From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
Southeast Waterloo voters have picked a new Ward 2 Council member after a special election. Retired businessman Dave Morrow beat two other candidates to win the seat that had been held by newly elected mayor Dave Boesen. Morrow won with 51 percent of the vote.
The first degree murder trial of a Marion father who strangled his five-year-old son concluded yesterday with final witness testimony. Matthew Schleier’s attorney is using an insanity defense. Yesterday’s testimony was once again highlighted by various mental health experts who refuted each other’s testimony concerning Schleier’s mental state at the time of the murder. There is no jury. Instead, the attorneys will deliver their written closing arguments to the judge in March, and the judge will hand down a verdict at a later date.
All three men who are charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of their 18-year-old brother have now shared their perspective of the killing. Azane, Pierre, and Christian Baseme are on trial this week for the death of their brother, Ezekiel, in their home in 2024. Investigators say the brothers tied Ezekiel to a bed, unintentionally causing his death. In a recorded police interview aired in Court, Christian said Ezekiel had been tied up for just under two days before he stopped moving. We are expecting their father to soon testify as well.
The Cedar Rapids food program Green Square Meals is closed indefinitely following a fire outside the building. The fire happened around 1:45 yesterday morning in the alley. It appears to be a dumpster that was on fire. The side of the building is also scorched. In a social media post, Green Square Meals says flames didn’t reach inside the building, but smoke did. The location is shut down for cleanup.
More than 100 people met outside the Cedar Rapids Federal Building to call on Representative Ashley Hinson to meet with eastern Iowa clergy. They want to discuss Department of Homeland Security funding and immigration rights. Rep. Hinson’s office says it has offered to meet with the group but one of its leaders says they want to meet with the Congresswoman and not her staff.
