Gov. Kim Reynolds has removed the chief executive of the state’s home for veterans and their spouses, just months after praising his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Reynolds’ spokesperson, Pat Garrett, said Monday Timon Oujiri was “relieved of his duties” as commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown last week. He offered no additional information on the leadership change at the facility, which is Iowa’s largest nursing home. Reynolds appointed Oujiri as commandant in 2017, and the Iowa Senate confirmed him in 2018. In his role, he oversaw one of the nation’s largest state-owned nursing homes for veterans, with around 500 residents and 900 employees. As of 2020, a state salary database showed that his annual salary was $126,000. Commandants serve at the pleasure of the governor. It wasn’t immediately clear if Oujiri, a retired Army colonel, remained a state employee in any capacity.
ITC Midwest will be conducting aerial patrols of high-voltage transmission structures and lines throughout its service territory later this month. Helicopter patrols provide an overall status of the overhead transmission system owned and operated by ITC Midwest. They include inspections of steel structures, wood poles, conductors, wires, insulators and other equipment. Crews check for damaged or worn equipment and vegetation hazards. The inspection flights are often conducted at low altitudes to allow accurate visual inspection of equipment for lightning damage, wear or other potential problems…so there is no cause for alarm if a low-flying helicopter is seen near transmission lines during the next few weeks.
Authorities say a 16-year-old driver who struck and killed cyclist in Coralville last month was speeding and using social media at the time of the accident. 36-year-old Andrew Pavlovec of North Liberty was killed in the accident on April 6th. The driver faces a charge of vehicular homicide. Iowa law prevents law enforcement from identifying minors charged with crimes that are not forcible felonies. Coralville police say the driver was “actively using a social media application,” and driving more than 20 mph above the 35 mph speed limit when she struck Pavlovec from behind.
The driver of an SUV is dead after the vehicle slammed into a tree near a home in Des Moines…it happened just before 6 a.m. Monday. 39-year-old Trayvon Cathren was the only person in the SUV that struck a tree in the 1900 block of Mondamin Avenue. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident happened near a home but no one else was hurt. The cause of the accident remains under investigation but authorities say excessive speed looks to be a contributing factor.
Investigation continues after a woman’s body was found near Interstate 35 in West Des Moines. A passerby found the remains off the shoulder of the roadway just before noon Sunday. Police later identified the woman as 38-year-old Stephanie Waddell of Oskaloosa. Police say a preliminary investigation indicates that Waddell may have been hit by a vehicle the night before.
A Georgia man is charged with first-degree murder in the death of a woman from North Carolina who was killed inside an Iowa home. 20-year-old Wilanna Bibbs of Durham, North Carolina, died Sunday. Police in Davenport were called to a disturbance at a home and found Bibbs. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities arrested 31-year-old Justin L. Wright of Atlanta. It was not immediately clear why Wright or Bibbs were in Iowa. No further information was released.
An Ankeny man faces sentencing in June after entering a plea of guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of his pregnant girlfriend. 19-year-old Donault Logan also admitted to possession with intent to deliver. Logan was the boyfriend of 17-year-old Mia Holmes, who was shot and killed on Aug. 3 at an extended-stay hotel where the couple lived. Police say Logan was selling marijuana when he accidentally fired a handgun, and Holmes was struck in the chest. She and her unborn child both died.
A Mason City woman is accused of voiding orders from Burger King and taking the cash at the end of the night. Stacy Anderson is facing charges of ongoing criminal conduct and second-degree theft. Authorities said she was a manager at Burger King when she voided multiple orders after customers had paid with cash. At the end of the night, she would take the money from the voided orders and put it in her pocket. She’s accused of doing this starting in February of this year.
