SOUTHEAST IOWA AUTHORITIES SAY THE BODY OF A MISSING OTTUMWA WOMAN HAS BEEN RECOVERED IN THE DES MOINES RIVER. LAW ENFORCEMENT IN WAPELLO COUNTY BEGAN LOOKING FOR 60-YEAR-OLD ELIZABETH SHOWALTER ON SATURDAY. HER REMAINS WERE FOUND YESTERDAY AND HER DEATH HAS BEEN CHARACTERIZED AS SUSPICIOUS. THE STATE MEDICAL EXAMINER WILL PERFORM AN AUTOPSY TODAY. OTTUMWA POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR TIPS AND INFORMATION AS TO SHOWALTER’S WHEREABOUTS IN THE TIME BETWEEN WHEN SHE WAS REPORTED MISSING AND WHEN HER BODY WAS DISCOVERED.
A T-BONE COLLISION ON U.S. HIGHWAY 63 HOSPITALIZED FOUR PEOPLE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. BREMER COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES SAY A CAR DROVE ACROSS SOUTHBOUND LANES OF THE DIVIDED HIGHWAY SOUTH OF TRIPOLI AND WAS HIT BY AN SUV. DRIVERS OF BOTH VEHICLES, AS WELL AS TWO PASSENGERS WERE ALL TRANSPORTED FROM THE SCENE. THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT NOTED THAT A UNIVERSITY OF IOWA HOSPITALS AND CLINICS HELICOPTER WAS INVOLVED IN THE RESPONSE BUT DID NOT CLARIFY WHICH VICTIMS WERE TAKEN TO U-I-H-C.
WATERLOO’S RAS SMITH AND DES MOINES’ DEIDRE DEJEAR HAVE ANNOUNCED THEY WILL SEEK THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR GOVERNOR NEXT YEAR. REPUBLICAN PARTY OF IOWA CHAIRMAN JEFF KAUFMANN REACTED TO THE POTENTIAL CHALLENGERS TO REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS. REYNOLDS IS EXPECTED TO SEEK HER SECOND FULL TERM IN TERRACE HILL BUT HAS NOT YET FORMALLY ANNOUNCED HER CANDIDACY.
IOWA’S EPISCOPAL CHURCHES WILL HAVE A NEW BISHOP SOON. THE REVEREND BETSEY MONNOT WAS ELECTED DURING A WEEKEND CONVENTION AND WILL OFFICIALLY BEGIN TO LEAD THE DIOCESE IN DECEMBER. MONNOT TALKED ABOUT HER FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF IOWA EPISCOPAL CHURCHES. BISHOP-ELECT MONNOT WAS ONE OF THREE CANDIDATES FOR THE ROLE, ALL WOMEN. SHE WILL COME TO IOWA FROM AN EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN CALIFORNIA.
FRANK SILLER HEADS THE TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION. OVER THE NEXT SIX WEEKS, HE IS WALKING FROM THE PENTAGON TO SHANKSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER SITE IN MEMORY OF FIRST RESPONDERS WHO SERVED DURING THE SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH ATTACKS. IOWA SENATOR JONI ERNST TOLD FOX IT’S IMPORTANT TO CELEBRATE THOSE HEROES. TUNNEL TO TOWERS PROVIDES MORTGAGE FREE HOUSING FOR FAMILIES OF THOSE KILLED IN THE SEPTEMBER 11TH ATTACKS, AS WELL AS OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS KILLED IN ACTION.
WATERLOO BUCKS PLAYOFF TICKETS ARE ON SALE AS OF TODAY. MEANWHILE, THE BUCKS REGULAR SEASON CONTINUES TONIGHT. AFTER SCORING 21 RUNS YESTERDAY, THE BUCKS OPEN A SERIES VERSUS THE WILMER STINGERS AT RIVERFRONT STADIUM STARTING AT 6:35.
WEATHER FORECASTERS AND NATURAL RESOURCES OFFICIALS ARE HOPEFUL THAT AIR QUALITY IN IOWA WILL IMPROVE TODAY. WILDFIRE SMOKE CONTINUES TO LINGER. FIRES BURNING IN CANADA AND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST HAVE TRIGGERING POLLUTION OVER A LARGE SWATH OF THE CONTINENT. MICROSCOPIC SMOKE PARTICLES CAN BE HARMFUL IF INHALED, AND MAY CREATE LONG-TERM HEALTH IMPACTS AS WELL AS IMMEDIATE IRRITATION. CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY AND PEOPLE WITH UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS ARE PARTICULARLY AT RISK. PROLONGED OUTDOOR EXPOSURE IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THESE GROUPS, ACCORDING TO THE IOWA DNR.
LAST WEEK, DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR LIZ MATHIS ANNOUNCED SHE WOULD CHALLENGE CONGRESSWOMAN ASHLEY HINSON NEXT YEAR. REPUBLICANS WERE QUICK TO CRITICIZE MATHIS’ LEGISLATIVE SUPPORT FOR A BASEBALL/SOFTBALL COMPLEX IN MARION. IOWA REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIR JEFF KAUFMANN NOTED THAT A MARKETING AGENCY OPERATED BY MATHIS’ FAMILY HAD PROMOTED THE COMPLEX. THE MATHIS CAMPAIGN SAID IN A STATEMENT THAT THERE IS NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND LAUDED THE BASEBALL/SOFTBALL COMPLEX AS IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN LINN COUNTY.
THE KIDS ON COURSE PROGRAM HAS HELPED 800 KIDS THIS SUMMER. THAT’S A RECORD FOR THE CEDAR RAPIDS-BASED EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT EFFORT. THE SUMMER PROGRAM HELPS KIDS MAINTAIN OR IMPROVE THEIR READING SKILLS. KIDS ON COURSE IS BACKED BY THE ZACH JOHNSON FOUNDATION.
