SHOOTINGS AROUND 10 P-M LAST NIGHT IN BOTH WATERLOO AND CEDAR RAPIDS SENT PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL IN BOTH COMMUNITIES. IN WATERLOO, THERE WERE A PAIR OF INJURIES FROM AN INCIDENT NEAR QUINCY AND EAST 4TH STREET. THE CEDAR RAPIDS SHOOTING SENT POLICE TO THE 400 BLOCK OF 18TH STREET SOUTHEAST, WHERE A MAN HAD BEEN HIT IN THE LEG BY GUNFIRE. IN ALL CASES, THE RESULTING INJURIES WERE DESCRIBED AS NOT LIFE-THREATENING.
AT ONE POINT LEADING UP TO THE 2020 ELECTION, POLLS SHOWED ABBY FINKENAUER HAD A HEALTHY LEAD IN HER CAMPAIGN TO WIN A SECOND CONGRESSIONAL TERM. TUESDAY’S ELECTION WENT TO CHALLENGER ASHLEY HINSON, WHO HAD AN EDGE IN 17 OF THE DISTRICT’S 20 COUNTIES. ERIN MURPHY IS THE DES MOINES BUREAU CHIEF AND POLITICAL REPORTER FOR LEE ENTERPRISTES AND ANALYZED THE RESULT. DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST, WE’LL HEAR MORE FROM MURPHY ABOUT TUESDAY’S STRONG SHOWING FOR THE IOWA GOP.
MOVIE THEATERS ARE GETTING A NEW LIFELINE AFTER BUSINESS HAS SLOWED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. A NEW MOVIE THEATER RELIEF PROGRAM HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED THROUGH THE IOWA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. A STATE FUND WORTH FIVE-AND-A-HALF MILLION DOLLARS WILL PROVIDE GRANTS OF UP TO 10 THOUSAND DOLLARS PER SCREEN. THE MONEY IS FROM THE FEDERAL CARES ACT. THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 150 MOVIE THEATERS IN IOWA.
FROM THE STATE HOUSE TO REPRESENTATION IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, TO THE SENATE, AND IOWA’S ELECTORAL COLLEGE ALLOTMENT, TUESDAY COULD HARDLY HAVE GONE BETTER FOR IOWA REPUBLICANS. LEE ENTERPRISES POLITICAL REPORTER ERIN MURPHY TALKED ABOUT THAT DURING A RECENT EDITION OF KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. IOWA REPUBLICANS ADDED SIX SEATS TO THEIR STATE HOUSE MAJORITY, FLIPPED AT LEAST ONE AND LIKELY TWO CONGRESSIONAL SEATS, RETAINED JONI ERNST IN THE U.S. SENATE, AND SENT THE STATE’S SIX ELECTORAL VOTES TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.
GUN SHOTS EXCHANGED DURING A DRUG DISPUTE HAVE RESULTED IN A THREE YEAR FEDERAL PRISON SENTENCE FOR A 21-YEAR-OLD EVANSDALE MAN. JACOB FOSS WAS SENTECED AT THE CONCLUSION OF FEDERAL PROCEEDINGS THIS WEEK. A 2019 INCIDENT STARTED WHEN TWO MEN ATTEMPTED TO BREAK INTO FOSS’S APARTMENT. FOSS PLED GUILTY TO FIRING A WEAPON TO WARD OFF THE INTRUDERS AND THEN CONTINUING TO SHOOT AT THEM AS THEY DROVE AWAY. THE CASE AGAINST FOSS INCLUDED BOTH DRUG AND WEAPONS CHARGES.
A FOLLOW UP ON A STORY FROM IOWA CITY WHICH CAUSED CONCERN EARLIER THIS WEEK: OFFICIALS THERE SAY THERE WAS NO DANGER FROM A SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE LOCATED ON WEDNESDAY. A BACKPACK LEFT AT THE IOWA CITY POLICE STATION CREATED A DISRUPTION FOR SEVERAL HOURS. A LOCAL BOMB DISPOSAL TEAM WAS CALLED OUT. THERE WERE NO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IN THE BAG, AND NO CHARGES WILL BE FILED FROM THE INCIDENT.
WATERLOO POLICE STOPPED A GROUP OF ROBBERY SUSPECTS ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEFORE DETAILS OF THE ALLEGED INCIDENT HAD EVEN BEEN REPORTED. THE THREE MEN – CHAVEE HARDEN, ANTOINE MAXWELL, AND DENNIS BROWN JR. – HAD REPORTEDLY HELD UP A GROUP OF PEOPLE AT AN APARTMENT NEAR HAWKEYE COMMUNITY COLLEGE. AN ATTEMPTED POLICE TRAFFIC STOP NEAR DOWNTOWN WATERLOO LED TO A CHASE. THE GROUP WAS EVENTUALLY CAPTURED ON FOOT. POLICE SAY THEY RECOVERED EVIDENCE RELATED TO THE ROBBERY A SHORT TIME LATER.
A CEDAR RAPIDS HEALTH CLINIC ASSOCIATED WITH MERCY MEDICAL CENTER WILL CLOSE AT THE END OF THIS MONTH. MERCYCARE HEALTH PARTNERS HAD OPENED IN 2016 TO WORK WITH OUTPATIENTS WHO HAVE CHRONIC MEDICAL CHALLENGES. THE CLOSURE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE DIFFICULT BUSINESS CONDITIONS CAUSED BY COVID-19 FOR PARTS OF THE MEDICAL SYSTEM WORKING IN AREAS UNRELATED TO THE PANDEMIC. MERCYCARE HEALTH PARTNERS IS SHIFTING ITS PATIENTS TO OTHER PROVIDERS.
BALLOTS CONTINUE TO TRICKLE IN FOR THE SECOND DISTRICT IOWA CONGRESSIONAL RACE BETWEEN REPUBLICAN MARIANETTE MILLER-MEEKS AND DEMOCRAT RITA HART. MILLER-MEEKS’ LEAD IS LESS THAN 300 VOTES. LEE ENTERPRISES POLITICAL REPORTER ERIN MURPHY TALKED ABOUT THE RACE AND SAYS A RECOUNT IS UNLIKELY TO CHANGE THE OUTCOME. LEGAL VOTES FOR THE RACE MAY STILL ARRIVE BY MAIL AS LATE AS NOON ON MONDAY. THE WINNER WILL REPLACE RETIRING CONGRESSMAN DAVE LOEBSACK.
