AMONG THURSDAY’S ACCIDENTS DURING BLIZZARD CONDITIONS, A WRECK ON U.S. HIGHWAY 20 SHORTLY BEFORE NOON KILLED ONE PERSON. AT LEAST FIVE SEMI TRUCKS AND THREE CARS RECEIVED SERIOUS DAMAGE AT THE SCENE NEAR THE WELLSBURG EXIT IN GRUNDY COUNTY. THE IOWA STATE PATROL CONFIRMS THAT ONE OF THE TRUCKS WAS HAULING A TOXIC SUBSTANCE, WHICH SPILLED CAUSING A HAZMAT SITUATION. ALTHOUGH THE INITIAL ACCIDENT WAS IN THE WESTBOUND LANES, ANOTHER COLLISION SOON AFTER CAUSED SERIOUS INJURIES INVOLVING TWO EASTBOUND TRUCKS TRYING TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY FOR A DETOUR.
THE SUSPECT IN A FATAL WISCONSIN MALL SHOOTING MADE HIS ESCAPE TO IOWA. U.S. MARSHALS ARRESTED 17-YEAR-OLD DEZMAN ELLIS YESTERDAY IN DES MOINES. AUTHORITIES ALLEGE THAT HE KILLED ONE MAN AND INJURED ANOTHER PERSON AT A SHOPPING CENTER NEAR APPLETON SUNDAY. THE SHOOTING REPORTEDLY WAS SPARKED BY AN ARGUMENT OVER A GIRL. CHARGES AGAINST ELLIS WERE FILED IN WISCONSIN TUESDAY.
THERE’S A NEW POINT-MAN FOR FEDERAL DRUG ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS IN IOWA AND OTHER NEARBY STATES. JUSTIN KING IS THE NEW SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION OFFICES IN THE UPPER PLAINS, INCLUDING IOWA, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA, THE DAKOTAS, AND PARTS OF WISCONSIN AND ILLINOIS. KING IS A 19-YEAR DEA VETERAN AND COMES TO THE REGION AFTER SERVING MOST RECENTLY IN ARKANSAS.
UNI PANTHER WRESTLERS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE ON THE ROAD TONIGHT. DOUG SCHWAB’S SQUAD GOES TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS TO VISIT THE HUSKIES. UNI IS 3-2 IN DUAL MEETS SO FAR THIS WINTER. UNI AND NIU WRESTLERS USED TO BE IN THE SAME CONFERENCE BEFORE THE PANTHERS MOVED FROM THE MAC TO THE BIG 12.
IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS ANSWERED QUESTIONS THURSDAY ABOUT WHY CORONAVIRUS VACCINES HAVE NOT BEEN ROLLED OUT MORE QUICKLY IN THE STATE. IOWA IS NEAR THE BOTTOM OF LIST WHEN IT COMES TO THE PER CAPITA RATE OF INOCULATION IN EACH STATE. DATA FROM THE U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION SHOWS THAT APPROXIMATELY 6.3 PERCENT OF IOWANS HAVE TAKEN THE SHOT, AHEAD OF ONLY IDAHO AND MISSOURI. OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS, JUST OVER NINE PERCENT OF IOWA CORONAVIRUS TESTS HAVE COME BACK POSITIVE, WITH MORE THAN A THIRD OF THOSE INFECTED UNDER 30.
A PAIR OF WATERLOO MEN MAY HAVE COME UP EMPTY-HANDED EVEN IF THEY HADN’T BEEN ARRESTED EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. DONALD VAN-WIE AND THOMAS KAUFMANN JR. ALLEGEDLY CUT THEIR WAY INTO A CENTURYLINK STORAGE YARD ON WATERLOO’S WEST SIDE. RESPONDING OFFICERS TOOK THEM INTO CUSTODY ON THE SCENE. VAN-WIE AND KAUFMANN REPORTEDLY TRIED TO STEAL A LARGE QUANTITY OF CABLE, BUT THE MATERIAL WAS FIBER OPTIC LINE RATHER THAN MORE VALUABLE COPPER WIRE. SEVERAL CHARGES AGAINST THE MEN INCLUDE THEFT, CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, AND TRESPASSING.
IN SPORTS, THE WATERLOO BLACK HAWKS OPEN A TWO-GAME SERIES AT YOUNG ARENA TONIGHT VERSUS THE FARGO FORCE. FARGO LEADS THE UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE WESTERN CONFERENCE. THE TWO GAMES WRAP-UP SEVEN-IN-A-ROW AT HOME FOR WATERLOO; SO FAR THE HAWKS ARE 2-2-1 DURING THE HOMESTAND. TONIGHT’S GAME BEGINS AT 7:05 P.M.
IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS WOULD LIKE TO INVEST 450 MILLION DOLLARS IN HIGH-SPEED INTERNET UPGRADES. YESTERDAY, SHE SPOKE ABOUT THAT ELEMENT OF HER BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR THE COMING FISCAL YEAR. THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE HAS ARGUED THAT HI-SPEED INTERNET IS AS VITAL AS RUNNING WATER AND ELECTRICITY, WHILE APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF THE STATE IS IN A SO-CALLED BROADBAND DESERT.
IT’S THE LAST DAY ON THE JOB FOR LES BECK. AFTER TODAY, BECK WILL RETIRE AS LINN COUNTY’S DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT. HE HAS HELD THE POST SINCE 2000. LINN COUNTY PLANNING AND ZONING MANAGER CHARLIE NICHOLS WILL MOVE INTO THE VACANT POSITION. PRIOR TO WORKING FOR THE COUNTY, NICHOLS WAS INVOLVED IN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CITY OF CEDAR RAPIDS AND THE CITY OF BURLINGTON.
THE STATE OF IOWA WILL BEGIN PROCESSING INCOME TAX RETURNS AT THE END OF NEXT WEEK. THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE HOPES TO BE ABLE TO SEND REFUND CHECKS WITHIN 30 DAYS OF FILING. IT WAS A GOAL THAT STATE OFFICIALS SAY THEY WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE ON AVERAGE LAST SPRING. A “FILING MADE EASY” PAGE ON THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE WEBSITE PROVIDES BASIC DETAILS AND FORMS. THE STATE TAX DEADLINE IS APRIL 30TH.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULED UNI PANTHER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SERIES WITH EVANSVILLE WAS POSTPONED BY COVID-19 POSITIVES IN THE PURPLE ACES PROGRAM. THE GAMES HAVE NOW BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 27TH AND 28TH AT THE MCLEOD CENTER.
