CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCRG) – On June 21st, 2023, at approximately 10:36 a.m., emergency crews were dispatched to the 2200 block of Zircon Lane for a report of a shed fire. Public Safety Officers arrived at the area before fire units to find the shed fire spreading to a mobile home that was nearby. They made contact with the resident of the mobile home who advised that he was the only person inside, but that he had 16 cats. Fire units arrived and started suppressing the fire as well as a search for the cats. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire and safely rescue all 16 cats. No one was injured in the incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating after a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy shot and killed a man after they said he refused to drop a weapon on Tuesday. The sheriff’s office said it happened in the 1100 block of W. Gilman Street in Sheffield at around 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday. Deputies were called for a report of a domestic dispute. When they arrived, deputies said a man pointed a weapon at a vehicle and deputies. A deputy shot the man once after he refused to comply with orders to drop the weapon, the sheriff’s office said. The man died at the scene. Deputies were not injured. The man’s name has not been released. The Iowa State Patrol is assisting in the investigation.
JOHNSTON Iowa (KCRG) – An Army National Guard unit from Middletown has received orders to deploy to the Middle East. The 831st Engineer Vertical Construction Company (EVCC) received deployment orders for Operation Spartan Shield in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), a region that encompasses 27 countries in the Middle East. The unit will deploy from Middletown in the fall of 2023 with approximately 150 soldiers. While deployed, their primary mission will be to conduct critical infrastructure improvement missions alongside other construction projects throughout CENTCOM. This will be the first time that the 831st EVCC was activated into federal service since 2005. They were more recently mobilized to Cedar Rapids in 2020 to aid in the Derecho storm cleanup. A send-off ceremony for the 831st EVCC will be announced at a later date.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCRG) – University of Northern Iowa announced Wednesday it is launching its first-ever engineering degree in the fall of 2024. The new degree will be one of two new science and engineering programs added to the university’s Applied Engineering and Technical Management Department. The university said the Bachelor of Science in Materials Science & Engineering will emphasize the properties of metals and will use the university’s foundry science facilities. The second new program is the Bachelor of Science in Materials Science Engineering Technology, which will take a more industry-based and manufacturing approach. The university also said companies in Iowa like John Deere, Collins Aerospace, BAE Systems, Doerfer Engineering and A.Y. McDonald have indicated a need for graduates from these two programs. These companies are expected to provide internship and senior project opportunities to students.
