From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man has been arrested after hundreds of pigs died at his farm last month after they went without adequate food and were kept in conditions so cold that some of their ears froze off. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Black Hawk County sheriff’s deputies arrested the 38-year-old man Monday on one count of livestock neglect, a misdemeanor. Court records say he had been hired to raise 2,500 baby pigs until they reached around 280 pounds. The animals were delivered to his farm in rural Cedar Falls in late December with 15 tons of feed. A consultant found by Dec. 30 that 800 of the pigs had died. Others died later.
SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa (AP) – A Woodbury County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a man who authorities say had attacked him with a tire iron. Deputies were called to a mobile home park in Sergeant Bluff about 6 p.m. to check a report of a burglary. The Sioux City Journal reports that after deputies arrived, a witness pointed them to someone who was trying to enter a home. When deputies approached the man, they say he threatened them with a tire iron. A deputy fired a stun gun at the man but it didn’t stop him and he hit another deputy with the tire iron. The second deputy then shot the man. He was taken to a Sioux City hospital, where he died. The injured deputy was treated at a hospital and released.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Forecasters are predicting that a winter storm could dump nearly a foot of snow on parts of Iowa. The National Weather Service said the the storm could move into central Iowa on Friday, with wind gusts of 20 to 25 mph producing pockets of blowing and drifting snow, especially in open, rural areas. One of the hardest-hit areas will be Des Moines, where forecasts calls for accumulations of 7 to 11 inches. Other parts of the state could get as little as 2 inches or 3 inches. The National Weather Service warns that travel will be hazardous at times and that the Friday evening commute will be affected.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines police have identified the man who died after a hit-and-run crash as a 32-year-old Des Moines resident. Police on Thursday identified the man as William “Cody” Kline. Officers were called about 2:40 a.m. Wednesday to a report of a pedestrian who had been hit by a car on East Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. The man had severe injuries and died later at a hospital. After seeking the public’s help, police found a vehicle that investigators think hit the man. Police are still seeking the driver of the car.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The state Department of Public Health says the number of people being treated for the coronavirus in Iowa hospitals surged by 16% in the past week. The department on Wednesday reported 923 people in hospitals with COVID-19 infections. That is the highest number in Iowa since Dec. 4, 2020, and up from the 792 people reported last Wednesday. The state data shows 178 people were in intensive care units, compared to 161 a week ago. Thirteen children age 11 or younger are hospitalized with COVID-19, and all are unvaccinated. Nine children age 12-17 are in hospitals, including seven who are unvaccinated. State officials reported an additional 181 deaths, dating back as far as early October. That raises the state death total to 8,201.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Chief Justice Susan Christensen is seeking a nearly 7% increase in the court system’s budget for next year in hopes of increasing salaries and hiring judges, attorneys and other staff after a hiring freeze. Christensen made the budget proposals for this fiscal year beginning in July during her annual Condition of the Judiciary Address on Wednesday to a joint session of the Iowa Legislature. She sought $202.5 million, a 6.7% increase and $4.3 million more than Gov. Kim Reynolds has recommended. The court’s proposed budget provides $2 million for open positions that were left unfilled last year, $2.9 million for a 5.9% pay raise for judicial officers, and $1.3 million to continue an effort to hire additional judges and other staffers.
