A PROCESSION OF WATERLOO CITY OFFICIALS, POLICE, AND RESIDENTS CONGREGATED DOWNTOWN TUESDAY EVENING, WALKING FROM LINCOLN PARK TO THE RIVERLOOP AMPHITHEATER. THE GATHERING WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE MURDER CONVICTION IN THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD AT THE HANDS OF FORMER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER DEREK CHAUVIN. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 SPOKE WITH ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS. ANQUONN WILLIAMS DISCUSSED HIS ANXIETIES ABOUT ENCOUNTERS WITH POLICE. WILLIAMS SAID TUESDAY’S VERDICT REPRESENTED ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE FLOYD CASE.
IOWA THIRD DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN CINDY AXNE HAS FORMALLY ASKED THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TO INVESTIGATE THE DEATHS OF A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER AND A PRISON NURSE AT THE ANAMOSA STATE PENITENTIARY LAST MONTH. IN A LETTER DATED TUESDAY, AXNE NOTED DECREASING STAFFING LEVELS AT THE PRISON AND OTHER SAFETY CONCERNS. IOWA LEGISLATIVE DEMOCRATS ZACH WAHLS AND TODD PRITCHARD CO-SIGNED THE LETTER.
TWO MONTHS AFTER FIRST RESPONDERS EXTINGUISHED A HOUSE FIRE IN CEDAR RAPIDS, ARSON CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED IN THE CASE. AUTHORITIES ALLEGE THAT DANA CHAPPUIE ATTEMPTED TO BURN DOWN THE HOME USING GASOLINE AND THE HOME’S NATURAL GAS SUPPLY. IN RELEASING DETAILS OF THE CASE, CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE NOTED THAT THE WOMAN HAD PREVIOUSLY TALKED ABOUT SETTING THE HOUSE ON FIRE.
NEARLY 3,000 IOWA CRIMINAL SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES IN LED TO CONVICTIONS LAST YEAR. APRIL IS NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH. WITH THAT BACKDROP, IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE PAUL PATE HAS BEEN SHARING DETAILS ABOUT A PROGRAM CALLED IOWA SAFE AT HOME, WHICH IS INTENDED TO PROTECT INFORMATION ABOUT SEX ASSAULT VICTIMS WHICH MIGHT OTHERWISE BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. PATE SAYS IOWA SAFE AT HOME SUBSTITUTES A LEGAL ALTERNATIVE ADDRESS ON PUBLIC RECORDS. MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FROM SAFE-AT-HOME.IOWA .GOV. PATE WILL BE A GUEST THURSDAY DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL.
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA STUDENTS ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES FACED ON AND AROUND CAMPUS. SYDNEY UHLMAN HELPED FOUND THE UIOWA MUTUAL AID NETWORK. SHE TALKED TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 AND SAID SOME STUDENTS ARE IN NEED OF FOOD AND OTHER NECESSITIES. IN LESS THAN A MONTH OF ACTIVITY, UHLMAN SAYS THE UIOWA MUTUAL AID NETWORK HAS RECEIVED APPROXIMATELY 100 REQUESTS FOR HELP.
WRIGHT COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA IS AMONG THE LATEST LOCATIONS WHERE AG OFFICIALS HAVE FOUND THE EMERALD ASH BORER. THE TREE-KILLING INVASIVE SPECIES HAS BEEN CONFIRMED IN 80 OF IOWA’S 99 COUNTIES. SAMPLES FOR DOWS SHOWED SIGNS OF THE INSECT.
ELECTION OFFICIALS IN BLACK HAWK COUNTY ARE ADVISING THAT “NO ACTIVITY” NOTICES ARE ON THE WAY TO RESIDENTS WHO DID NOT VOTE LAST NOVEMBER. THE POSTCARDS ARE BEING SENT FROM THE IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE. UNDER NEW STATE REGULATIONS, ANY REGISTERED VOTERS WHO DON’T PARTICIPATE IN CONSECUTIVE GENERAL ELECTIONS WILL HAVE THEIR REGISTRATION CANCELED. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, BLACK HAWK COUNTY AUDITOR GRANT VEEDER NOTED THAT VOTERS CAN RETURN TO ACTIVE STATUS BY PARTICIPATING IN AN ELECTION, REQUESTING AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, OR UPDATING THEIR REGISTRATION. PEOPLE RECEIVING A “NO ACTIVITY” MAILING ARE ASKED TO RETURN THE ATTACHED PRE-PAID POSTCARD, INCLUDING ADDRESS CHANGES IF NECESSARY.
APRIL IS SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH. KATY RASMUSSEN IS THE SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE EXAMINER COORDINATOR FOR UNIVERSITY OF IOWA HOSPITALS AND SPOKE WITH KXEL ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE ISSUE. HEAR MORE FROM RASMUSSEN AND IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE PAUL PATE DURING THURSDAY’S EDITION OF KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. PATE WILL SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT THE IOWA SAFE AT HOME PROGRAM, WHICH SHIELDS THE ADDRESSES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS THAT OTHERWISE MIGHT BECOME PART OF PUBLIC RECORDS.
A THREE-AND-A-HALF MILLION DOLLAR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT WILL HAVE NOTICEABLE EFFECTS ON HIGHWAY 151 BETWEEN MARION AND SPRINGVILLE STARTING NEXT MONTH. THE IOWA D-O-T SAYS LANE CLOSURES AND SPEED REDUCTIONS WILL BE NECESSARY. WORK ON SEVERAL BRIDGES WILL BE PART OF THE EFFORT, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO LAST INTO THE FALL.
