Cedar Rapids police are investigating after a woman was found dead along I-380 Monday afternoon. Investigators say the body was discovered by an Iowa DOT employee on the southbound side of the interstate near Wright Brothers Blvd. SW shortly before 4 p.m. Anyone with information is asked to call police or Linn County Crime Stoppers.
State representative and first district congressional candidate Ashley Hinson appeared at a campaign event in Waterloo yesterday morning with U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas; she then told me on KXEL Live & Local why having support like that is important. You can hear the full conversation with both Rep. Hinson and Sen. Cotton as a podcast at kxel-dot-com.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Boone County Sheriff’s Office say a body was found in a farm field in Boone County over the weekend. A farmer discovered the body of a deceased male in his field around 9:30 Sunday morning. A Boone County Sheriff’s detective says the body was found near the town of Beaver and it’s possible it has been there since summer. Officials are still working to identify the body and determine a cause of death. An autopsy is being performed by the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
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A U.S. senator from Arkansas was in Waterloo yesterday morning in support of a GOP congressional candidate. Sen. Tom Cotton told me on KXEL Live & Local why he made the trip to campaign on behalf of current state representative Ashley Hinson. The full interview with Sen. Cotton and Rep. Hinson can be heard by going to kxel-dot-com.
The state has updated its COVID-19 guidelines for schools, business and childcare settings. It says self-quarantining at home will no longer be required for those who have come into contact with someone with the virus, so long as both people were wearing a face covering “correctly and consistently” for the entire interaction. The announcement came during Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Tuesday news conference in which she said school superintendents have expressed frustration over previous guidelines from the state about quarantining. In some situations schools were having to quarantine a disproportionately high number of students when just a few positive cases had been identified. The updated recommendation is for non-healthcare, non-residential settings. Gov. Reynolds stressed that this is not a mask mandate, just updated recommendations.
A woman is recovering in the hospital after being stuck by a car in Waterloo. The incident happened around 8:15 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Ansborough and Sergeant Roads. Police say the driver pulled over and called 911 after the incident, and emergency responders transported the women to a hospital. The 27-year-old woman suffered serious injuries, but her current condition was not made public.
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Waterloo City Council members are considering transitioning from four full council meetings per month to two, which officials say would be more in line with other cities of its size. Council members discussed the change at a Monday work session at City Hall. Current city code language, adopted at work sessions in 2019, calls for four meetings each month on Monday evenings. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Council voted April 13 to delay further discussion of city code changes until they could meet in person. Ward 3 council member Patrick Morrissey opposes the change, saying two meetings would not uphold the Council’s responsibility to members of the public. Council members Jerome Amos, Jr. and Jonathan Grieder were not present at the Monday meeting, all those in attendance except Morrissey reportedly were in favor.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas was in Waterloo yesterday to campaign on behalf of current state representative and Republican congressional candidate Ashley Hinson, and I asked him if there was any chance of more cooperation in Washington, D.C. once this year’s general election was past. Cotton and Hinson were in our studios on KXEL Live & Local yesterday; you can hear the full conversation by going to the podcast section of kxel-dot-com.
Jesup Elementary preschool and transitional kindergarten students and staff will remain in quarantine until next Monday. That follows the recommendation of 14 days since their last exposure to an infected person; that person is required to isolate for 10 days since testing positive. All Jesup Community Schools’ students in preschool through fourth grade are now required to wear masks or face shields in response to this situation. All staff and fifth- through 12th-grade students were already required to wear the face coverings.
