BLACK HAWK COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – This time of the year is peak season for West Nile Virus transmission, and those involved with mosquito surveillance efforts say Black Hawk County is experiencing increased levels of the virus within the mosquito population. West Nile Virus is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito, and there is no vaccine or treatment for the virus. Officials caution people to remain diligent when protecting themselves and to take the necessary steps to prevent mosquitos from harboring around their homes. Residents should:
- Remove or turn over containers, buckets, wheelbarrows, etc. that may accumulate water.
- Dispose of any used tires to prevent water accumulation.
- Change water in bird baths, wading pools etc. at least once a week.
- Clean rain gutters and downspouts to prevent standing water.
- Cover rain barrels and unchlorinated pools to prevent mosquito access.
During outdoor activities, community members should also wear insect repellent and protective clothing. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 people with West Nile Virus will develop symptoms that may include fever, headaches, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, skin rash.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former state agency director who claimed Gov. Kim Reynolds fired him after he objected to her diverting federal Medicaid money to pay a member of her staff. Reynolds fired former Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven in June 2019, two years after she appointed him to the job. He filed a lawsuit in June 2021, contending he was fired because he refused to engage in illegal Medicaid fraud. On Wednesday, Judge Sarah Crane, a Reynolds appointee, dismissed his lawsuit. She concluded that as an an appointed officer, he served at the pleasure of the governor. Reynolds has said Foxhoven’s dismissal was partly related to patient deaths at a center for people with severe disabilities.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Sentencing hearings have been set for the former President and CEO of Go Cedar Rapids as well as the Financial Director, both of whom entered pleas of guilty to bank fraud back in January 2022. Go Cedar Rapids was the organization that planned Newbo Evolve, a three-day music event, featuring concerts by Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson in August 2018. The festival lost more than $2 Million, forcing Go Cedar Rapids out of existence. Local vendors said they still have not been paid for their work during the event. Prosecutors say in 2018 the Go Cedar Rapids executives falsified budgets and ticket sale projections for the three-day festival to increase their line of credit from the bank. Former president and CEO Aaron McCreight and former financial director Doug Hargrave each face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of a million dollars. Hargrave’s sentencing hearing is set for November 4, 2022. McCreight’s is set a week later, on November 10, 2022.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A trial date has been set for Willard Miller, the 17-year-old charged with murder in the death of an Iowa high school Spanish teacher. A judge on Thursday set the trial date for March 20. The judge had previously set the location of the trial in Council Bluffs. Miller and Jeremy Everett Goodale, also 17, are charged with first-degree murder in the beating death of 66-year-old Nohema Graber. He body was found in a park Nov. 3. She had been beaten to death with a baseball bat. Goodale’s trial is scheduled for Dec. 5 in Davenport.
