From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
The Dubuque Civil Service Commission heard almost three hours of arguments yesterday about a terminated Dubuque police officer who police say accidentally fired a gun and lied about it. In August, police say 26-year-old Aidan Carr went to move a loaded handgun from a dresser when he accidentally pulled the trigger. The bullet went through the house and across the street through his neighbor’s window, where it hit the couch. Carr is appealing. The Commission did not immediately rule on the appeal.
Iowa City’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission held its last meeting last night. The City created it four years ago in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. Over the last four years, a staff member used racial slurs, another was arrested, and another was accused of bullying. The Commission had received $400,000 in funding, but no policies changed. It did hire consultants to conduct research on racism in the area, which will be presented to the City Council in three to four months.
Iowa is starting work on an overhaul of the state’s mental health and substance abuse treatment system. This overhaul will combine the 32 separate mental health and substance abuse treatment districts into seven this summer. In a surprise to some in the mental health field, Iowa chose one provider, the Iowa Primary Care Association, to run all seven. Next month, Iowa HHS will finalize a plan and open it to public comment.
The group behind the Alliant Energy Lightline bridge is laying out its plans to fund the project after bids came in far over the city’s budget. Connect CR says the City Council approved hiring General Constructors from the Quad Cities to build the bridge, but it came in at $15 million. That’s about $4 million more than city leaders expected. It now says the city is working on additional funding options to fill that gap. That may include allocating future property taxes to help pay the difference.
The Field of Dreams is getting a $500,000 grant from Google.org to develop yearlong programming at the Dyersville site. The new educational programming is part of a long-term vision since Dyersville Events, Inc. purchased the entire 297 acre site in September. The Field of Dreams currently hosts approximately 500 youth teams and several team-building camps each year.
