WATERLOO, Iowa (KCRG) – We now know the name of a man who drowned in the Cedar River in Waterloo earlier this month. The State Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 25-year-old Miguel Angel Reyes-Guzman. Police say someone reported seeing Reyes-Guzman going into the river and leaving a shirt behind on June 10. Waterloo Fire Rescue then began searching the river. They found the man’s body a few days later on June 13. An autopsy confirmed the man did drown.
ALTOONA, Iowa (KCCI) – An artist is putting the final touches on the final Freedom Rock in Iowa. It will be located outside of Adventureland Inn in Altoona. Each of Iowa’s 99 counties already has a Freedom Rock. Adventureland had the winning bid for the 100th rock. The money was donated to two nonprofits: Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and the Puppy Jake Foundation. Bubba Sorensen is the artist behind the Freedom Rocks. He says he wanted to include the Flag in the 100th rock to match the other rock already in Polk County. “I tried to throw everything I could think of at it because it’s the 100th, it’s the last one, I want to put everything in it, and I just stepped back, and I’m like, let’s just keep it, simple, tell a few specific stories, and just make sure Old Glory’s flying over it.” Sorensen is getting help from his kids to finish up this final rock. They’re working inside a tent in hopes of finishing it in time for Independence Day.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) – Inflation and supply chain issues may cause some prices to go up at the Iowa State Fair this year. Eric Campbell, the owner of Campbell Concessions, said most of his product is up by 30 percent compared to last year. To offset this, his prices have gone up anywhere between 50 cents to a dollar. Campbell also says companies didn’t have people back at manufacturing companies to make the supplies he needed. “We’re still going to have the great food,” Campbell said. “We’re going to keep prices the best we can because we want people to enjoy the fair like they have since grandpa, grandpa, and four generations have been coming there.” The fair’s CEO said one price which won’t increase is the cost of admission. Tickets are $9 online in advance, and they’re $14 at the gate. The fair starts on August 11 and ends on August 22.
SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – Iowa has no felony animal abuse law for a first offense, meaning no matter the severity of the abuse, a first time offender can only serve a maximum of two years in jail for an aggravated misdemeanor. Advocates say the lack of a more serious felony charge gives some abusers a free pass. According to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, the law requires owners to give their pets food, water, shelter, veterinary care and a clean environment free from feces and urine. But even if police can prove a neglect charge, the law does not automatically remove the animal from the suspect’s care. Oftentimes, the ARL says police must take an extra step in civil court to remove an animal, and that step requires a veterinarian to examine the animal. And, the ARL says, the law does not prevent suspects from simply purchasing a new animal. The Humane Society of Northwest Iowa says it’s difficult to quantify how much animal abuse and neglect happens in northwest Iowa. But they say the public would be surprised how often an animal is brought into the shelter from an abusive situation.
