THE BODY OF JAMES BOOHER HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND, BUT A FEDERAL COURT HAS CONVICTED THE MARION MAN’S KILLER. A JURY FOUND MATTHEW ROBBINS GUILTY OF ROBBERY, CONSPIRACY, AND FIREARMS CHARGES DURING A CRIME OF VIOLENCE RESULTING IN MURDER. BOOHER WAS A KNOWN DRUG DEALER. PROSECUTORS SUCCESSFULLY ARGUED ROBBINS ROBBED AND FATALLY SHOT BOOHER IN 2014 IN ELY. ROBBINS WILL BE SENTENCED LATER AND FACES AT LEAST 10 YEARS IN PRISON WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A LIFE TERM.
A NEW MONTHLY SURVEY SHOWS THE ECONOMY IN NINE MIDWEST AND PLAINS STATES SURGING IN THE WAKE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY MID-AMERICA BUSINESS CONDITIONS INDEX FOR APRIL HAD ITS HIGHEST READING SINCE IT BEGAN ALMOST THREE DECADES AGO. CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY ECONOMIST ERNIE GOSS OVERSEES THE SURVEY; HE SAYS THE REGION REGAINED MORE THAN HALF THE 106,000 MANUFACTURING JOBS LOST TO THE PANDEMIC LAST APRIL. THE MONTHLY SURVEY COVERS IOWA AMONG ITS NINE STATES.
IOWA FIRST DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN ASHLEY HINSON SPOKE ABOUT TOPICS OF BIPARTISANSHIP DURING A RECENT KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL APPEARANCE. HINSON HAS CRITICIZED SPENDING PLANS RELATED TO CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE AND RECOVERY DURING THE EARLY MONTHS OF THE CURRENT CONGRESSIONAL SESSION.
CEDAR RAPIDS IS CHANGING FACE COVERING RULES. RESIDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19 WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS DURING GATHERINGS WITH OTHERS WHO ARE INOCULATED. THE UPDATE IS IN LINE WITH GUIDELINES PROVIDED BY THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL. MASKS ARE STILL REQUIRED INDOORS FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT HAD A COVID SHOT. IN A STATEMENT, CEDAR RAPIDS MAYOR BRAD HART ENCOURAGED EVERYONE TO GET THE VACCINE IN ORDER TO END THE CITY’S MASK MANDATE COMPLETELY.
WATERLOO MAY SEE MORE ELECTRIC SCOOTERS ON ITS STREETS THIS SUMMER. THE TWO-WHEELED VEHICLES AVAILABLE FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS HAVE BECOME COMMON IN MANY CITIES. WATERLOO IS RECEIVING OVERTURES FROM A COMPANY CALLED BIRD HOPING TO BRING A FLEET OF 50 SCOOTERS TO THE CEDAR VALLEY. THE CITY COUNCIL IS REVIEWING THE PLAN.
SIGNS AT RETAIL LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT EASTERN IOWA ARE JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY. EMPLOYEES ARE HARD TO FIND RIGHT NOW. THAT GOES FOR FACTORY SETTINGS TOO; OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED TO KIMBERLY PORT, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR FOR CEDAR RAPIDS EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER ACP. IOWA UNEMPLOYMENT HAS DROPPED BACK INTO THE RANGE SEEN PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC.
PRIOR TO MONDAY’S RAIN, TOPSOIL MOISTURE LEVELS WERE RATED SHORT OR VERY SHORT OVER HALF OF IOWA. STILL, THE LATEST USDA CROP REPORT SHOWS 69 PERCENT OF THE STATE’S CORN ACRES HAVE BEEN PLANTED, WITH SOYBEANS AT 43 PERCENT. COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED DURING THE WEEK AHEAD; DETAILS FROM THE TV-9 WEATHER LAB IN 30 SECONDS.
A BLAZING FIRE AT A CEDAR RAPIDS CAR WASH SENT A COLUMN OF SMOKE OVER NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE SOUTHWEST QUADRANT OF THE CITY MONDAY. BLUE LAGOON CAR WASH IN THE 5700 BLOCK OF C STREET SOUTHWEST WAS DESTROYED IN THE INCIDENT. CEDAR RAPIDS FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED AFTER 2 O’CLOCK YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND FOUND THE BUILDING FULLY INVOLVED. A VEHICLE INSIDE THE FACILITY IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE. FIRST RESPONDERS SAY NO ONE WAS INJURED IN THE INCIDENT.
IOWA FIRST DISTRICT REPUBLICAN CONGRESSWOMAN ASHLEY HINSON IS CONCERNED ABOUT FEDERAL SPENDING RELATED TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S AMERICAN JOBS PLAN. RECENTLY DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, HINSON REACTED TO LAST WEEK’S SPEECH BY PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, WHICH INTRODUCED ASPECTS OF HIS PROPOSAL. DURING HIS SPEECH, BIDEN TOLD A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS THAT ANY NEW TAXES WOULD NOT AFFECT THOSE EARNING LESS THAN 400 THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR. IN HER APPEARANCE ON KXEL, HINSON ALSO TALKED ABOUT AREAS OF BIPARTISANSHIP IN WASHINGTON. HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST.
CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS BASEBALL RETURNS TONIGHT. THE 2020 SEASON WAS WIPED OUT BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, SO THIS EVENING’S MATCHUP AT VETERAN’S MEMORIAL STADUIM AGAINST THE PEORIA CHIEFS IS THE FIRST GAME IN 20 MONTHS. THIS SEASON’S SCHEDULE INCLUDES 60 HOME GAMES.
