STRAWBERRY POINT, Iowa (KCRG) – As the town of Strawberry Point remains without a fire department, the city council is set to vote on whether or not to reappoint Fire Chief Nic Stelken to another two-year term. On Thursday night, the Strawberry Point Fire department announced it would cease operations. In a message on its Facebook page, the department said the unanimous decision was influenced by a lack of support from the city council and the mayor. The department says that they have not made the decision lightly, and that they have contacted surrounding agencies to provide coverage during this time as part of their 28E agreement. On Friday afternoon, city leaders and fire department members met for more than two and a half hours, discussing their grievances. The volunteer fire department has 24 crew members. The next city council meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday at 6 p.m.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Hundreds of Monarch butterflies were released Saturday at the Indian Creek Nature Center’s annual Monarch Fest. Nature center leaders said the event is a way to teach people about monarch butterflies and other pollinators and the role they play in the environment. The festival also featured a Pollinator Plant Give Away, a Roll Milkweed Seed Balls activity and kids could even take home their own caterpillar to raise and release at home. Leaders with the Nature Center said it’s a fun way to get people of all ages interested in helping pollinators. “Doing things like planting native plants in your yard or reducing the number of chemicals you put on your grass, things like that, that are really simple things that you can do throughout the year to help butterflies and other pollinators,” said Eric Hart, Indian Creek Nature Center Marketing Manager. The festival also featured art stations and food trucks for people to enjoy.
HILLS, Iowa (Iowa’s News Now) — 10 were taken to the hospital after three cars collided along Highway 218 near Hills. It happened just before 11:30 p.m. Friday in the southbound lanes of the highway near the Hills exit. A mass casualty event was declared, which alerted physicians at University of Iowa Health Care. Doctors arrived on scene to help treat the injured before they were taken to the hospital. Authorities say all injured in the crash are expected to recover. Several other agencies in the area also responded to the scene for treatment, transportation, investigation, and cleanup. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating the cause of the crash.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Iowa’s News Now) — Firefighters were called to a fire inside a home overnight Saturday night into Sunday morning in Cedar Rapids. It happened in the 800 block of Center Point Road NE. When first responders arrived, they found smoke coming from the home and flames on the second floor. Crews moved in to knock down the flames. No one was inside the home at the time of the fire. The cause is now under investigation.
