It will come as no surprise to Iowans…August’s derecho is among the worse storm disasters of the past four decades. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the current estimated total cost for the destructive line of storms stands around $7.5 billion, traveling 770 miles in 14 hours including devastating large areas of Iowa. The derecho is fourth place on the list of 126 severe thunderstorm and tornado-related disasters in the U.S. since 1980.
A man had to be extricated from his vehicle yesterday morning following an accident on U.S. Highway 63 south of the northern boundary of Waterloo. Police responded at 6:44 a.m. to the report of a one-vehicle accident near 4246 Logan Ave., just north of Big Rock Road. The man was transported to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital with non-life threatening but serious injuries.
Waterloo Police found three shell casings late Saturday night while responding to a report of shots being fired. Officers were sent to the area of West Sixth Street and Grant Avenue south of downtown after receiving the call just after 11:30 p.m. Police say there had been a party at a residence in the 800 block of Grant Ave. where “some type of disagreement” occurred. The shell casings were recovered in the area near the address. No property damage or victims were found.
A Cedar Rapids man is accused of leading a deputy on a brief chase near Palo. It happened along Covington Road south of Palo just after 1 o’clock early Sunday morning. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy tried to pull over a vehicle driven by 36-year-old Randy Thompson for speeding. The deputy says Thompson did not stop and instead sped into Palo before turning onto Blairs Ferry Road. Authorities say just a couple of minutes later, Thompson drove into the ditch and got his car stuck. Thompson tried to run away but was captured. He now faces several charges including speeding, attempting to elude and possession of a controlled substance. No one was hurt.
For the second time this month, an inmate at the Linn County Correctional Center died just a few hours after being booked into the facility. In the most recent incident, officials say an inmate died Saturday afternoon. A Linn County Correctional Officer discovered the female inmate in a 3rd-floor female arraignment cellblock unconscious, and unresponsive, lying on the bunk of her cell just after 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The inmate was transported to Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The inmate had been in custody since just after 10:15 a.m. and had last been checked on by jail staff 45 minutes before she was found unresponsive. She was discovered when a correctional officer had gone to remove the inmate from the cell to get her ready for processing out of the facility, since her family had posted bond. In reviewing video, investigators have found no apparent cause for the inmate’s medical emergency. The County Medical Examiner has ordered an autopsy to help determine the cause of her death.
Strawberry Point Police say a man who failed to pull over led them on a pursuit for several miles before crashing. It happened around 8:30 Friday night. Police say 41-year-old Joshua Smith of Strawberry Point would not stop for an officer trying to execute a search warrant from Dubuque County. Officers say Smith led them on a chase northwest of town along St. Sebald Road before losing control on a curve and rolling his vehicle. Smith was taken to Regional Medical Center in Manchester for treatment of minor injuries, then charged with several traffic violations.
Two people are dead and three others injured following a head-on collision in Des Moines early Sunday morning. It happened in the southbound lanes at the 2900 block of 6th Avenue shortly before 5 a.m. A northbound car crossed into the southbound lanes and collided with a southbound SUV. Two people died at the scene, while three others were taken to hospitals, one of them in critical condition.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against Cambrex for an accident at its Charles City drug-manufacturing facility. Michael Moore of Wisconsin says he was among a group brought in to work at the Charles City plant on October 14, 2018, and fell from an elevated walkway after it “catastrophically failed” beneath him. Moore says he suffered serious and permanent injuries as a result of the fall and accuses Cambrex of negligence in allowing it to happen. His lawsuit alleges the company did not detect or repair the problem with the walkway through regular inspection. The lawsuit was originally filed in Floyd County District Court but has now been transferred to U.S. Federal Court in Cedar Rapids.
