The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Linn County will close this Saturday. The center was put in place following the derecho impacting many residents on August 10. Those needing help with disaster recovery applications can still stop by the center for help this week; it is open daily through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and located in the parking lot between Cedar Rapids Kernels Stadium and Kingston Stadium.
One person has been arrested in connection with a July stabbing in an argument over change. Waterloo police arrested 27-year-old Samuel Gumm yesterday on one count of willful injury causing serious injury. According to court records, Gumm stabbed 31-year-old Miquel Ford in the chest on July 3. Ford suffered a collapsed lung and underwent emergency surgery followed by an extensive hospital stay. Police said the stabbing was the result of a disagreement over $2 in change after Ford returned from a convenience store.
Authorities have identified a man whose body was found last week in a burning ditch in rural central Iowa. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says the body is that of 44-year-old Michael Williams of Grinnell. His body was found after authorities were called around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday regarding a fire in a ditch near Kellogg. Officials responded and quickly extinguished the flames, then found Williams’ body. Police have not given any information on how Williams died, but have declared his death a homicide.
Two teenage males have been charged in connection with church burglaries on Ames’ north side last week. Ames Police said Thursday a total of four churches reported being stolen from. Two suspects, 19-year-old Zakary Hyer and 18-year-old Austin Cox, both Ames natives, were arrested Saturday. Ames Police got warrants to search their home, where they found stolen items from those churches.
A member of the first family will hold a rally in Iowa for the second time in two weeks. The Trump Campaign announced Sunday that Lara Trump, the daughter in law of President Trump, will host a ‘Make America Great Again!’ event at the downtown Marriott in Des Moines on Thursday. The event is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. with doors opening at 2:00 p.m. Lara Trump is married to Eric Trump and is a key adviser with the campaign.
A Newton man faces assault charges after police said he refused to wear a mask at a hospital, and threatened staff by saying he would sneeze on them. 40-year-old Jerad Oldham was arrested at the hospital in Newton on Sept. 15. Police were called to the hospital on a report of a man who had damaged hospital property and had threatened staff. Court documents show Oldham refused to wear a mask when asked to and threatened to sneeze on staff members. Police said Oldham continued to yell at staff members, telling one to “step back or else someone was going to get hurt.” The staff member told officers all attempts to de-escalate the situation failed, and she called police. Police said Oldham was responsible for about $150 in damage to the facility.
A Mt. Pleasant man is facing charges after police say he held a woman at knifepoint. Mt. Pleasant police responded around 1:15 Sunday afternoon to a trailer court. A female had run into a neighbor’s trailer and then been dragged back out by a male subject. The female made a comment to the witnesses about being tied up by the male, later identified as 48-year-old Chadley Yeakley. Yeakley had a knife and barricaded himself in a back bedroom with the victim. Officers spoke with Yeakley for approximately 90 minutes before he released the victim. Yeakley then continued a standoff with officers and would not drop the knife or surrender. He was eventually talked out of the bedroom after a few more hours. Yeakley was charged with Domestic Abuse-Display or Use of a Weapon, Kidnapping, Willful Injury, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
The Des Moines school district is meeting this week to determine a return-to-learn plan that would include in-person learning. A continued dispute between Iowa’s education department and the district could mean summer school for students and crippling bills for the school system. Des Moines school officials have repeatedly refused to abide by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ order that districts hold at least half their classes in-person, saying it’s not safe. The state Education Department is beginning the process for punishing the district for non-compliance. If they find the district is out of compliance, state officials could take a variety of actions, including requiring the district to keep students in classes until the end of June. Each additional day beyond the normal schedule would cost the district about $1.5 million.
Basketball, wrestling, and track seasons for Coe, Cornell, Dubuque, Loras, Luther, and the rest of the American Rivers Conference won’t be starting until after the new year. The conference announced plans yesterday to postpone winter sports competitions until at least January 1st, 2021, citing the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Teams will be able to start practices within the next two weeks. Track programs can begin practice immediately, while basketball and wrestling can start on October 1. Yesterday’s announcement comes after the postponement of the fall sports season due to the pandemic. The ARC says it should have a new schedule for football, soccer, and volleyball by the end of next week.
