From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
Flights out of the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids may be impacted today as the FAA says it will cut flights at 40 major airports unless the federal government shutdown ends. Those airports include Chicago O’Hare and Midway, Minneapolis, Denver, Atlanta, Dallas, and Charlotte. The Eastern Iowa Airport said in a statement it has not been told of any schedule issues, but passengers will need to closely monitor their flights as connecting flights may be affected. The government says the plan is to phase in cuts of ten percent of flights across the affected airports. Airlines say they will try to minimize the impact on travelers. The website Flight Aware reported more than 460 flights were cancelled yesterday.
Testimony began yesterday in the murder trial of Luke Truesdell. He’s accused of beating four people to death at a rural property in Linn County in June of last year. Those victims were Romondus Cooper, Keonna Ryan, and Amanda Parker, who all died at the scene, and Brent Brown, who died two days later at a hospital in Iowa City. Brown’s brother testified about the crime scene that he stumbled upon that day. He said he thought it was a case of carbon monoxide poisoning in the barn, until he saw the blood. Testimony is set to continue this morning.
Some University of Iowa students had to be temporarily relocated yesterday after an early morning fire at a residence hall. The Iowa City Fire Department says it was called to Daum Residence Hall on North Clinton around 3:30 yesterday morning. The fire was contained to an unoccupied dorm room, but there was water damage on the first and second floors. No one was hurt.
There’s a new candidate entering Iowa’s race for governor. Republican Zach Lahn is a businessman and farmer from Belle Plaine. He founded Homeplace Ventures, a company that focuses on agriculture, real estate, and technology investments. Lahn joins four other Republicans vying for the position.
The First Avenue Bridge in Cedar Rapids is scheduled to be closed from First Street East to First Street West to test the roller gate, which is part of the permanent flood control system. Cedar Rapids Public Works says detour signs will be posted.
