THE CORONAVIRUS MADE ITS FIRST VERIFIED APPEARANCE IN IOWA LESS THAN 12 MONTHS AGO. DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE ON THURSDAY IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS SIZED UP THE CHALLENGES COVID-19 HAS CAUSED IN A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME AND THE BREADTH OF THE STATE’S RESPONSE. WITH CONTINUED IMPROVEMENTS RELATED TO VACCINE AVAILABILITY AND DISTRIBUTION, REYNOLDS WAS CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT WHERE IOWA WILL BE BY MID-SPRING. HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST.
TWO MEN IN THEIR EARLY 20S AND A TEENAGED GIRL HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOLLOWING THE TUESDAY MORNING THEFT OF SEVERAL GUNS IN ELK RUN HEIGHTS. DAYMION OHRT, DAVON OLIVER, AND THE UNNAMED JUVENILE ALL FACE CHARGES IN THE CASE. THE WEAPONS WHICH WERE TAKEN RANGE FROM HANDGUNS TO AR-15 RIFLES. BOTH OHRT AND OLIVER HAVE PREVIOUS CRIMINAL HISTORIES, WHICH COULD COMPOUND THEIR CHARGES IN THIS CASE. AUTHORITIES ALLEGE THAT OHRT HAD A FAMILY CONNECTION WITH THE PEOPLE LIVING AT THE RESIDENCE FROM WHERE THE GUNS WERE STOLEN.
THIS JUNE WILL MARK THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SHOOTING DEATH OF DEXTER MEEKS IN CEDAR RAPIDS. NOW A MAN IN A CALIFORNIA JAIL HAS ALLEGEDLY CONFESSED TO THE MURDER. MYKEL ROBERTS WAS IN CUSTODY IN MOSTESTO, CALIFORNIA, AND REPORTEDLY TOLD AUTHORITIES THERE ABOUT HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE 2011 MEEKS SHOOTING. ROBERTS NOW FACES FIRST DEGREE MURDER AND OTHER CHARGES IN THE IOWA CASE.
IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS SAYS NEARLY 53% OF RESIDENTS 65 AND OLDER HAVE HAD A FIRST DOSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE. DURING A THURSDAY PRESS CONFERENCE, SHE SAID SHE EXPECTS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEING INOCULATED WILL BE ON THE RISE IF THE FORECASTS FOR VACCINE AVAILABILITY PROVE TRUE. THE SINGLE-DOSE JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE IS EXPECTED TO BE APPROVED ANY DAY. REYNOLDS CREDITED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR INCREASING THE PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY OF VACCINES TO STATES.
IF YOU SEE AN AIRPLANE WITH ITS WHEELS IN THE AIR BUT ITS WINGS ON THE GROUND, THAT’S A GOOD INDICATION THAT SOMETHING HAS PROBABLY GONE WRONG. IT’S EXACTLY THE CONDITION A 1963 CESSNA ENDED UP IN WEDNESDAY IN CLAYTON COUNTY. FORTUNATELY, TWO PEOPLE IN THE PLANE HAD ONLY MINOR INJURIES. THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT SAYS JOSPEH BOLTON OF PEOSTA AND ERIC HARBAUGH OF KANSAS BOTH WALKED AWAY FROM THE INCIDENT NEAR MILLVILLE. THE PLANE HAD REPORTEDLY ENCOUNTERED DIFFICULTY AND TRIED TO LAND ON OMEGA ROAD. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INDICATES THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER WHEN IT HIT A SNOWBANK.
IT’S THE FINAL REGULAR SEASON WEEKEND FOR THE UNI PANTHER MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM. TONIGHT’S BEN JACOBSON’S SQUAD VISITS ILLINOIS STATE. THE PANTHERS ARE TIED FOR SEVENTH IN THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE, JUST ONE GAME AHEAD OF THE REDBIRDS. PREGAME COVERAGE FROM NORMAL, ILLINOIS, BEGINS AT 7:30.
COLLEGE WINTER SPORTS ATHLETES WERE INFORMED EARLIER THIS MONTH THAT THE NCAA WOULD NOT HOLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE DIVISION III LEVEL IN 2021. HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE A DIVISION III NATIONAL WRESTLING TOURNAMENT, AND IT WILL HAPPEN IN CORALVILLE STARTING TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY. THE NATIONAL WRESTLING COACHES ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCED THURSDAY IT WILL HOST THE EVENT. THE NEW XTREME ARENA IN CORALVILLE WILL BE THE VENUE. THE NWCA SAYS THE COMPETITION WILL BE STRICTLY INDIVIDUAL WITH EIGHT QUALIFIERS IN EACH WEIGHT CLASS AND NO TEAM POINTS OR CHAMPION. THE EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF EVENT INDICATED AN ESTIMATED COST OF 100 THOUSAND DOLLAR COST TO STAGE THE TOURNAMENT.
TUESDAY IS AN ELECTION DAY IN SOME PLACES. SOME VOTERS WILL SETTLE LOCAL TAX QUESTIONS, OTHERS WILL FILL VACANCIES ON THEIR LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS OR CITY COUNCILS. IN JACKSON COUNTY, THE ISSUE AT HAND WILL BE WHETHER TO FUND A NEW JAIL. SHERIFF BRENT KILBURG SPOKE TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 AND WARNED THAT DEFICIENCIES HAVE PREVENTED THE CURRENT FACILITY FROM PASSING STATE JAIL INSPECTIONS. THE JAIL IN MAQUOKETA IS 50 YEARS OLD. TWO PREVIOUS EFFORTS TO PASS A JAIL REFERENDUM HAVE FAILED IN JACKSON COUNTY.
THE IOWA DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES SAY DROUGHT IS STILL A CONCERN. THE PROBLEM IS PARTICULARLY ACUTE IN NORTHWEST IOWA. IOWA AGRICULTURE SECRETARY MIKE NAIG – WITH OTHER STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS – WILL OFFER SPECIFICS IN A WEBINAR NEXT WEEK. THAT VIRTUAL GATHERING PLANNED FOR NEXT THURSDAY AT 1 P.M.
