A woman was shot and killed Saturday shortly after midnight near Edison Street and Grandview Avenue in Waterloo. The 27-year-old woman was taken to UnityPoint Health Allen Hospital where she died from her injuries. Police arrested 36-year-old Lasondra Johnson of Waterloo on a charge of first-degree murder. She was booked in the Black Hawk County Jail on Saturday morning with no bond. Johnson does not have any prior convictions for Iowa crimes aside from traffic violations.
Congresswoman-elect Ashley Hinson, who is isolating at home because she tested positive for COVID-19, does not support a nationwide lockdown at this time but is calling for increased testing and for Iowans to follow Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on social distancing and mask wearing. Other than initial fatigue, the Marion Republican told reporters Friday she was feeling well. Because of the positive test, she is participating virtually in freshman orientation for incoming members of Congress rather than traveling to Washington, D.C., for those sessions.
Authorities say two cars collided head-on on a gravel road near Hazleton Saturday afternoon, but both drivers walked away without injury. It happened just before 3:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of Grant Avenue. The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office says Allen Hershberger was driving close to the center of the road when he hit a vehicle driven by Larry Nelson of Waterloo. Both vehicles were destroyed. Deputies cited Hershberger for Failure to Yield Half of the Roadway. Nelson was also charged, for Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance.
The schedule had the Waterloo Black Hawks having played five games at this point in the new USHL season…but the hockey team has had three of those five postponed due to COVID-19. The latest was a scheduled game in Nebraska yesterday against the Tri-City Storm. The opening weekend of home games was postponed due to safety protocols. The Black Hawks did play a pair of games in Sioux City…winning the Friday contest 4-2 before falling Saturday night to the Musketeers 4-3.
While thousands gathered in Washington, D.C., supporters of President Donald Trump protested the 2020 election in Des Moines, as well. Protesters marched around the capitol building shouting chants like “Stop the Steal”. Some present at the rally said Trump has been treated unfairly throughout the election cycle.
Former U.S. Senator Roger Jepsen died Friday at the age of 91. The Cedar Falls native and Army veteran was also a state senator and lieutenant governor before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978.
A Dubuque firefighter is suing the city because she says she has endured sexual harassment on the job since she started in 2011. Jami Boss cites a number of incidents in her lawsuit including being told by a lieutenant that she was only hired because she was a girl. Boss said male firefighters used the women’s restroom and sometimes walked in on Boss while she was in there. And in one incident, a coworker shoved his hand down the back of Boss’ pants, according to the lawsuit. City officials denied most of the allegations in a formal response to the lawsuit.
One person was injured in a rollover accident in Black Hawk County. Sheriff’s deputies say a semi rolled over near Holgate and Independence early Friday morning. Dominic Graves lost control of his semi while driving through the curved intersection, causing the semi to roll over onto the driver’s side. Graves had minor injuries and was transported to Unity Point Allen Hospital.
Meanwhile, the driver of another semi was injured when his rig rolled over at the U.S. Highway 30 eastbound ramp at Kirkwood Boulevard in Cedar Rapids. Officials said it happened just after 8 a.m. Friday. The driver was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.
State Rep. Todd Prichard of Charles City was re-elected Saturday to serve another term as leader of the Democrats in the Iowa House of Representatives. Prichard will serve his fifth term in the Iowa House. He said Saturday helping Iowans through the COVID-19 pandemic will be his party’s top priority when the 2021 Legislative Session convenes on January 11th. State Rep. Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights was elected Democrat Whip. House Democrats also elected four Assistant Minority Leaders for the 2021 session including Rep.-elect Eric Gjerde of Cedar Rapids. Iowa Republicans flipped several seats in the House during the Nov. 3rd election, giving them an increased 59-41 majority.
A house at 415 Reber Ave. in Waterloo caught fire in the basement early Saturday shortly after midnight, according to fire officials. The two adults at the house were not injured. The fire was determined as an accident that started in the basement storage area. There was damage to basement shelving and smoke damage throughout the house, but the residents were allowed to stay in the residence.
A Marion man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend in 2017 will get a new trial. This comes after a decision announced Friday by the Iowa Supreme Court. Gregory Davis was convicted of stabbing Carrie Davis multiple times before trying to hide her body in a roll of carpet. He was given a mandatory sentence of life in prison in 2018. His attorneys said Davis’s insanity defense was not handled correctly when the jury received instructions on how to determine whether he was guilty of first-degree murder or not. Four justices agreed, saying Davis did not receive a fair trial because the jury was not able to cross-reference his insanity defense.
The City of Marion has canceled all in-person programming hosted by the City’s parks and recreation department & library for at least two weeks. They will determine the status of December programs at the end of November. It was part of additional COVID-19 mitigation measures the City announced Friday, including that all city facilities in Marion remain closed to walk-in traffic.
