A DOMESTIC ALTERCATION IN CEDAR FALLS LED TO THE ARREST OF ONE MAN OVER THE WEEKEND. POLICE SAY 23-YEAR-OLD DESHAUN JACKSON WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AFTER ARRIVING AT A HOME ON WEST 18TH STREET. THAT’S WHERE JACKSON WAS ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN A CONFRONTATION WITH THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILDREN, LEADING TO A PHYSICAL ASSAULT AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WOMAN’S PHONE WHEN SHE CALLED 911. JACKSON ALSO REPORTEDLY LEFT WITH THE CHILDREN. HE IS CHARGED WITH BURGLARY, DOMESTIC ABUSE, AND OBSTRUCTION OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION.
CITY OFFICIALS IN DUBUQUE WANTED TO USE THE CARROTT RATHER THAN THE STICK TO ENCOURAGE COVID VACCINATIONS, BUT NOW THE PLAN IS OFF. LEADERS HAD BEEN CONSIDERING GIVING INNOCULATED CITY EMPLOYEES $100 GIFT CARDS FOR LOCAL RESTAURANTS. MANY RESIDENTS BALKED AT THE IDEA, WHICH HAS NOW BEEN WITHDRAWN FROM TONIGHT’S DUBUQUE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA. THE CONTROVERSIAL IDEA WOULD HAVE ALSO ALLOWED DUBUQUE CITY WORKERS TO DONATE THE MONEY TO LOCAL CHARITIES.
ONE OF CONGRESSMAN RANDY FEENSTRA’S FIRST VOTES IN WASHINGTON WAS ON THE IMPEACHMENT OF NOW FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. IOWA’S 4TH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE VOTED AGAINST THE ARTICLE, BUT TALKED ABOUT WHAT HE LEARNED FROM THE EXPERIENCE. FEENSTRA REPRESENTS NORTHWEST IOWA. HE WAS A RECENT GUEST DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. FIND THE FULL INTERVIEW AT KXEL.COM.
FARM WORKERS AND PEOPLE INVOLVED IN OTHER JOBS WITH SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS MIGHT BE MORE LIKELY TO FALL VICTIM TO DEMENTIA LATE IN LIFE. RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA ARE DRAWING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MENTAL DECLINE AND WORK IN AGRICULTURE, COMMERCIAL FISHING, AND FORESTRY. CHANCES OF DEMENTIA WERE 46 PERCENT HIGHER IN THOSE FIELDS. THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA TEAM LOOKED AT INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM A LONGTERM HEALTH AND RETIREMENT STUDY OF PEOPLE OVER 50. THEY SAY THE FINDINGS ARE SIGNIFICANT, BECAUSE MANY FARMERS WORK PAST TYPICAL RETIREMENT AGE, POTENTIALLY PUTTING THEM AT GREATER RISK OF WORK-RELATED INJURY IN THE EVENT OF MENTAL IMPAIRMENT.
GUN RIGHTS COULD BE FORMALLY ADDED TO IOWA’S CONSTITUTION IN 2022. THE LEGISLATURE TOOK THE NEXT STEP TOWARD AMENDING THE DOCUMENT TO MORE BROADLY GUARANTEE GUN RIGHTS IN IOWA THAN UNDER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. IOWA IS ONE OF SIX STATES WITHOUT SPECIFIC CONSTITUTIONAL GUN RIGHTS LANGUAGE. THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SINCE THE LEGISLATURE ALSO PASSED THE RESOLUTION IN 2019. IT ADDS A REQUIREMENT THAT LAWS RESTRICTING GUN RIGHTS BE SUBJECT TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF JUDICIAL REVIEW.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE MADE THEIR WAY TO HAWKEYE DOWNS IN CEDAR RAPIDS YESTERDAY TO RECEIVE FOOD FROM ‘TOGETHER WE ACHIEVE.’ THE RELIEF ORGANIZATION WAS FOUNDED IN THE WAKE OF AUGUST’S DERECHO. ORGANIZER RAYMOND SIDDELL SAYS FOOD ASSISTANCE HELPS REMOVE ONE AREA OF STRESS. TOGETHER WE ACHIEVE IS PLANNING ANOTHER FOOD GIVEAWAY IN FEBRUARY AND HOPES TO CONTINUE WITH SIMILAR MONTHLY EVENTS THROUGHOUT 2021.
FIRST TERM REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN RANDY FEENSTRA IS SERVING ON THE U.S. HOUSE’S AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE. SPEAKING RECENTLY DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, FEENSTRA SAID HE SEES AGRICULTURE AS AN AREA OF BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT BETWEEN MIDWESTERN REPRESENTATIVES. DEMOCRATIC THIRD DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN CINDY AXNE IS ALSO ON THE HOUSE AG COMMITTEE. DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST, HEAR MORE FROM FEENSTRA ABOUT WHAT HE SEES AS THE POINTS OF UNITY AND DIVISION IN CONGRESS AND ACROSS THE NATION.
PROSECUTORS HAVE DROPPED TRESPASSING CHARGES AGAINST AN ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST WHO SECRETLY RECORDED IOWA’S LARGEST PORK PRODUCER EUTHANIZING HUNDREDS OF HOGS LAST YEAR. AT THE TIME, THE PORK SUPPLY CHAIN HAD BEEN DISRUPTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. MATT JOHNSON IS PART OF THE GROUP: DIRECT ACTION EVERYWHERE. JOHNSON HAD BEEN SCHEDULED TO STAND TRIAL IN GRUNDY COUNTY ON TWO COUNTS OF TRESPASSING AT IOWA SELECT FARMS PROPERTIES. PROSECUTORS DISMISSED THE CHARGES AT THE REQUEST OF IOWA SELECT, WHOSE PERSONNEL HAD BEEN SUBPOENAED TO TESTIFY. A COMPANY SPOKESWOMAN SAYS IT “CANNOT BE DISTRACTED BY INDIVIDUALS WHO CHOOSE TO BREAK THE LAW AND GRANDSTAND.”
WATERLOO-BASED CLARK AND ASSOCIATES HAS POSTPONED ITS ANNUAL ADAPTIVE SKI EVENT. THE 4TH ANNUAL WINTER FUN ON THE SLOPES DAY HAD BEEN SCHEDULED FOR YESTERDAY IN DUBUQUE. IT HAS BEEN PUSHED BACK TO FEBRUARY 21ST DUE TO POOR WEATHER OVER THE WEEKEND.
