The names of two Iowa State University students who died in a boating accident on Sunday have been released. According to campus officials, both were members of the Iowa State Crew Club, among a group of five practicing at Little Wall Lake in Hamilton County when their boat capsized. 20-year-old Yaakov Ben-David and 19-year-old Derek Nanni died following the accident. Ben-David was a sophomore accounting major from Washington, D.C. and Nanni was a freshman chemistry major from Normal, Illinois. Three more individuals were rescued from the water Sunday and taken to the hospital. They have since been released. Campus officials say their names are being withheld to protect their privacy. The university says it is conducting an internal review of its policies and procedures related to the incident.
A former Bosnian soldier who fled custody while awaiting trial for murder in connection with the 1994 killing of a fellow military officer has been arrested and jailed in Iowa after living for decades in the U.S. Federal agents arrested 58-year-old Dzevad Pajazetovic in Des Moines earlier this month, following an extradition request from Bosnia-Herzegovina. He remains in custody. Pajazetovic had been living a quiet life for years in the Des Moines area, most recently in the suburb of Waukee. He has a wife and adult children, worked at a tire factory and is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
The Iowa City VA Medical Center has eliminated age requirements to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. It is part of the VA’s efforts to vaccinate every eligible Veteran who wants to be vaccinated. They are currently vaccinating eligible and enrolled Veterans and qualified caregivers. The Iowa City VA is also hosting a mass vaccination event by appointment only on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The VA plans to vaccinate 1,200 Veterans at this event. They previously sent text messages to Veterans age 65 and older to complete self-scheduling for the vaccine. More mass texts are being sent to all enrolled Veterans to schedule their vaccine, as well.
Organizers with Iowa’s Ride announced this year’s ride will be a weekend event in Eldora. The event, named “Iowa’s Ride Weekender,” will run from July 16-18. Organizers said the change was due to some smaller community schools or city facilities not being comfortable opening for overnight camping this summer. The ride will feature a 40-50 mile route on Saturday, along with several riding options on Friday and Sunday. The event will also involve camping at the Eldora Municipal Park, floating on a tube on the Iowa River, and visiting the city pool. Organizers said there will be no registration fees for those who previously registered for the 2020 ride, which was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Firefighters are looking for the cause of multiple fires in Marshall County following a day of high wind on Monday. The Albion Fire Department said nearly 50 firefighters from multiple departments went to the scene west of Marshalltown around 9 p.m. It took about four hours for crews to get the fire under control. The closest home was about a quarter of a mile away. Officials say the fires scorched about 600 acres. The cause is under investigation. Meanwhile, multiple fire departments responded to an early morning field fire Tuesday outside of Sac City. The call came in at about 4:20 a.m. Officials say one house was threatened, but crews were able to stop the fire before it got too close. No one had to be evacuated due to the fire. An estimated 120 acres were burned during the fire. Officials say the fire took place in a wetland area and several of their trucks got stuck.
The Ames Police Department has suspended 39-year-old officer Jason Eaton from duty following his arrest early Tuesday morning, accused of driving at dangerously high speeds while traveling the wrong direction on a major highway. Eaton is charged with OWI First Offense, Eluding, Failure to Obey a Traffic Sign and two counts of Excessive Speed. The State Patrol was alerted to a driver traveling eastbound from Nevada in the westbound lanes of Highway 30 just before 10 p.m. Monday. A trooper passed the wrong-way oncoming driver and clocked him driving 126 miles-per-hour in a 65 mile-per-hour zone—all while driving westbound in the eastbound lanes. Troopers followed as Eaton made a u-turn on Highway 30 and then merged onto I-35 northbound from Ames. Eaton was driving 131 miles-per-hour in a 70 miles-per-hour zone on I-35 before exiting and finally stopping for authorities. The Ames Police Department says it is aware of Eaton’s arrest and he has been placed on paid leave “pending the outcome of an internal investigation”.
A Clear Lake man has entered pleas of not guilty to multiple burglaries at the start of this year. 64-year-old Richard Sigler of Clear Lake is charged with ongoing criminal conduct, second-degree burglary, three counts of third-degree burglary, and two counts of assault while participating in a felony. Investigators say Sigler committed several burglaries from late January to early February until a resident finally caught him breaking into an attached garage. Police say Sigler tried to run away and had to hit two people in the head with a screwdriver before being able to escape. Sigler also reportedly bit someone in the arm and would not let go. His trial is now scheduled to begin on May 25.
If you got a stimulus check from the government, but really haven’t suffered financially from the pandemic…several organizations in the Quad Cities suggest you share it with those in need. The groups have launched the “Spread the Relief” campaign. The organizations are not asking you to send the funds to them. Instead, they ask you donate unneeded stimulus money directly to area agencies and programs that have been helping people in the community with food, housing and health care assistance.
