A registered sex offender has been charged with murder and kidnapping in connection with the shooting death of a 10-year-old Iowa girl who went missing last summer. Henry Dinkins is now charged in the death of Breasia Terrell, a Davenport girl whose disappearance last July prompted an extensive search and investigation. Remains that were discovered in March in rural eastern Iowa were confirmed to be that of the girl. Dinkins had long been the only one that investigators had identified as a person of interest in the case. The girl was last seen in the early hours of July 10 at a Davenport apartment complex, where she was staying the night with her half-brother and his father–Dinkins.
Des Moines Police are searching for a driver who left the scene of a collision that killed two people on a motorcycle and injured another motorcyclist. It happened around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday when a car collided with two motorcycles at the intersection of East 14th Street and Washington Avenue. First responders say 47-year-old Kristy Hyde of Des Moines, who was a passenger on one of the motorcycles, died at the scene. That motorcycle’s driver, 51-year-old Jerry Coles of Des Moines, later died at a hospital. Police say a woman driving the second motorcycle is being treated for serious injuries at a hospital. Police say the driver and several passengers in the car left the scene on foot and have not been found.
Governor Kim Reynolds is asking Drake University to reconsider its limit on fans at the state’s high school track and field championships, suggesting that their COVID-19 mitigation efforts are too strict. Governor Reynolds addressed the issue in a letter to Drake University Athletics Director Brian Hardin Tuesday. In the letter, Reynolds raises concern about Drake Stadium considering limiting capacity to 33% for the meet, which runs May 20th-22nd. Officials said athletes will be limited to two tickets each per session and unused tickets will be distributed equally among schools. Governor Reynolds argues in the letter that other states have held outdoor events without what she calls “arbitrary capacity limits.”
A polluted former industrial eyesore that has plagued the city of Des Moines for decades is about to be cleaned up and turned over for development. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan joined state and city officials Tuesday to announce future plans for the 43-acre site on the edge of downtown Des Moines that has remained vacant with rusting buildings for 25 years due to contaminated soil and water. The city of Des Moines will take ownership of the property this month. EPA will demolish contaminated buildings and the city will remove the rest. Next year, plans for development which may include a 6,300-seat multiuse outdoor stadium for a professional soccer team, a hotel and other mixed-use developments, will be finalized.
Gov. Kim Reynolds said a new COVID-19 vaccine awareness campaign will begin in Iowa next week as demand for the vaccine continues to fall. Reynolds said Wednesday during her weekly news conference that more than 1.1 million Iowans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. She said 86% of the doses received in the state have been administered, ranking Iowa fifth in the nation. Reynolds said more than 46% of Iowans eligible for the vaccine are fully vaccinated, ranking Iowa 13th nationwide. The governor said only 11 of Iowa’s 99 counties accepted the full amount of vaccine offered them last week…while more than half—54—declined their entire allocation. The governor said state officials continue to work on outreach to bring vaccines to Iowans who need them most….including making it even easier to get a shot. Gov. Reynolds said yesterday a bus will be set up this week in the parking lot of the Iowa Cubs baseball park in Des Moines for the first two games this season. A similar pop-up vaccination station is planned at the Des Moines Farmers Market this weekend. The state also now allows anyone who has had their first shot to take their vaccination card to any pharmacy or health care provider to get the second dose. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Iowa has fully vaccinated 36.1% of the overall state population.
Plans to transform Southbridge Mall into a gigantic family entertainment hub got initial support Tuesday night from the Mason City City Council. Officials with Gatehouse Capital, which is also building a new hotel and convention center next to the mall, told the Council they realized it wouldn’t do the hotel project any good to have a dead mall behind it…so they decided to buy and revitalize it. While Southbridge Mall was successful for several decades, officials say it needs to be repurposed to fit a changing economy. Gatehouse’s plan for the mall would keep the few retail locations that remain and reopen the movie theater while adding a bar and sports hall of fame involving Iowa Hawkeye broadcaster Gary Dolphin, a brewery/beer garden, a pizza place, a comedy bar, a bowling alley, go-kart tracks, golf simulators, and an arcade.
