CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man was hit and killed by a vehicle in Cedar Rapids late Tuesday night. KCRG-TV reports Lavell Robinson Jr., 29 of Coralville, was the man hit by the vehicle. Police say no charges are pending, but the investigation is ongoing. Investigators are awaiting the autopsy report and witness statements.
SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man has been imprisoned for possessing illegal drugs and child pornography. Federal prosecutors say 23-year-old Jose Ortega-Ramirez was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to 7½ years. Police intercepted a package from Mexico containing nearly 291 grams of cocaine addressed to Ortega-Ramirez’s apartment. Police executed a controlled delivery, then searched Ortega-Ramirez’s home and found the package. He also admitted to having images of a nude minor.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The widows and widowers of fallen police officers gathered at the Statehouse Wednesday to fight for health care coverage. KCCI-TV reports Iowa law does not require cities or counties to provide health insurance to the families of law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty. A new bill would require cities, counties or the state to continue to provide health insurance to the fallen officer’s surviving children until they are 26 and to their spouses until they are eligible for Medicaid.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – After dropping a fetal-heartbeat bill earlier this week, Iowa House Republicans are advancing a new effort to ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected by adding the measure to a separate bill that would ban the sale of fetal tissue.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police were called to a home in Des Moines because neighbors complained about a strong scent of ammonia, according to WHO-TV. Inside the home officers found dozens of cats, some of them dead, living in filth. Officers estimate that six inches of cat feces covered every square inch of the floor. At least 20 cats have been taken from the home. Felony charges are likely for the homeowner.
UNITED STATES (IRN) – Toys R Us plans to sell or close all of its 800 stores in the United States after six decades in business, according to the Washington Post. There are seven stores in Iowa. The store blames Amazon for the closures, as well as the rise of video games and other high-tech toys that kids are increasingly playing with instead of action figures, dolls and board games.