From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
Police say reports of gunshots delayed dismissal for the first day of school at Johnson STEAM Academy in Cedar Rapids. This happened just before 2 yesterday afternoon in the area of 4th Avenue and 16th Street Southeast. The Cedar Rapids Community School District says they dismissed students nine minutes late. Police say this was not an active shooter situation, and no one was hurt.
The trial is underway for a former Keokuk County Sheriff’s deputy charged with 13 counts of child endangerment stemming from a 2023 hayride crash. David Heady, Jr., was the passenger in the pickup truck at the time of the crash. The driver, Daniel Brubaker, pleaded guilty to the same 13 counts in July. Some of the children and their parents testified about the night of the crash and the lasting health impacts on the girls injured.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is joining attorneys general from 44 other states to demand companies stop predatory Artificial Intelligence interactions with children. They sent the letter to major tech companies about AI chat-bots reportedly engaging in sexually inappropriate conversations. Some on the list included Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Open AI.
Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers marked the completion of part of the city’s flood control system. They cut the ribbon on the McLoud Run section of the system. This portion extends along the Cedar River from McLoud Run to just past Mount Trashmore. It includes a new flood wall to protect businesses, as well as a new section of the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.
Fresh off a failed legal fight against a Cedar Rapids casino, the owner of Riverside Casino is buying another Iowa gaming venue. Elite Casino Resorts says it’s signed a deal to acquire Great River Entertainment. That company owns and operates Catfish Bend Casino, and FunCity Resort in Burlington. Elite CEO Dan Kehl said the acquisition “feels like a homecoming” after helping launching gaming in Burlington in the 1990s.
