A CEDAR VALLEY MAN HAS ADMITTED HIS INVOLVEMENT IN A CRIME SPREE CULMINATING IN A FAILED ARMORED TRUCK ROBBERY LAST SPRING. ON MONDAY, KEVIN CRUZ ENTERED A PLEA OF GUILTY TO CHARGES RELATED TO THAT INCIDENT AND OTHERS. AN ACCOMPLICE WAS FATALLY SHOT BY AN ARMORED CAR GUARD DURING THE CONFRONTATION IN MARCH OF 2020. CRUZ WAS ALSO WOUNDED AND LATER ARRESTED. EARLIER IN 2020, CRUZ WAS INVOLVED IN BURGLARIES AT SEVERAL RESIDENCES PLUS ARSON AT MAPLE LANES BOWLING CENTER AND WISHBONE BAR AND GRILL. IN TOTAL, CRUZ FACED 15 DIFFERENT STATE CHARGES AND WILL BE THE DEFENDANT IN A FUTURE FEDERAL WEAPONS CASE.
SLOANE WALLACE STADIUM IN WATERLOO HOSTED HUNDREDS OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAMES AND OTHER EVENTS. THE FACILITY NEAR IRVING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILL BE TORN DOWN TO MAKE WAY FOR REDEVELOPMENT BY WATERLOO SCHOOLS. LAST NIGHT, THE SCHOOL BOARD MOVED FORWARD ON A PLAN TO SEEK DEMOLITION BIDS. THE BLEACHERS, PRESS BOX, AND OTHER FIXTURES AT SLOANE WALLACE ARE EXPECTED TO DISAPPEAR BY AUGUST. THE STADIUM HAS BEEN LITTLE USED SINCE EAST AND WEST HIGH SCHOOLS MOVED GAMES TO MEMORIAL STADIUM NEAR CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL ALMOST THREE DECADES AGO.
U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY TOM VILSACK IS DRAWING PRAISE FROM ONE OF HIS PREDECESSORS. DAN GLICKMAN WAS A RECENT GUEST DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. GLICKMAN WAS USDA SECRETARY FROM 1995 THROUGH THE END OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION. VILSACK IS IN HIS SECOND TOUR AS AG SECRETARY.
A HOST OF IOWA DEMOCRATS ARE IN THE NEWS EARLY THIS WEEK, BEGINNING WITH WATERLOO STATE REPRESENTATIVE RAS SMITH. THIS EVENING, THE LEGISLATOR FROM HOUSE DISTRICT 62 WILL ANNOUNCE HE IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR AGAINST INCUMBENT KIM REYNOLDS. SMITH HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE IOWA HOUSE SINCE 2017. MEANWHILE STATE SENATOR LIZ MATHIS OF HIAWATHA MAY CHALLENGE ASHLEY HINSON FOR IOWA’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SEAT. MATHIS WILL MAKE A FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE END OF NEXT MONTH. BOTH MATHIS AND HINSON ARE FORMER KCRG TELEVISION NEWS ANCHORS. CEDAR RAPIDS DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR ROB HOGG SAYS HE WILL NOT RUN AGAIN WHEN HIS CURRENT TERM ENDS IN 2022. AND WINDSOR HEIGHTS STATE REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER KONFRST IS THE NEW DEMOCRATIC MINORITY LEADER IN THE IOWA HOUSE. SHE STEPS INTO THE ROLE VACATED BY REPRESENTATIVE TODD PRITCHARD OF CHARLES CITY.
INSTEAD OF HOSTING A BALLGAME MONDAY, VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM IN CEDAR RAPIDS HOSTED A DRIVE-UP COVID-19 VACCINATION EVENT. KIM GUARDADO OF THE HAWKEYE AREA COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM – HACAP – SPOKE TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT CBS-2. THE CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS WILL RETURN TO THE FIELD TONIGHT AT 6:35 AFTER MONDAY’S OFF-DAY. TONIGHT’S GAME WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON THAT THE KERNELS WILL PLAY AT HOME WITH NO PANDEMIC CAPACITY LIMITS.
SPEAKING OF LIMITS, THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES WILL RELAX MOST FISHING REGULATIONS AT OTTER CREEK LAKE IN TAMA COUNTY STARTING TODAY. A FISHING LICENSE IS STILL REQUIRED. HOWEVER, DNR OFFICIALS SAY THAT ARE TRYING TO GET CARP AND YELLOW BASS OUT OF OTTER CREEK LAKE. THEY PLAN TO RESTOCK NATIVE SPECIES NEXT YEAR AS PART OF A RESTORATION PROJECT.
THE TROJANS WILL TRY TO CONQUER A NEW CONFERENCE. THE WATERLOO SCHOOLS BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS GIVEN PERMISSION FOR EAST HIGH TO JOIN A GROUP OF FUTURE ATHLETIC RIVALS BEGINNING IN THE 2022/23 SCHOOL YEAR. WATERLOO EAST WILL BE PART OF A CONFERENCE INCLUDING ALL FIVE DES MOINES PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS, PLUS OTTUMWA, MARSHALLTOWN, FORT DODGE, MASON CITY, AND AMES. MEANWHILE, WATERLOO WEST TEAMS WILL REMAIN IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY CONFERENCE.
WINNESHIEK COUNTY MAY HAVE A NEW SUPERVISOR BY EARLY NEXT MONTH. COUNTY OFFICIALS INTEND TO FILL A VACANT BOARD SEAT WITH A SPECIAL APPOINTMENT IN THE COMING WEEKS. SUPERVISOR FLOYD ASHBACHER IS RETIRING TO CREATE THE OPENING. VOTERS CAN ASK FOR A SPECIAL ELECTION WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF A NEW SUPERVISOR’S APPOINTMENT.
AFTER EIGHT YEARS IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY TOM VILSACK IS SPENDING HIS NINTH YEAR AT THE POST AFTER BEING REAPPOINTED BY PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. KXEL’S JEFF STEIN RECENTLY TALKED TO A FORMER AG SECRETARY. DAN GLICKMAN SPOKE ABOUT WHY VILSACK HAS FOUND LONGEVITY IN THE ROLE. HEAR MORE FROM GLICKMAN DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST.
USDA NOTED SIGNS OF DROUGHT STRESS IN IOWA FIELDS. MONDAY’S CROP REPORT SHOWED JUST 63 PERCENT OF CORN IN GOOD TO EXCELLENT CONDITION. SIXTY-ONE PERCENT OF SOYBEANS ACHIEVED THAT RATING. BOTH FIGURES REPRESENTED A DOUBLE-DIGIT PERCENTAGE DROP OFF FROM LAST WEEK.
