CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCRG) – Cedar Falls city officials postponed a public hearing on zoning and code changes needed for a proposed power plant and cryptocurrency mining operation. The hearing was pushed back to April 22 amid concerns from residents about environmental impacts and utility costs. Cedar Falls Utilities and Simple Mining, the company behind the cryptocurrency operation, say their projects will not negatively impact the public or the environment. Residents at Tuesday night’s meeting showed skepticism about those claims. People are concerned about noise levels and water and electricity usage. Simple Mining says its crypto mining will use a closed loop water cooling system, which will allow the operation to use very little water. The company also says it can be shut down quickly when energy rates are higher.
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) — Iowa lawmakers are considering raising the gas tax to offset potential revenue losses from property tax changes. It is part of negotiations between Republican legislative leaders and Governor Kim Reynolds on an overall property tax reform package. Republicans have made property tax reform a priority this year. If state lawmakers change the law on how much local leaders can collect in property taxes, it could impact what services they can provide. To offset some of the money that local communities could raise through property taxes, legislators are considering raising the gas tax. That could help pay for road and bridge maintenance and construction. Higher gas taxes would obviously not only provide increased revenues from Iowa drivers but also from out-of-state motorists who fill up in the state. Reynolds stressed that any gas tax increase would be dedicated to roads and bridges and could not be used for other things in the overall budget. The gas tax would be indexed to inflation. So, a 30-cent state gas tax might increase a penny or two per gallon.
ANKENY, Iowa (KCCI/KCRG) – A total of 15 students were injured Tuesday afternoon after a vehicle hit several pedestrians at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic School. Police said the incident occurred in the school’s pickup line around 3:15 p.m. when the vehicle went up and over the curb where students were waiting. Police say the 15 students range in age from seven to 11 years old. Of the 15 children, eight have been discharged, and seven are still receiving care at the hospital. Authorities believe the incident was not intentional but remains under investigation.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A Chicago felon was convicted of several theft crimes Wednesday in connection to a scheme involving fraudulent U.S. Treasury checks at eastern Iowa financial institutions. 34-year-old Tyrone Harris, of Chicago, Illinois, was convicted of five counts of theft of government property, five counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of money laundering and one count of money laundering conspiracy following a plea hearing. According to court documents, Harris gave fraudulent U.S. Treasury checks to co-conspirators to provide to eastern Iowa financial institutions. His co-conspirators had fraudulent driver’s licenses in the names of the people the U.S. Treasury had issued the checks, and possessed the victims’ Social Security numbers and dates of birth. Between August 2023 and September 2023, Harris was involved in trafficking five stolen U.S. Treasury checks valued at more than $300,000, impacting five different victims. At the plea hearing, Harris admitted to withdrawing $9,000 in stolen cash to hide the fraud proceeds. He admitted to conspiring with others to launder fraudulent proceeds between June 2023 and September 2023. Harris has prior convictions in Illinois, Georgia and Oklahoma. His record includes felony convictions in Oklahoma for DUI, attempting to elude officers and avoiding a roadblock. Harris is the sixth defendant convicted in connection to the fraudulent U.S. Treasury check scheme.
