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House fire reported south of Anita

News

August 9th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

UPDATE 9:18-a.m.:  THIS IS A CONTROLLED BURN.

Anita and Wiota Fire Departments were called to the scene of a reported house fire, Sunday morning. The call about the fire at a residence near 750th and Jackson Road, south of Anita, came in from a motorist at around 9:06-a.m.

Iowa COVID-19 update: Cass County positive cases stand at 73

News

August 9th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(10-a.m. update) The IDPH Coronavirus dashboard today (Sunday) show 12 new, confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Cass County since Friday, for a total of 73. Adair County has one more case, for a total of 29. There are 20 more cases in Pottawattamie County, for a total of 1,317. In Shelby County, there are three more cases of the virus, for a total of 183. There were no new reports of deaths in our immediate listening area.

Statewide, though, five more people have died from COVID-19, for a total of 930. Long-Term Care facility deaths account for 498 of the 930.  Of the 521,380 tests that have been taken, 48,732 tested positive (an increase of 620 from Saturday), 37,086 have recovered, and 4,350 tested negative since Saturday, for a total of 469,717 since the virus outbreak began. Iowa’s reported positivity rate is 9.3% compared to 7.7% Saturday.

The IDPH says 221 people are hospitalized with the virus, 57 are in an ICU, 32 people were admitted to a hospital since 10-a.m. Saturday, and 20 were on a ventilator. Polk County reports the most cases in the state, with 10,268 cases.

Southwest/Western Iowa hospitals are reporting a total of 14 patients, 4 are in an ICU, 0 were admitted since 10-a.m. Saturday, and there was no one on a ventilator.  Long-Term Care facility outbreaks remain at 26. At those facilities, 822 patients/staff tested positive for COVID-19, and 430 have recovered from the virus.

The IDPH Dashboard current County/Positive Case count/reported recoveries (   ), and the number of deaths to date (if any)  {    }:

  • Cass: 73 (41)  {1}
  • Adair: 29  (18)
  • Adams: 16 (10)
  • Audubon: 28 (16) {1}
  • Guthrie: 132 (97) {5}
  • Montgomery: 59 (35) {4}
  • Pottawattamie: 1,317 (943) {26}
  • Shelby: 183 (155) {1}

Traffic stop leads to pursuit in Montgomery County, & the arrest of a Waterloo man

News

August 9th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

A traffic stop late Saturday night at the intersection of Boxelder and Highway 34 in Montgomery County, resulted in a pursuit and the eventual arrest of a man from eastern Iowa. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports when a Deputy tried to stop a vehicle at around 11:30-p.m., the vehicle took off eastbound toward Red Oak, at speeds of over 100 mile per hour. The driver of the vehicle – who was later identified as Roosevelt Washington, of Waterloo – led law enforcement on a chase through Red Oak on Highway 34, then north on Highway 48.

Washington was taken into custody on Highway 71 in Cass County, just south of Highway 92, after a successful PIT maneuver. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond. He faces charges that include: Eluding; Interference with Official Acts, and Reckless Driving. While in custody, it was confirmed Washington has two out-of-State warrants for two-counts of Driving While license revoked, and Leaving the scene of a property damage accident out of Adams County, Illinois, and Knox County, IL. Driving While license suspended or revoked – Failure to Appear.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in the pursuit and arrest by: The Montgomery County Communications Center; Red Oak Police; Iowa DNR; the Iowa State Patrol; Cass County Sheriff’s Office, and Griswold Fire and Rescue.

Iowa early News Headlines: Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020

News

August 9th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The mother of an 18-year-old University of Iowa student who froze to death on the university’s campus is suing the school for negligence. The lawsuit contends Gerald Michael Belz, of Cedar Rapids, was unable to get into his residence hall on the night of Jan. 29, 2019, when wind chills were 51 degrees below zero. The lawsuit says the university locked all exterior doors to Burge Hall to prevent pipes from freezing but did not alert residents to the change in normal procedures. Belz was found unresponsive the next day. His death was ruled an accident. The university declined to comment on the lawsuit.

UNDATED (AP) — The refusal of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to require Iowans to wear masks in public has prompted at least three cities and a county to impose their own local ordinances to address the coronavirus outbreak. It’s setting up what could be a legal battle over whether local officials have the authority to impose the mandates. Local government control also has become an issue as a few school boards have said they may refuse to abide by Reynolds’ demands to open schools if they feel it’s unsafe. Some local mask ordinances are set to take effect on Monday.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole in the 1979 murder of an 18-year-old high school student. Jerry Burns was arrested in Dec. 19 2018, 39 years to the day after Michelle Martinko was found dead in her parents’ car outside a shopping mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She had been stabbed to death. Burns was convicted of first-degree murder in February and was sentenced on Friday. Cedar Rapids police have said they arrested Burns after DNA taken from a restaurant straw he had used matched DNA from the crime scene.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The family of a man killed by a Polk County sheriff’s deputy two years ago alleges in a federal lawsuit that the office is “covering up” the killing by refusing to release footage and records. The Des Moines Register reports that the family of Isaiah Hayes, of Ashland, Wisconsin, filed the lawsuit on June 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. It says the county has refused to release body camera or dash camera footage which shows the shooting of the 25-year-old Hayes in 2018. The lawsuit alleges the county is withholding the video because it would show Deputy Ryan Phillips “shooting Isaiah in the back while Isaiah did not pose a threat.”

Villisca man arrested Saturday evening

News

August 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 5:30-p.m. Saturday, of Marlin Mainquist, from Villisca. Manquist was taken into custody for Public Intoxication at the Casey’s Store in Stanton. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

DCI Investigates Fort Dodge Officer-Involved Shooting

News

August 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Saturday, released the identities of the subjects involved in the officer-involved shooting on Monday, August 4th, in Fort Dodge. Authorities say 39-year old Melissa Halda, of Fort Dodge, was identified as the deceased subject. An autopsy was completed on Halda by the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner. Webster County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, Brett Knippel, has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation per Webster County policy.

Authorities says at around 7:10-p.m., Monday, the Webster County Telecommunications Center received a 911 call from a resident in the 1500 block of 20th Avenue South in Fort Dodge, reporting that a female was armed with large knives and was acting erratically. Deputies from the Webster County Sheriff’s Office and a Fort Dodge police officer initially responded. During the interaction with law enforcement, Halda was shot and killed.

Minor injury accident in Creston Saturday afternoon

News

August 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

A man from Adair County suffered minor injuries to his back, Saturday afternoon, during an accident in Creston. The Creston Police Department says 56-year old Michael Maynes, of Greenfield, was attempting to park his 1997 Chevy pickup on Chestnut Street, just north of the intersection with Carpenter Street, when he fell out of the vehicle. The pickup was still in drive when it went forward and struck the left front of a parked 2016 Chevy Silverado pickup, registered to Russell McPike, of Grant City, MO.

The accident happened at around 12:10-p.m.  Maynes refused medical attention at the scene. Damage from the collision amounted to $1,500. No citations were issued.

Mother of Iowa student who died in freezing temps sues

News

August 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The mother of an 18-year-old University of Iowa student who froze to death on the university’s campus is suing the school for negligence. The lawsuit contends Gerald Michael Belz, of Cedar Rapids, was unable to get into his residence hall on the night of Jan. 29, 2019, when wind chills were 51 degrees below zero. The lawsuit says the university locked all exterior doors to Burge Hall to prevent pipes from freezing but did not alert residents to the change in normal procedures.

Belz was found unresponsive the next day. His death was ruled an accident. The university declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Local control dispute brewing over Iowa mask mandates

News

August 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The refusal of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to require Iowans to wear masks in public has prompted at least three cities and a county to impose their own local ordinances to address the coronavirus outbreak. It’s setting up what could be a legal battle over whether local officials have the authority to impose the mandates.

Local government control also has become an issue as a few school boards have said they may refuse to abide by Reynolds’ demands to open schools if they feel it’s unsafe. Some local mask ordinances are set to take effect on Monday.

Profit up 87% at Buffett’s firm but virus slows businesses

News

August 8th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett’s company reported an 87% jump in its second-quarter profit as the value of its investment portfolio increased with the stock market. But it took a $10 billion write down on the value of its aircraft parts manufacturing business because of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Berkshire Hathaway cut the value of its Precision Castparts unit because of how much the virus has hurt air travel and businesses that support that airline industry.

The ongoing pandemic hurt most of Berkshire’s businesses, but the results still topped Wall Street expectations. Berkshire held nearly $147 billion cash at the end of the quarter.