POLK COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – The family of an eastern Iowa boy who drowned at Adventureland reached a settlement with the park’s former owners. That trial was scheduled to start Monday. 11-year-old Michael Jaramillo of Marion died in 2021. He was riding the Raging River with his family when the raft tipped over. According to a lawsuit filed by the family, the ride had a series of defects, including outdated rafts, broken computer systems, and modifications made without an engineer. On Monday, lawyers with the family told the judge the two sides had reached a settlement. Details of that settlement are not immediately available. The Jaramillo family had already reached settlements with the makers of the ride. Earlier this year, a judge dismissed claims against the state for shoddy inspections of the ride, citing a law that protects public officials from facing lawsuits for negligence.
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (KCRG) – Firefighters rescued two cats from an apartment fire in Independence Sunday. At approximately 11:07 p.m., the Independence Fire Department was dispatched to an apartment in the 1600 block of 2nd Street SW. Firefighters received initial reports that a female resident may have been inside the apartment. Crews arrived on scene and located smoke coming from inside the building. Firefighters entered the building and rescued two cats from the apartment. The resident was not home at the time of the fire. No injuries were sustained as a result of the fire. However, significant damage was caused to the apartment, specifically in the bathroom. The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical in nature.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – A baby girl has been taken in by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the state’s Safe Haven Act. Iowa’s Safe Haven Act assists parents in crisis who cannot care for an infant up to 90 days old. The department said the girl was born on May 23, and will be placed with a foster family until a permanent home is found. This is the third child surrendered through the Safe Haven law this year, and the 77th since it went into effect more than two decades ago.
CINCINNATI, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowan killed during the D-Day invasion of Normandy will be laid to rest June 6th – exactly 81 years after his death – in Cincinnati, Iowa, the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs said Monday. U.S. Army Private James L. Harrington’s remains were positively identified in 2023 thanks to advances in DNA technology. Pvt. Harrington was among approximately 200 solders aboard a landing craft heading toward Omaha Beach when it hit a mine and came under heavy enemy fire. The vessel caught fire before sinking. All aboard were killed. Recovery teams located the vessel in 1946 and recovered the remains of four people. However, they could not be identified at the time and were buried as “Unknown” at Normandy American Cemetery. Pvt. Harrington was officially listed as Missing in Action before his remains were exhumed in 2021 and positively identified in 2023.
