From KCRG-TV9:
A homeowner and family of six were displaced after a fire Friday morning. At approximately 9:50 a.m., Cedar Falls Fire Rescue was dispatched to the 700 block of Bluff Street on a report of smoke and flames coming from a home. Crews found heavy black smoke coming from the south side of the residence. Crews made entry and extinguished the fire on the inside and outside of the home. The owner was not home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. A dog was removed from the residence. The home sustained significant fire, smoke, and water damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld much of a 2019 jury verdict that found the state discriminated against a transgender prison employee by denying him the use of men’s restrooms and locker rooms. However, the court dismissed a portion of the case that centered on sex discrimination. The decision means Jesse Vroegh has won his discrimination lawsuit based on gender identity and the jury’s $120,000 damages verdict awarded for emotional distress. Vroegh is a former nurse at the state’s Mitchellville prison for women. The decision in which the full court recognized gender identity discrimination for transgender workers under state civil rights law is a significant LGBTQ victory.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bird flu has infected two more farms in Iowa, forcing the killing of 5.3 million hens and 88,000 turkeys. The new cases reported Friday mean that across the nation, farmers have had to kill about 22 million egg-laying chickens, 1.8 million broiler chickens, 1.9 million pullet and other commercial chickens and 1.9 million turkeys. Iowa accounts for many of those cases, with operations having to kill more than 18 million chickens and 305,000 turkeys since the outbreaks began a month ago. Iowa is the nation’s leading egg producer and had 46 million chickens on farms in February. Iowa raises about 11.7 million turkeys annually. The latest cases were at an egg farm in Osceola County and a turkey farm in Cherokee County, both in northwest Iowa.
KELLOGG, Iowa (AP) — Two people who helped another person dispose of the body of an Iowa murder victim have been sentenced to prison. The Des Moines Register reports that 56-year-old Julia Cox was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison and 59-year-old Roy Garner was sentenced to nine years for their roles in the September 2020 killing of 44-year-old Michael Williams, of Grinnell. Cox pleaded guilty in December to abuse of a corpse and accessory after the fact. Garner also pleaded guilty to those counts and a count of destroying evidence. Prosecutors say Cox and Garner helped Cox’s son, 33-year-old Steven Vogel, move Williams’ body from the basement of the Grinnell home the three defendants shared. Williams body was found burning in a ditch on Sept. 16, 2020.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials are funneling more money to rural water projects in several states as the Biden administration looks to put a dent in growing infrastructure needs amid drought and climate change. The U.S. Interior Department announced Thursday that $420 million will be spent on projects in New Mexico, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. The work includes construction of water treatment plants, pipeline connections, pump systems and reservoirs to provide drinking water to rural and tribal communities. The largest share — $160 million — will go toward an ongoing project designed to provide water for about 70,000 people in eastern New Mexico.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two Republicans have asked a judge to remove Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer from the June primary ballot. They claimed Thursday that a state panel wrongly rejected their challenge to her nomination papers earlier this week. Kim Schmett and Leanne Pellett, who have served as Republican county officials, challenged a decision by the State Objections Panel on Tuesday to reject their challenge of Finkenauer. The former congresswoman from Dubuque is seen as the frontrunner in a three-person race for the Democratic nomination and the right to face Republican Sen. Charles Grassley. Schmett and Pellett argued Finkenauer hadn’t gathered enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot. The panel rejected their challenge on a 2-1 vote.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man charged in the killing of a 10-year-old Davenport girl will see his trial moved out of Scott County. The Quad-City Times reports that a judge on Wednesday granted a request by Henry Dinkins’ lawyers for a change of venue. A new venue for Dinkins’ trial has not yet been selected. Dinkins pleaded not guilty last year to first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Breasia Terrell. Prosecutors say Dinkins took the girl from a Davenport apartment complex in July 2020, fatally shot her and hid her body in rural eastern Iowa. The girl’s disappearance prompted a monthslong search that ended when two people fishing near DeWitt discovered her remains in a pond.
