Funeral services will be held this morning in Independence for Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Jim Smith, who was killed during a standoff in Grundy Center last Friday night. Services will start at 10 a.m. at Independence High School and are expected to last at least 90 minutes. Media coverage of the funeral has been invited by Sgt. Smith’s family and state law enforcement. Flags will be flown at half-staff today by order of Gov. Kim Reynolds to honor Sgt. Smith. Meanwhile, the man who shot Sgt. Smith is expected to be released from the hospital soon and will be jailed on first-degree murder charges. He was originally in critical condition, but reports indicate he has improved.
A 56-year-old Davenport woman has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of an infant at an in-home day care last year. Angela Marxen was arrested and charged yesterday and was being held without bond in the Scott County Jail. LeClaire Police Chief Shane Themas said officers responded to the day care on Feb. 5th of last year and found a 5-month-old girl unresponsive. The child was taken to an Iowa City hospital, where she died four days later. Marxen was the sole day care provider at the home. An autopsy found the girl died from blunt force trauma to the head and investigators determined the injuries were not accidental.
The teacher who resigned following an investigation centered around inappropriate email exchanges with middle school students will receive a payout and a promise of secrecy from the Union School District as part of a separation agreement. The resignation agreement was signed on April 5th and obtained by the i9 Investigative Unit of our coverage partners at TV9 through a public records request. The agreement requires the school district to pay Mark Hookham his remaining salary for the current school year along with benefits and a $15,000 lump sum payment. The district also agreed to give only the dates of Hookham’s employment if another employer contacts Union for a reference. The agreement also states there is no admission of violating district policies, procedures, and laws. Hookham was a middle school science teacher but was placed on paid administrative leave in March as part of an internal investigation. Hookham has not been charged with a crime, but court documents show a search warrant was executed during Dysart police investigation.
A new survey of bankers suggests strong economic growth continues in rural parts of Iowa and 9 other Western and Plains states, even though business continues to lag behind the level it was at before the coronavirus pandemic began. The overall index for the region declined slightly from March’s 71.9 but remained at a strong level of 69.0. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said improving grain prices, continued low interest rates and growing exports have all helped the economy in rural areas.
Iowa Workforce Development reports a decrease in both initial and continuing unemployment claims. Last week, new unemployment claims for Iowa workers dropped by nearly a thousand to around 5,200. The number of continuing unemployment claims was 34,116, which is a 10 percent decrease, or 3,700 fewer, than the week before.
Des Moines police have identified a body found in the Des Moines River on Saturday as that of a man who jumped into the river on March 17 while running from police. Cause of death of 42-year-old Diaa Elhag Kafi of Des Moines will be revealed when the final report from the Polk County Medical Examiner is completed. A fisherman and cyclist found his body near Riverview Park.
Iowa environmental officials are investigating two separate manure spills into state creeks that led to fish kills in both tributaries. Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials say both spills occurred Wednesday. The first saw hundreds of thousands of gallons of livestock manure spilled into Mud Creek in Lyons County in the northwestern corner of Iowa. The second saw about 10,000 gallons of manure spilled into Kossuth County’s Lotts Creek in north central Iowa. Investigators reported finding a large number of dead fish at both sites.
