AUTHORITIES RECOVERED A BODY FROM GEORGE WYTH STATE PARK ON MONDAY. THE NAME OF THE MAN WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY RELEASED; HE WAS FOUND IN ONE OF THE PARK’S LAKES. SEARCHERS HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR HIM SINCE HE HAD DISAPPEARED ON SUNDAY NIGHT. MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE CAUSE OF DEATH MAY BECOME CLEAR FOLLOWING AN AUTOPSY.
ONE YEAR AGO, A LARGE SWATH OF THE MIDWEST WAS PUMELLED BY THE WINDS OF A DERECHO. CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA WERE AMONG THE HARDEST-HIT AREAS. AS OF TODAY, TIME IS RUNNING OUT ON SOME FORMS OF RELIEF FOR HOMEOWNERS. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED TO CAEDEN TINKLENBERG OF SWIFT PUBLIC ADJUSTERS, WHO COMPARED IOWA’S INSURANCE RULES TO ITS MIDWESTERN COUNTERPARTS. DERECHO VICTIMS WHO CAN’T COME TO TERMS WITH THEIR INSURERS CAN FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE IOWA INSURANCE DIVISION.
THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REPORTED THE EMERALD ASH BORER IN THREE MORE LOCATIONS MONDAY. THE INVASIVE PARASITIC INSECT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED IN WORTH, WINNEBAGO, AND CALHOUN COUNTIES. THAT MAKES 84 OF IOWA’S 99 COUNTIES SINCE THE BUG WAS FIRST SEEN IN THE STATE BACK IN 2010. ASH TREES ATTACKED BY THE EMERALD ASH BORER TYPICALLY DO NOT SURVIVE MORE THAN FOUR YEARS.
THE CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS ARE ON THE ROAD AGAIN. THE FIRST OF A HALF-DOZEN GAMES AGAINST THE PEORIA CHIEFS IS TONIGHT AT 6:35 IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS.
A VIOLENT BEATING WILL RESULT IN PRISON TIME FOR A WATERLOO MAN. ON MONDAY, MICHAEL HEGGEBO WAS CONVICTED ON CHARGES RELATED TO THE SERIOUS INJURIES INFLICTED ON DERRIUS HOLLIS. AN ALTERCATION BETWEEN THE TWO LEFT HOLLIS HOSPITALIZED WITH A VARIETY OF COMPLICATIONS, INCLUDING BRAIN DAMAGE. DURING THE TRIAL, EVIDENCE SHOWED HEGGEBO DROVE HOLLIS’ HEAD INTO A PAVED SURFACE, THEN CONTINUED TO ASSAULT HIM. HEGGEBO WILL RECEIVE HIS SENTENCE DURING A FUTURE HEARING AND COULD BE INCARCERATED FOR AS LONG AS 10 YEARS.
FEDERAL OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED THE SENTENCING OF TWO MEN FOR UNRELATED GUN CRIMES ON MONDAY. SHEVIN CASTON OF WATERLOO WILL SPEND ALMOST EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSSESSION OF A HANDGUN. CASTON HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED OF A GUN CRIME AND WAS BARRED FROM HANDLING FIREARMS. MEANWHILE A MARION MAN WAS CONVICTED OF STEALING A WEAPON FROM A CEDAR RAPIDS FIREARMS DEALER. RAYKWON STEVENSON TOOK A .22 CALIBER HANDGUN WHEN HE WAS WORKING IN A GUN SHOP. STEVENSON WAS SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR THE THEFT.
A WRITING WORKSHOP IS PLANNED FOR AMATEURS AND PROFESSIONALS ALIKE NEXT MONTH. FORMER DES MOINES REGISTER COLUMNIST JULIE GAMMACK IS ORGANIZING THE GATHERING IN OKOBOJI NEXT MONTH AND RECENTLY TALKED TO KXEL ABOUT A COMMON EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE WHO WORKS WITH WORDS. GAMMACK SAYS WRITERS WILL COME TOGETHER BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 20TH, WITH MORE DETAILS AVAILABLE AT OKOBOJI-WRITERS-RETREAT.COM.
ON MONDAY, A CEDAR RAPIDS LAWYER FILED SUIT IN 67 CASES WHERE HOMEOWNERS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES HAVE COME TO IMPASSES ON CLAIMS RELATED TO LAST YEAR’S DERCHO. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED TO GREG USHER ABOUT THE SUITS, WHICH CAME IN JUST BEFORE A ONE-YEAR FILING DEADLINE. DUE TO THE WIDESPREAD NATURE OF STORM DAMAGE, USHER TOLD TV-9 HE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN THE TIMELINE EXTENDED FOR INSURANCE SUITS. THE DESTRUCTIVE 2020 DERECHO HIT IOWA AND OTHER PARTS OF THE MIDWEST ONE YEAR AGO TODAY.
STORMS WHICH MOVED THROUGH NORTHERN IOWA IN LATE JULY HAVE RESULTED IN A DISASTER DECLARATION. GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS DECLARED HOWARD COUNTY A DISASTER AREA ON MONDAY. THE PROCLAMATION WAS RELATED TO A SEVERE WEATHER SYSTEM WHICH ARRIVED ON JULY 27TH. THE DISASTER DECLARATION ALLOWS ACCESS TO STATE RESOURCES, INCLUDING INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS VALUED UP TO $5,000.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA HAS RECEIVED A 630 THOUSAND DOLLAR GRANT FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. THE MONEY WILL BE USED TO HELP DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS MAKE THEIR WAY TO COLLEGE THROUGH UNI’S EDUCATIONAL TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM. THE EFFORT FOCUSES ON LOW-INCOME STUDENTS IN WATERLOO.
AREAS OF IOWA FROM MINNESOTA TO MISSOURI ARE UNDER A HEAT ADVISORY TODAY. HEAT STRESS AND HEAT-RELATED ILLNESS ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO HUMID AIR, HIGH TEMPERATURES, AND LIMITED CLOUD COVER. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR MORE THAN HALF THE STATE THROUGH AT LEAST 7 P.M.
