DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds announced on Monday she has appointed Chris Cournoyer as Lieutenant Governor of Iowa. Cournoyer, a resident of LeClaire, was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2018. She chaired the inaugural Technology committee, from which position she wrote and managed the legislation that made Iowa the sixth state in the nation to protect consumer data in law. She was also Chair of the Education Budget Committee, Vice Chair of the State Government committee and sat on the Education, Natural Resources and Environment, Transportation, and Ways and Means committees.

WATERLOO – The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office has requested assistance from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation for a male who died while in the custody. Following an initial car chase by Waterloo Police on Sunday evening, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office found the same vehicle twenty minutes after the city department called the pursuit off following a crash. Deputies chased the vehicle, operated by Willie Earl Washington, for approximately nine miles at speeds over 90 mph before it struck stop sticks. Washington was removed from the car by deputies and handcuffed, but then became unresponsive while in custody. Deputies were unable to revive the man despite life-saving efforts. An autopsy is scheduled for December 17th at the Office of the Iowa State Medical Examiner.

IOWA – The Iowa State Patrol reported to 258 calls for service during this past weekend’s ice storm. WHO-13 details that among those, 93 were crashes — 78 of which property damage with 14 injuries and one fatality. There were also 138 motorist assists. The department urges travelers to avoid hitting the roads with such extensive ice and freezing rain.