News

By JEFF REINITZ – Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa (TNS) WATERLOO — A Waterloo man has been sentenced to prison for allegedly sexually abusing a girl. Wesley Dale Widner, 41, was originally arrested for second-degree sexual abuse, and he later entered an Alford plea – not admitting guilt but stipulating he would likely be found guilty

By Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa (TNS) WATERLOO — Half of the winners from an Iowa Lottery scratch game are from Waterloo. Alix Theel claimed her $30,000 prize after winning on the “Tree-Mendous Crossword” scratch game. She bought the ticket at the Kwik Star at 1717 E. San Marnan Drive. Theel is the third person from

By JEFF REINITZ – Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa (TNS) Curbing catalytic converter thefts A honeycomb structure made of platinum, palladium and other pricey metals can be found in catalytic converters. WATERLOO — A Waterloo man has been arrested for allegedly stealing catalytic converters less than a year after he was released from prison for stealing

By Ottumwa Courier, Iowa (TNS) OTTUMWA — Nearly three years after a femur bone was recovered from the Des Moines River near Keosauqua, DNA evidence has confirmed it belongs to a missing Ottumwa man. The Ottumwa Police Department and the Southeast Missouri State University team, in collaboration with Othram, identified the remains as those of

By DAVID HOTLE – Muscatine Journal, Iowa (TNS) While no snow is predicted in the area through New Years Day, temperatures are going to begin trending downward, according to the National Weather Service at the Quad Cities Airport. Meteorologist Zach Uttech said that temperatures would begin to decrease next week. Temperatures Saturday through Monday look

By DAVID HOTLE – Muscatine Journal, Iowa (TNS) A woman charged in Muscatine County with having animals while barred from doing so under conditions of pretrial release in another animal hoarding case has been released on bail. During a bond review hearing Monday for Kelly Adams, who was arrested Dec. 13 after law enforcement executed

By DAVID HOTLE – Muscatine Journal, Iowa (TNS) Looking back on his interview as a candidate for Muscatine city administrator, Matthew Mardesen remembers being on the same page with the city council and the department heads, as if they were just having a conversation. That conversation turned into a job, as he started as city

By DAVID HOTLE – Muscatine Journal, Iowa (TNS) The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold a series of hikes in state parks on Jan. 1, 2025, to celebrate the first day of the new year. Wildcat Den State Park will be participating again this year. hike Karri Rutenbeck, the natural resources technician at Wildcat

By Amanda Davis – The Emporia Gazette (TNS) Dec. 28—In the kitchen of the home of Touch Nou and Chhoukrath Chay, two photographs are proudly displayed on a cabinet. The bottom photograph shows Nou and Chay working at Tyson in 1986 as freshly hired employees. The top photo shows Nou and Chay over thirty years

By Grace King – The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (TNS) Dec. 28—The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced. CEDAR RAPIDS — More than a dozen teachers at Jefferson High School will be moving classrooms this spring so renovations can begin for the future College & Career Pathways program.

By NINA BAKER – Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa (TNS) As the new year approaches, so do new festivities. Check out some Quad-Cities theaters, bars and businesses with New Year’s Eve celebrations below. Bettendorf: Noon Year’s Eve * Where: Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Drive * When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. * Cost: $10

By JOSHUA SHIMKUS – Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa (TNS) Inmate Juan Randolfo Parrado, 64, was found unresponsive at Federal Correctional Institution Thomson at approximately 5:50 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 26. According to a press release from the Bureau of Prisons, responding employees immediately initiated life-saving measures. These efforts continued while emergency medical services were

By Gretchen Teske – Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa (TNS) Editor’s note: This story is part of a series that ran in Insight magazine looking at how several Iowa and Illinois companies use influencer marketing. Hy-Vee advertises that it has a helpful smile in every aisle, but there are familiar faces advertising the products, too.

By Gretchen Teske – Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa (TNS) History and charm aren’t on the menu at the Crane & Pelican Cafe, but they’re among the first things customers notice. Owner Mandy Harvey has lived in the Quad-Cities all her life, with a special affinity for LeClaire — a river town about 15 miles

By Thomas Geyer – Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa (TNS) As of 6:15 p.m., MidAmerican crews have identified the power outage in Davenport as equipment failure. Power should be restored to the area in about 30 minutes. According to the MidAmerican outage map, the cause is due to an equipment problem. MidAmerican Energy is reporting

By SARAH WATSON – Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa (TNS) Lawmakers in the statehouse appear poised to tackle more legislation to limit property tax collection by cities and counties in the 2025 session. No specific proposals have yet been floated by lawmakers, but the prospect of further limits has some local government officials concerned about

By OLIVIA ALLEN – Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa (TNS) From finances to diapers, one budding Quad-Cities nonprofit is helping local fathers learn the skills they need to succeed as responsible parents. The Quad Cities Responsible Fatherhood Initiative is a new program aimed at building a supportive community of involved, responsible and committed fathers by