans. He is about 6′-6′3″ tall and weighs about 185 pounds. He has short brown hair and has tattoos on his left hand and forearm. Police warned people to avoid approaching him because he is known to go armed. Police also said Silvers’ vehicle is impounded, so he may be looking for a ride or a vehicle. If anyone sees a person matching his description, they are asked to avoid him and call law enforcement, using 911.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT/KCRG) – A man has been arrested in connection to the death of a woman whose body was located in February. In a statement released Monday, the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) said that on Monday they arrested Justin Sickler, 45, of Council Bluffs, in connection to the death of Brianne McIntosh. Sickler faces charges of First Degree Murder, a Class A felony, Abuse of a Corpse, a Class C felony, and Theft in the 3rd Degree, an Aggravated Misdemeanor, according to the statement. The statement says that Sickler was taken into custody without incident, and was transported to Pottawattamie County jail. A female body was located in Rural Fremont County, Iowa, and was taken to the DCI by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office to assist in the investigation. The body was taken to the Iowa State Medical Examiner, and was identified as Brianne McIntosh, who was reported as a missing person in Omaha in December 2023. An autopsy found that McIntosh had sustained severe facial injuries related to her death.
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (KCRG) – A jury has found a man guilty for slamming a vehicle into the family of a former Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball recruit, killing her father and ending her collegiate career. Closing arguments were held earlier on Monday in the five-day trial of 35-year-old Michael Hurley, of Lexington, Indiana. The jury found Hurley guilty of murder in the death of Trey Jones and both counts of assault in the first degree of Amy and Ava Jones. He was also found guilty of assault in the fourth degree of another Jones family member, and one count of a DUI. Prosecutors said Hurley was high on fentanyl when he slammed his vehicle into the Jones family as they stood waiting to cross a street in downtown Louisville on July 5, 2022. The crash killed Trey Jones and critically injured his wife, Amy, and his daughter, Ava Jones. Ava Jones was a Division 1 basketball player being recruited at the time by the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ava suffered a traumatic brain injury. Despite the injury, Iowa still signed Ava Jones, but she was never medically cleared to play basketball. She decided to medically retire from the sport this past summer.
