THE PASTOR OF A CEDAR RAPIDS CHURCH REMEMBERED A SMILING, OUTGOING MICHAEL JARAMILLO, THE 11-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO WAS KILLED DURING A WEEKEND ACCIDENT AT ADVENTURELAND THEME PARK. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 SPOKE WITH PASTOR CHRISTIAN SHIELDS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE CHURCH. MICHAEL JARAMILLO AND SEVERAL FAMILY MEMBERS WERE TRAPPED ON A RAFT WHICH OVERTURNED DURING A WATER RIDE SATURDAY. MICHAEL WAS TAKEN OFF LIFE SUPPORT SUNDAY. HIS OLDER BROTHER, DAVID JR, REMAINS HOSPITALIZED, WHILE FATHER, DAVID SR., SUFFERED A SEVERE SHOULDER INJURY.
AN ANKENY MAN WAS ARRESTED IN CHICAGO AFTER POLICE FOUND A RIFLE WITH A LASER SIGHT IN HIS HOTEL ROOM OVERLOOKING POPULAR OUTDOOR ATTRACTIONS. AUTHORITIES SAY A MEMBER OF THE CLEANING STAFF ALERTED POLICE ON SUNDAY. 32-YEAR-OLD KEEGAN CASTEEL ALSO ALLEGEDLY HAD A HAND GUN AND AMMUNITION IN HIS ROOM. CASTEEL WAS ARRESTED AND FACES TWO COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED UNLAWFUL USE OF A WEAPON. HIS BOND WAS SET AT 10 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
A FORMER UNI WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER IS RETURNING TO THE PROGRAM. ON TUESDAY, KATELIN ONEY WAS INTRODUCED AS A NEW PANTHER ASSISTANT COACH. ONEY PLAYED FOR UNI FROM 2008 THROUGH 2012. SHE HAD BEEN WORKING MOST RECENTLY AS AN ASSISTANT COACH AT CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY. ONEY’S FIRST STINT WITH THE PANTHERS (AS A PLAYER) CAME AFTER HER PREP CAREER AT CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON.
ZALMAY NIAZY LIVES IN IOWA AFTER SERVING AS A MILITARY TRANSLATOR DURING OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. AS U-S FORCES PREPARE TO LEAVE HIS COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, NIAZY COULD BE DEPORTED BACK TO AFGHANISTAN. SPEAKING DURING AN INTERVIEW ON FOX’S AMERICA’S NEWSROOM PROGRAM, HE SHARED WHAT HE WOULD LIKE FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO KNOW. WHEN NIAZY WAS NINE YEARS OLD, A SMUGGLING INCIDENT BROUGHT HIM INTO CONTACT WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE TALIBAN. THAT IS THE BASIS FOR HIS POSSIBLE DEPORTATION FROM THE U-S NOW.
JAZMIN NEWTON HAS BEEN ADDED TO IOWA’S TEMPORARY REDISTRICTING ADVISORY COMMISSION. THE GROUP WILL CONDUCT PUBLIC HEARINGS ABOUT NEW MAPS THAT WILL BE DRAWN FOR LEGISLATIVE AND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS LATER THIS YEAR. NEWTON IS A LAWYER FROM DAVENPORT; SHE WILL REPLACE DEIDRE DEJEAR OF DES MOINES. DEJEAR WAS THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE WHO RAN UNSUCCESSFULLY FOR IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE IN 2018. SHE IS BELIEVED TO BE CONSIDERING A 2022 RUN FOR IOWA GOVERNOR.
AREAS OF NORTHERN IOWA REMAIN TOO DRY ACCORDING TO THE LATEST USDA CROP PROGRESS REPORT. JUST 62 PERCENT OF IOWA CORN WAS RATED AS GOOD TO EXCELLENT. FIFTY-NINE PERCENT OF SOYBEANS ACHIEVED GOOD TO EXCELLENT STATUS. SUBSOIL MOISTURE IN NEARLY TWO THIRDS OF THE STATE IS RECORDED AS SHORT OR VERY SHORT. THIS WEEK’S REPORT WAS DELAYED BY THE INDEPENDENCE DAY OBSERVANCE.
NEW FEDERAL RULES TO PROTECT MEAT PRODUCERS AGAINST THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST MEAT PROCESSORS ARE EXPECTED SOON. TO ENCOURAGE MORE COMPETITION IN AGRICULTURE, THE CHANGES WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR FARMERS TO FILE SUIT OVER ALLEGED UNFAIR PRACTICES. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IS ALSO EXPECTED TO TIGHTEN THE DEFINITION OF WHAT IT MEANS FOR MEAT TO BE LABELED A “PRODUCT OF THE USA,” EXCLUDING ANIMALS THAT ARE RAISED ABROAD BUT THEN PROCESSED IN THE UNITED STATES. A USDA OFFICIAL FAMILIAR WITH THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PLAN SAYS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER WILL BE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK.
FORMER AFGHAN INTERPRETER ZALMAY NIAZY HAS MADE A HOME IN IOWA FALLS AFTER HELPING THE U.S. MILITARY. NOW AN INCIDENT WITH THE TALIBAN WHICH HAPPENED WHEN NIAZY WAS A NINE-YEAR-OLD BOY COULD THREATEN HIS ASYLUM STATUS. NIAZY TALKED ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES DURING AN APPEARANCE ON FOX’S “AMERICA’S NEWSROOM” PROGRAM. NOW 33, NIAZY ASSISTED THE U-S MILITARY AS A TRANSLATOR DURING OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM AND WAS WOUNDED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. HE SAYS HIS FAMILY HAS ALSO BEEN THREATENED BY THE TALIBAN.
HIGH-SCORING BASKETBALL STAR ROY MARBLE, WRESTLING CHAMPION BRAD PENRITH, AND HAWKEYE STALWART ED PODOLAK ARE ALL PART OF THE GROUP WHICH WILL BE ADDED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME THIS YEAR. THE HAWKEYE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT NAMED A TOTAL OF TEN PEOPLE FOR THE HONOR ON TUESDAY.
