BREMER COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa State Patrol says one person was killed in an accident on Saturday afternoon in Bremer County. Officials say a 47-year-old driver from Des Moines was heading east in a Toyota Tacoma on 190th Street, and failed to yield to a posted stop sign. A Ford F150, being driven by an 82-year-old person from Waverly, was driving south on Piedmont Avenue and hit the driver’s side of the Tacoma in the intersection. Five people were injured, including both drivers. One passenger, 41-year old Lungawia Chalthleng of Urbandale, was killed. Many agencies responded to the crash, including Denver Ambulance, Sumner Ambulance, and Readlyn and Tripoli Fire.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Cedar Rapids police said they have detained the suspects in a shots fired incident on Saturday. Police responded near the 300 block of 19th Street SE in the Wellington Heights neighborhood just after 1 p.m. Officers were able to locate the suspects in the area, who led them on a chase. Police stopped the vehicle and detained the suspects. No one was injured in the incident. Police do not believe there is any threat to the public. An investigation is ongoing.
TAMA COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird determined an officer-involved shooting in Tama County was legally justified. On July 5, Tama County dispatchers received a 911 call from a person requesting a welfare check on Logan Kurth. The caller received a video call from Kurth, who said he was drunk and on methamphetamine, and wanted to take his own life. The caller told dispatchers Kurth was in possession of a handgun. Law enforcement spoke to Kurth’s mother, who expressed concern over Kurth’s grandmother, who was present in the home with Kurth. The grandmother drove to the officer’s location, and told police that Kurth had a handgun when she left the home. Police found Kurth near 13th Street in Tama. Kurth advanced toward officers and pointed a handgun at them. He also refused to drop the gun, and told police to shoot him. He then advanced toward one officer in particular, aiming his gun at him. The officer shot Kurth, and he died from his injuries. Witnesses provided details regarding the hours leading up to the shooting, claiming Kurth went to an apartment in Marshalltown with friends. At the apartment, Kurth drank alcohol and took a pill he brought with him. He also located the apartment owner’s airsoft gun, and “mess[ed] with it” while he was there, according to a release from the Attorney General’s Office. The owner of the gun noticed it had gone missing after Kurth left. The gun Kurth possessed at the scene of the shooting was an airsoft-style gun designed to look like a real one. Kurth had a history of mental health and substance abuse issues, telling family members he would die before going back to jail. Around an hour before the shooting, Kurth texted a family member and told them “This is it. I’m going to take out the cops. Someone’s dying tonight. It’s probably me.”
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Beginning this school year, two new laws will impact classrooms across the state. One law requires districts to create policies banning the use of cellphones during class. Some school districts, including Iowa City, already had policies in place prior to the law change. Under the new law, schools are also required to have a plan for how parents may communicate with their children during emergencies. Another new law requires students in “human growth and development classes” to watch a fetal development video. Students in grades five through 12 must watch the video. The ultrasound video features “the presence of the brain, heart, and other vital organs in early fetal development,” and “the humanity of an unborn child”. The law also bans any videos from groups that perform abortions. Opponents claim this will ban teachers from using materials from places like UIHC and the Mayo Clinic.
