A man was found dead in the Target Distribution Center parking lot late yesterday morning…apparently struck by a vehicle there. Just after 11:30 a.m., Cedar Falls Police, Cedar Falls Fire Rescue and MercyOne Paramedics were dispatched to the Target Distribution Center on a report of an unresponsive male in the parking lot. Emergency personnel determined that the subject was deceased and evidence indicated that the victim had been run over by a semi-tractor. The incident remains under investigation and names of the involved parties will be released at a later date.
Meanwhile, a body was found inside a burned vehicle in a northwest Iowa cornfield. The Sioux County Sheriff’s office said the burning vehicle was reported around 9 o’clock Friday night in a cornfield about 1.5 miles north of the town of Ireton. The SUV was completely on fire when firefighters arrived. The sheriff’s office said the body was found inside the SUV after the fire was extinguished. An autopsy will be performed. Authorities didn’t immediately release the name of the victim.
Cedar Rapids Police are investigating gunfire inside Cedar River Landing. It happened just after 11:15 p.m. Friday night at 301 F Avenue NW. Officers were called by several people who saw the gunfire. Investigators found shell casings but no injuries at the scene. Witnesses told police the suspect that fired the shots ran off before police arrived. Authorities are now looking for the person responsible.
A Tripoli school bus driver was charged with failure to yield the right of way following a collision with a vehicle after school Thursday. It happened just before 4 p.m. at U.S. Highway 63 and 180th Street. A vehicle driven by 62-year-old Cindy Dralle of Fredericksburg was south bound on Highway 63 when the school bus, driven by 44-year-old Paula Carlson of Tripoli, crossed over the south bound lanes and struck the rear wheel on the passenger side of the vehicle. No injuries were reported. The students on the bus were transported back to the Tripoli High School for reunification with parents.
Iowa election officials will begin mailing out absentee ballots today, and it’s the first day voters can go to their county auditor’s offices or a satellite location to vote early in person. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says as of Friday that 632,549 voters have requested an absentee ballot. Democrats requested more than 335,000 ballots, Republicans requested nearly 187,000 and no-party voters asked for about 108,000 ballots.
Meanwhile, Secretary Pate has announced new resources to assist individuals with past felony convictions who have had their voting rights restored. Pate’s office designed a new voter registration form that was unanimously approved by the state’s bipartisan Voter Registration Commission on Friday. The new form clarifies that Iowans with felony convictions can register to vote once their rights are restored by the Governor, including by Executive Order as she did in August. The old form remains valid for voter registration. And there is now a new interactive website, RestoreYourVote.Iowa.gov to assist those with felony convictions register to vote. We’ll talk with Secretary Pate tomorrow in the 9 o’clock hour of KXEL Live & Local.
A new poll in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District shows the race for the U.S. House is a dead heat. The poll, conducted for the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that seeks to elect Republicans to the House, shows incumbent Democrat Rep. Abby Finkenauer and her GOP challenger, state Rep. Ashley Hinson, tied at 45 percent each. Pollsters note that Hinson has a 6 percentage point advantage with independents. Finkenauer campaign spokesperson Jason Noble called the poll “an unreliable push poll from a pollster with a history of inaccurate results.”
It also looks like there will be no debates in that race beyond the public television forum on Labor Day. While the Hinson campaign has accepted additional invitations to debate, including one from News/Talk 1540 KXEL and our coverage partners at Iowa’s News Now, Finkenauer representatives say she’s too busy with Congressional matters to debate. Last month, they said she was too busy with helping with derecho relief.
Gov. Kim Reynolds is allowing bars in Iowa’s two largest college towns to reopen today after a five-week closure helped stop coronavirus outbreaks among young adults in those areas. Reynolds signed an order allowing bars to reopen today in Johnson and Story counties as long as they follow social-distancing rules. The order says all customers must consume their food and drinks while seated at a bar, booth or table, and must be at least 6 feet apart.
An aide says U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley is not believed to have been exposed to anyone testing positive for the coronavirus and is continuing to take normal precautions. The New Hartford Republican serves as Senate president pro tempore and is third in the line of succession, following Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Grassley’s largely ceremonial role has taken on new significance since President Donald Trump announced that he and the first lady have tested positive for the coronavirus. Asked about whether Grassley was taking any new precautions, Grassley aide Michael Zona said Friday the senator was continuing to follow guidance from the Senate doctor, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials.
Meanwhile, the Iowa Department of Corrections has imposed new restrictions on inmates at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Ft. Madison after three inmates tested positive for COVID-19. Currently, three inmates and four staffers have tested positive for the virus. 22 others working at the state prison have already recovered. This not the first outbreak of COVID-19 in state prisons. The deadliest was in the Fort Dodge center, where 360 inmates were infected and recovered, but three others died. According to the Department of Corrections, Ft. Madison inmates have been placed on restricted movement, and additional testing is being conducted. The restrictions also prohibit video conferences with loved ones.
Waterloo Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a man they believe robbed Ali’s Corner Convenience Store in Waterloo last Tuesday morning. 25-year-old Diontay Cobbs of Davenport is wanted on a charge of 1st Degree Robbery. Police are asking for the public’s help in locating him. They ask that you take no personal action in trying to detain Cobbs, but simply provide the information to Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers or Waterloo Police.
