PALO, Iowa (KCRG) – A Sunday morning fire caused significant damage to a farm building on a property in rural Linn County, according to officials. At around 10:00 a.m., the Linn County Sheriff’s Department and other emergency responders were sent to a report of the fire at 2289 Ross Road, located southeast of Palo. Reports indicated that smoke and flames were visible from Covington Road. Firefighters arrived to discover a machine shed on fire, with property inside. The owner of the property was home at the time of the fire and tried to remove some of the property inside. Officials said that the building and its contents were a total loss. Nobody was hurt in the fire. An investigation into how it started is ongoing.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (KCRG) – An officer is on leave pending an investigation after they shot a suspect in the arm on Saturday evening, according to officials. At around 10:04 p.m. on Saturday, the Mt. Pleasant Police Department and Henry County Sheriff’s Office were sent to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 700 block of Main Street. The man who called for help told dispatchers that they were being held at gunpoint. Officials from those agencies made contact with a man at the scene who was calling for help from a bathroom window. The man escaped through the bathroom window. Officers then moved to reach the suspect when that person allegedly pulled out a weapon. One of the officers fired their weapon in response, according to information provided by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The type of weapon that the suspect allegedly displayed was not disclosed by officials. The suspect was injured in the incident, being hit in the right arm. An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Iowa DCI. The officer is on “critical incident leave” until the investigation is concluded. No names of the people involved were released.
WASHINGTON, Iowa (KCRG) – A unique collection of 2,539 nativity scenes is on display right now at the Hills Bank in Washington. It took six weeks to set up the thousands of scenes. All of the scenes are owned by Michael Zahs, who started his collection in the 1950s. The displays come from more than 100 different countries, the majority of them handcrafted. “I like to have people come and look at the details. You can look at the exhibit for the scripture part of it, you can look at it for the materials, the artwork. Much of these are handmade, some of them are very historical,” Zahs said. This collection could break a world record, and Zahs is currently working on submitting it to Guinness for certification in its infamous Book of World Records. The display continues until the end of January 2023.
GUTTENBERG, Iowa (KCRG) – After spending several hours putting out a fire at Imagine the Possibilities care facility, Fire Chief Joe Zittergruen says they’re still investigating how it started. Right now, they don’t suspect foul play. No one was injured, but the fire left five people who are living with intellectual disabilities without their homes. Jeff Morris, the chief administrative officer for Imagine The Possibilities, said that the staff has made sure everyone has a place to stay. Morris said that they’re focused on rebuilding so their residents can continue to receive the care they need.
