WATERLOO, Iowa (KCRG) – A woman has died following a shooting at a Waterloo home Saturday night, police said. Police said a 911 caller reported hearing gunshots around 10:04 p.m. Saturday and told dispatchers the sounds seemed to come from a home in the 600 block of Lunar Lane. The caller also told dispatchers someone may have been hurt inside. When officers got to the scene, they went into the home and found an adult woman who had been shot. Officers began emergency medical care right away. Crews with Waterloo Fire & Rescue took the woman to a hospital, where she later died. Her body was then sent to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner for an autopsy. Police have not released the woman’s identity while they work to notify her family. Detectives do not believe the public is at risk and are treating the case as an isolated incident, police said. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information should reach out to Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers or Waterloo Police.
OSAGE, Iowa. (KTTC/KCRG) – A fire devastated an Osage farming cooperative facility early Saturday morning. According to the Osage Fire Department, firefighters arrived at the Osage Co-op around 7:40 a.m. after reports of a sulfur explosion. As first responders started fighting the fire, several smaller explosions triggered “rapid fire development” in the rest of the facility. Osage Fire Department called for assistance, and several surrounding fire departments responded to the call. Firefighters managed to bring the fire under control. No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, though the cause remains under investigation. Crews remained on the scene until 5:15 p.m. A representative at the Osage Co-op told KTTC the facility was a fertilizer facility, and due to the blaze, it will remain closed for the foreseeable future. The company announced via Facebook several of its neighbors offered to blend fertilizer so the co-op can continue operations.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Cedar Rapids firefighters said no one is hurt after a garage fire Saturday. First responders were called to the 1300 Block of Burch Ave. NW for reports of a detached garage on fire. Upon arrival, crews saw smoke and flames. Firefighters said they had the fire under control in less than 20 minutes. Crews said no one was in the garage and no injuries were reported. The fire is under investigation.
ELDORA, Iowa (KCRG) – Hardin County is receiving more than $3 million to upgrade its radio communication system after emergency crews said an outdated system has left them unable to communicate with agencies outside the county. Public safety crews, including fire, police and EMS, have dealt with the communication problem for years. Corey Larson, Iowa Falls EMS director, said the county has fallen behind as others have adopted newer systems. Larson said the issue became significant during a large traffic accident last winter. “We had no idea where we needed to be. We didn’t know where the injured victims were. And because of the snow that was blowing, we couldn’t even see into the accident scene. We had to rely upon a state trooper who drove us into that scene, because my crew had no radio communication throughout any of that,” Larson said. Hardin County looked at options to fund a new radio system, but officials said a bond would have placed a financial burden on the county. Hardin County Sheriff Dave McDaniel said the cost made that option unworkable. “When we seen the price tag of what a bond would be, we didn’t pursue it just simply because it would have been such a hardship on our educational system, it would have been a hardship on our taxpayers,” McDaniel said. The only way to get all county services onto the newer radio system was through a federal grant. Congress specifically earmarked more than $3 million for the project through a Department of Justice grant program. Rep. Ashley Hinson and Sen. Charles Grassley secured the funding through the Community Project Funding process, which allows lawmakers to identify specific projects for funding in appropriations bills. McDaniel said he was pleased with the funding. “I was thrilled simply because I truly know the importance of the communication and the lives that it potentially will save. I probably won’t be here for the long-term duration of it, but at least the ball’s rolling,” McDaniel said. All of the county’s agencies will soon be on the same radio system as the rest of the state.
