ARSON CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST A WATERLOO WOMAN AS A RESULT OF A PREDAWN EAST SIDE FIRE LAST WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE FIRE WAS REPORTED BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 1 A-M ON NOVEMBER 24TH IN THE 500 BLOCK OF ANKENY STREET NEAR SULLIVAN PARK. JAMEKA PRITCHARD WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY WATERLOO AUTHORITIES. PRITCHARD ALLEGEDLY STARTED THE FIRE IN THE RENTED HOME OF HER FORMER BOYFRIEND. PRITCHARD HAD ALSO PURPORTEDLY MADE VERBAL THREATS ABOUT HARMING THE MAN.
IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY SHARED HIS CRITICISMS OF THE LATEST ROUND OF FEDERAL COVID-19 RELIEF LEGISLATION. AS GRASSLEY SEES IT, THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THE SIZE OF THE BILL. THE SENATE IS CURRENTLY CONSIDERING A HOUSE BILL WHICH WAS PASSED LATE LAST WEEK. LEGISLATORS ARE TRYING TO MOVE THE MEASURE THROUGH CONGRESS AHEAD OF A MARCH 14TH DEADLINE WHEN SOME UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS RUN OUT. GRASSLEY SHARED HIS OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE BILL WITH KXEL ON MONDAY AFTERNOON.
OUTDOOR BURNING CAN BEGIN AGAIN, ACCORDING TO CEDAR RAPIDS CITY OFFICIALS. A BAN WAS PUT IN PLACE FOLLOWING THE DERECHO ON AUGUST 10; THAT BAN HAS NOW ENDED. IT WAS INITIALLY IMPLEMENTED TO PROTECT AGAINST FIRE SPREADING AMONG DOWNED TREES AND PILES OF DEBRIS STACKED ALONG THE CITY’S STREETS. OFFICIALS SAY THE CLEANUP EFFORT HAS PROGRESSED ENOUGH THAT THE RISK FROM BURNING HAS BEEN REDUCED. RECREATIONAL FIRES ARE ALLOWED WITHIN CITY LIMITS IF THEY FOLLOW CERTAIN RULES, WHILE OTHER TYPES OF BURNING REQUIRE A PERMIT.
WATERLOO LEADERS HAVE OK’ED THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EIGHT PERCENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE. THE MOVE ON MONDAY DOES NOT GUARANTEE AN ACTUAL ESCALATION THAT LARGE. THE FORMAL STEP WAS TAKEN SO THAT THE WATERLOO CITY COUNCIL CAN CREATE ITS BUDGET WITH THE MOST FLEXIBILITY POSSIBLE. DISCUSSION DURING MONDAY’S COUNCIL MEETING DID INDICATE THAT A WATERLOO PROPERTY TAX INCREASE OF SOME AMOUNT IS LIKELY. A FINAL CITY BUDGET IS EXPECTED BY THE END OF THIS MONTH.
SUBSTANTIAL RENT INCREASES IN MOBILE HOME COMMUNITIES HAVE DRAWN ATTENTION FROM LEGISLATORS IN RECENT SESSIONS, BUT NO FORMAL ACTION. DURING A VIRTUAL MEETING MONDAY, THE IOWA MANUFACTURED HOME RESIDENTS NETWORK ASKED FOR HELP. CANDY EVANS LIVES IN A MOBILE HOME IN NORTH LIBERTY. THE GROUP SAYS RENTS HAVE RISEN BY 70 PERCENT IN SOME PLACES, WITH OTHER CHARGES AND FEES ALSO ADDED AS NEW OWNERS HAVE PURCHASED MANY MOBILE HOME PARKS.
IT’S THE LAST DAY ON THE JOB FOR MARY JO KAVALIER, THE SITE ADMINISTRATOR OF MERCY ONE’S CEDAR FALLS MEDICAL CENTER. BEGINNING AS A NURSE, KAVALIER IS RETIRING AFTER 42 YEARS WITH THE HEALTH SYSTEM NOW KNOWN AS MERCY ONE. RYAN MEYER WILL FILL THE ROLE AS SITE ADMINISTRATOR.
DOG-FRIENDLY BREWERIES AND DOZENS OF LOCAL ICE CREAM SHOPS ARE AMONG THE FEATURED CONTENT IN THE NEW SPRING AND SUMMER IOWA TRAVEL GUIDE. THE IOWA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY SAYS THE LATEST EDITION IS NOW OUT. THE COVER FEATURES A VIEW OF DOWNTOWN CEDAR RAPIDS.
NEARLY TWO MONTHS AFTER RIOTERS MADE THEIR WAY INTO THE U.S. CAPITOL COMPLEX, SECURITY REMAINS HIGH IN WASHINGTON D.C. IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASLEY TALKED WITH KXEL NEWS ON MONDAY AND SAID HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THE CONTINUED ENHANCED SECURITY IS NECESSARY. TODAY GRASSLEY IS HEARING FROM FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY ABOUT THE CAPITOL RIOTS DURING SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARINGS. SINCE THE JANUARY 6TH INCIDENT, BOTH SENATORS AND HOUSE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN LOOKING INTO DISCONNECTS WHICH PREVENTED CAPITOL SECURITY FROM BEING BETTER PREPARED TO HANDLE A DEMONSTRATION WHICH TURNED VIOLENT.
IT HAS BEEN ALMOST EXACTLY A YEAR SINCE A CEDAR FALLS MAN WAS CAPTURED FOLLOWING A HIGH-SPEED CHASE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HIGHWAY 218 IN WATERLOO. 34-YEAR-OLD ROCKY TRUAX WAS SENTECED TO SEVEN YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON ON MONDAY FROM CHARGES RELATED TO THE MARCH 6, 2020 INCIDENT. THE PRISON TIME IS TIED TO FEDERAL WEAPONS CHARGES. TRUAX HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY ARRESTED WHILE IN POSSESSION OF AN ILLEGAL WEAPON AND METHAMPHETAMINE. THAT PRIOR CRIMINAL HISTORY, COUPLED WITH ANOTHER WEAPON FOUND AT TRUAX’S HOME AFTER THE CHASE, LANDED HIM IN THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM.
THE IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM’S LAST WIN WAS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. THE CYCLONES ARE 0-15 IN BIG 12 PLAY. THEY HAVE THREE CHANCES LEFT TO GET A CONFERENCE WIN, STARTING TONIGHT AGAINST TEXAS. THAT GAME IN AMES STARTS AT 6 P.M.
