DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – Not even a month after announcing his candidacy for Iowa’s Second Congressional District, Rod Blum has suspended it. Blum announced on September 18 he was entering the race. He served in Congress from 2015 to 2019, serving an area that included Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Cedar Falls. After his time there, a previous press release says Blum “served on the Small Business Committee as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy, and Trade, and served on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.” He also worked with President Trump’s Iowa campaign with the Iowa Leadership Committee. In a press release on Monday, Blum talked about his future. “It has become clear to me that I can help President Trump in other ways that are more effective than being in the U.S. House,” said Blum. “I love our country, and despite our challenges I remain optimistic that under the President’s leadership, America’s best days are still to come.”
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – A University of Iowa men’s basketball player has been arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and public intoxication. A criminal complaint says Tavion Banks, 22, was seen in a fight with staff at ReUnion Brewery around 1:15 a.m. Sunday when police intervened. Banks refused a breathalyzer test. Banks is a senior forward from Kansas City, Missouri, and transferred from Drake University. The Iowa Athletic Department released a statement Monday morning about Banks’ situation. “The UI Athletics Department and men’s basketball program are aware of Tavion Banks’ citation over the weekend. He is subject to established university protocol regarding the UI Student-Athlete Code of Conduct, and the rules and regulations set for members of the men’s basketball program.”
HUMBOLDT, Iowa (KCRG) – Parents are suing a central Iowa school district, accusing them of trying to cover up that their child was sexually abused by a teacher. The middle school teacher, Samantha Meyer-Davis, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison last week after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting a student between May 2022 and November 2023. In the lawsuit against the Humboldt Community School District, parents claim the school knew about the abuse but did not inform them. Court documents also claim the superintendent told staff not to tell law enforcement or open an investigation. It also claims the district did not take action to prevent the abuse until the state became involved.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A motorcyclist was seriously injured after a traffic collision in Cedar Rapids. According to the Cedar Rapids Police Department, police and emergency crews responded to the 2300 block of Mt. Vernon Road SE at 5:08 P.M. Sunday to a report of a traffic collision. They arrived to find a motorcyclist with severe to life-threatening injuries. The section of Mt. Vernon Road was temporarily closed to allow reconstruction crews to process the scene. The accident is under investigation.
