DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa is the first in the nation to let a pandemic-era eviction requirement expire. The requirement said landlords had to provide people 30 days notice before eviction. It was part of the federal CARES Act, first passed in March 2020. According to court documents, the state Supreme Court ruled last week the requirement was only temporary and no longer in effect. It comes after district judges previously rejected eviction proceedings from a Cedar Rapids Apartment complex called Retreat on 6th.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa native and NASA astronaut is being inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Peggy Whitson grew up in Beaconsfield in southern Iowa. Whitson flew on three NASA long-duration space flights and served as commander of Axiom Mission 2. She spent a total of 675 days in space, more than any other American astronaut or female astronaut in the world. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame is at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Florida. An induction ceremony is set for May 31.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – A Dubuque man has been charged with Threats of Terrorism for an incident that briefly put UnityPoint Finley Hospital into lockdown on Wednesday. Police were called to the hospital at 350 N. Grandview just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday for a threat of violence. Police said they identified the caller as 49-year-old Justin Auman Keene, of Dubuque. Officers found Keene at his Dubuque residence, where they took him into custody without incident. Hospital staff released a statement indicating the threat was targeting a specific person at the hospital, and the lockdown was initiated out of an abundance of caution. The lockdown was lifted at 1 p.m.
TIFFIN, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa furniture company is expanding into Eastern Iowa with a store in Tiffin. Homemakers announced construction will begin on a new Tiffin showroom this year, with plans to open in 2028. The company says the project will add 200 jobs. Homemakers opened in 1974 and has a flagship store in Urbandale. This would be the company’s first location in Eastern Iowa. The new store would include a 200,000-square-foot showroom and fulfill sales from its own warehouse, letting customers pick-up furniture the same day or have it delivered.