Reynolds Close to Filling Openings on State Board of Public Health
(Des Moines, IA) — Republican Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s filling openings on the state Board of Public Health so it can conduct business this fall. The governor told reporters, “we’re really close, I think if not, we are at a quorum right now.” When the terms of several board members expired at the end of June, it left just four members on the 11-person board. The
panel’s July 14th meeting had to be cancelled. Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst and other Democrats say that’s unacceptable. Konfrst said, “It doesn’t seem to me that it’s too heavy of a lift to ask our governor to fill vacant positions on a public health board in the middle of a global pandemic.” The board is now scheduled to meet in early September, 119 days
after its last meeting in May. Last fall, the group passed a resolution urging Reynolds to adopt a statewide mask mandate.
Cedar Rapids Man Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Parents and Sister
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — The Cedar Rapids man accused in the fatal shootings of his parents and sister in June still claims that he’s innocent. 20-year-old Alexander Jackson pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murders of 61-year-old Jan Jackson, 68-year-old Melissa Jackson, and 19-year-old Sabrina Hana Jackson. Alexander is standing by his story that a masked intruder
broke into the home and shot his family members before shooting him in the foot. He’s scheduled to stand trial in January.
UI Student and Veteran From Fort Dodge Receives Pat Tillman Scholarship
(Iowa City, IA) — A University of Iowa student and military veteran is the first Iowan to receive the prestigious Pat Tillman Scholar Award. Fort Dodge native Jake Schillo (SHILL’-oh) is working on his P-H-D after serving six years in the U-S Air Force as a nuclear weapons specialist. Schillo says he hopes winning the scholarship will open doors for other veterans from Iowa.
He said, “I’m fortunate enough that the foundation saw something in me that they wanted to invest in and I hope that being the first scholar at Iowa helps to pave the way for future Tillman scholars within our state.” The award is named after the former N-F-L player who gave up his pro football career to enlist in the U-S Army following the September 11th attacks.
Tillman was killed in 2004 while serving in Afghanistan. Schillo is working on his doctorate in the field of cancer genetics and hopes to open his own cancer research facility in the future.
Davenport Man Killed in Scott County Motorcycle Crash
(Riverdale, IA) — A Davenport man is the victim of a deadly motorcycle crash in Riverdale. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office say an S-U-V was waiting to turn into parking lot Tuesday afternoon when it collided with a cycle driven by 33-year-old Michael Lopez. Deputies say Lopez was thrown from the bike and taken to a hospital where he died. Investigators say Lopez
was traveling at a high speed before the crash. No one in the S-U-V was hurt. The incident is still under investigation.
