A ban on personal fireworks within the city limits of Waterloo is set to be discussed at tonight’s Waterloo City Council meeting. The idea of a ban first came up at a work session two weeks ago, with most council members supporting the prohibition. The current ordinance allows people to set off fireworks around Independence Day in July. Waterloo Police data shows calls for service nearly doubled for fireworks complaints from 2019, when they were first allowed in the city, to last year…and that has caused concern for some council members. The proposed ban would not apply to professional fireworks shows.
Iowa Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks won her seat last November by just six votes over Democrat Rita Hart. Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to explore a scenario that could overturn that election. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa commented on the topic on yesterday’s edition of “Fox and Friends”. Representative Miller-Meeks was provisionally sworn into Congress back on January 3rd.
A collision between a car and a semi resulted in the death of one of the drivers. Shortly before 4 o’clock yesterday morning, the Iowa State Patrol and other emergency responders were sent to a report of a collision near the intersection of Iowa Highway 21 and 520th Avenue, south of Deep River. Deputies believe that a car was southbound on Highway 21 when it crossed the center line, hitting a semi heading north. The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene. Another person was injured and taken to a Grinnell hospital for undisclosed injuries. An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
A 37-year-old Northwood woman died in a one-vehicle accident Friday night. The Iowa State Patrol said Michelle Runde was killed in an accident on U.S. Highway 65. Authorities said her vehicle was northbound just north of Northwood when it left the roadway, went through a field and hit a machine shed. The incident was reported at 9:30 p.m.
Democrat Rita Hart’s challenge to the November election won by Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks is not over. Hart claims Miller-Meeks was improperly declared the winner and has formally contested her 6-vote loss to a U.S. House committee, which rejected a motion to dismiss Hart’s petition last week. Congresswoman Miller-Meeks talked about the issue with Bret Baier on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report” program. Last December, Hart filed a challenge under the Federal Contested Election Act over 22 uncounted ballots. She has asked for a recount of all the ballots cast in the race across the entire district. She did not, however, exhaust all state challenges first.
Cedar Rapids police say a suspicious package found near City Hall Friday afternoon did not contain any explosive material. One person was inside City Hall at the time cleaning and was evacuated, and multiple downtown streets were closed. Officers located an object left on the concrete sign to the building. Police had cleared the scene by nightfall. The situation is still under investigation.
The Iowa City City Council will consider temporarily suspending the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at its meeting tomorrow, after a third commission member resigned. Commission Chair Royceann Porter, who is also a Johnson County Supervisor, resigned from the commission after others scheduled a vote of no-confidence regarding her leadership as chair. The Vice Chair, another commissioner, and the newly hired facilitator have also resigned. The City Council formed the commission in September to investigate issues of racism within Iowa City government.
About a third of Tyson workers in Waterloo had received the COVID-19 vaccine as of the end of last week. The company began hosting vaccination clinics for workers on March 3rd. The shots included some of the county’s first allocations of the recently approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine. More than 1,000 of the nearly 3,000 Waterloo Tyson employees have been infected, and the plant is linked to at least six worker deaths from COVID-19. More than 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Iowa. The milestone reflects significant increases in vaccine supplies.
Police in north Iowa are investigating the discovery of what appear to be human bones. Mason City police say a resident found the bones, along with clothing, on Thursday on the shore of the Winnebago River. Officers searched the area and found additional bones. The Iowa State Medical Examiner is examining the remains.
