Iowa News
October 26, 2020
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa voters are casting ballots early in person or by mail at a record pace for the Nov. 3 election with several days of early voting still remaining. The Iowa secretary of state’s office reported that 685,234 absentee ballots have been returned to county auditors statewide by Friday morning. Those include people who voted by mail or early in person at auditor’s offices or satellite voting locations. While Democrats typically lead in early voting in Iowa, their advantage this year is significantly bigger than 2016 or 2012. About 51% of the ballots returned have come from registered Democrats compared to 31% from Republicans and 18% from those that do not belong to either party.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Black man who was shot by police outside an Iowa nightclub five years ago has agreed to a nearly $400,000 settlement. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 33-year-old Jovan Darnell Webb alleged in his suit that he was singled out because of his race in April 2015 when he was wounded while attempting to pull out of the parking lot of the New World nightclub in Waterloo during a disturbance. His suit also alleged excessive force, equal protection violations and battery on the part of the police officers. The lawsuit had been scheduled to go to trial this month. The decision to settle for $399,999 was made by the city’s liability insurance carrier. The city’s attorney, David Baker, declined to comment.
OLLIE, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say a 76-year-old man died after he apparently fell out of a tree stand while hunting. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Raymond Bears body was found after he was reported missing Thursday when he did not return from hunting on his land in Ollie. The Keokuk County Sheriff’s office and local police found his body and say it appeared he fell from the tree stand. An autopsy is being performed.
FILLEY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a propane leak caused a Nebraska house fire that left one person dead and two critically injured. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the fire started early Saturday in the Gage County village of Filley. The State Fire Marshal Agency said in a news release that the house was “fully involved” when firefighters arrived. Two inside the house got out and were flown to a Lincoln hospital, but first responders pronounced the third occupant dead at the scene. The Gage County Attorney’s Office called for an autopsy to determine the precise cause of death. Names were withheld Saturday afternoon while relatives were notified.
Wisconsin News
October 26, 2020
APPLETON, Wis. (AP) — A key element of Wisconsin’s plan to help contain the coronavirus pandemic is proving to be difficult. Contact tracers have become overrun. Wisconsin saw an average of 3,400 daily cases reported in the last week. An additional 3,626 positive tests were confirmed in Sunday’s update. The total number of cases is approaching 200,000. Some Wisconsin counties are no longer able to reach out to an infected person’s contacts, so they’re instead asking infected people to do that work themselves. Dane County is the second-most populous in the state. It’s among those that have switched to what it calls a “crisis model” of contact tracing.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Madison police say a man who attempted to flee from officers after reports of a suspicious vehicle beat up a delivery driver before he was arrested. Authorities say several people called police Saturday night reporting a vehicle creating sparks from something that was apparently underneath it. When officers found the vehicle, the suspect eventually ran away and got into the car of a delivery driver. Police say when the driver refused to pull away, the man assaulted him and tried to steal money, police said. The suspect tried to enter another car that was occupied before he was arrested. The man is facing numerous charges.
Madison, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Department of Justice says police in Goodman, Wisconsin shot and killed a man suspected of homicide after he pointed a firearm at officers. The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office on Friday evening responded to a call for a possible homicide in Goodman, located in the northwestern part of the state. The Department of Justice says that when police arrived at the home, they found a dead man and a suspect, who fled in a vehicle. The officers followed the man before he stopped, exited the car and pointed a firearm at police. The officers shot the man, and he died of injuries at the scene.
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (AP) — An altercation in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin has left four people injured by stab wounds. The Chippewa Herald reported that the Chippewa Falls Police Department responded to a call reporting that multiple people had been stabbed. Four people were taken from the scene by medics, including two who appeared to be in critical condition. The Chippewa Falls Police Department said the people involved knew each other, but several fled before police arrived.
Illinois News
October 26, 2020
CHICAGO (AP) — A 25-year-old man arrested after a fatal police shooting in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood has been charged in connection with another shooting that drew officers to the scene. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Saul Zaragoza of Berwyn faces attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and unlawful use of a firearm by a felon for a shooting that left a man injured. Police say officers were dispatched Friday for shots fired and encountered a vehicle connected to the shooting. The car crashed and police fatally shot 25-year-old Marc Nevarez as he allegedly tried to flee. Zaragoza was in the crashed vehicle.
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois health officials are reporting more than 4,000 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 24 additional deaths. The state’s Department of Public Health reported a 6.1% positive testing rate over the past seven days. Labs reported 72,097 tests over 24 hours with 4,062 positive cases. Since the pandemic began, 9,505 in Illinois have died from COVID-19. Overall, there have been 374,256 positive cases. The data comes after the state announced a one-day record for new confirmed cases. State officials have pleaded with Illinois residents to wear face coverings and take other safety precautions.
Authorities say three teenagers are dead after their car crashed in southern Illinois. Illinois State Police say the crash happened just before 3 a.m. on Sunday in Johnson County. Police say six teenagers were in a black Ford traveling westbound when the vehicle ran off the road and struck a tree. Killed in the crash were 18-year-old Jordan Davidson and two other unidentified teens. Three others were hospitalized with injuries. Police are investigating.
PEKIN, Ill. (AP) — A 99-year-old central Illinois woman has voted in every presidential election since 1944 including this year. The (Peoria) Journal Star reports Harriet Harris of Pekin cast an early ballot Friday at the Tremont Community Center. She said she studied a sample ballot at home so she was ready to make her choices. This year was also the firs time the lifelong Republican cast a ballot for a Democrat. She said she voted for Joe Biden for president, saying she doesn’t care for President Donald Trump. The election is Nov. 3.