(Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds says she’s reviewing the situations in Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Waterloo where HyVee stores are closing for good next month and will take a look at options that might address the situation. Reynolds was in Cedar Rapids Wednesday for a bill signing ceremony. The governor and Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell spoke briefly about the closure of a HyVee in a downtown neighborhood.

“I told the mayor that we would do everything we could to work with them and take a look at, you know, where’s the food bank, where’s the opportunity…maybe we could have some type of a scaled down food mart for them,” Reynolds says. “I haven’t had a chance to sit down with HyVee yet to understand where the movement is, but our number one goal is to make sure that the constituents, the individual residents have access to food.”

The City of Cedar Rapids provided HyVee nearly a million dollars in incentives to build a new store across the street from an older, smaller HyVee. HyVee has said that location, which opened in 2002, has consistently failed to meet financial goals over the past several years. HyVee has made a similar statement about the stores in Davenport and Waterloo that will close. Advocates for residents in the neighborhoods around the three stores warn once those HyVees close, there will be no access to affordable, fresh food in those areas. Reynolds says there may be creative solutions.

“Maybe it’s a bus line that they don’t have in place where they can get on and get to one of the existing grocery stores,” Reynolds says. “…It might be as easy as that until they can figure out maybe a more long term solution.”

In June of 2018, a HyVee in Des Moines was temporarily closed after flash flooding hit the store. HyVee set up a free busing system to give customers in the neighborhood rides to and from another HyVee.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – A spokesperson for Alliant Energy, today (Thursday), said residents in Cumberland and Massena who have experience numerous, seemingly random outages of power for two or more hours, since Sunday, shouldn’t have to worry about that much longer.

Alliant Senior Communications Director Melissa McCarville tells KJAN News, “There was an equipment issue at the substation in the area. Our crews isolated the situation and are resolving it. We do not expect any further issues.”

McCarville added, “As always, we encourage our customers to contact us and report if they experience an outage. Alliant Energy Help Center can be reached by calling 1-800-ALLIANT (800-255-4268) or online at alliantenergy.com/outage.”

(Burlington, Iowa) – A man who authorities say was hearing impaired, was struck and killed by a garbage truck this (Thursday) morning, in eastern Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2016 International garbage truck driven by 65-year-old Dale Deitrick, of Mediapolis, was backing southbound on Isabell Avenue, in Burlington.

49-year-old Brian Whittaker, of Burlington, was crossing the street, when he was hit by the truck. The accident happened at around 10:08-a.m.

Whittaker was transported by Burlington Fire/Rescue to a hospital in Burlington, where he died from his injuries.

The accident remains under investigation.

(Creston, Iowa) – A crash this (Thursday) afternoon in Creston resulted in one person being transported to the hospital. Creston Police report a 1999 Cadillac Deville was driven to the park by a male passenger. The male driver and female passenger then changed positions in the vehicle, so the female – who had just received her permit – could practice driving.

The woman – identified as 73-year-old Clarina P. Lee, of Creston – told police the male told her to “go.”  He then told her to press the brake, but she got flustered and was said to have stepped on the accelerator pedal instead. The vehicle went out of control and crashed, causing about $4,000 damage to the car. The accident happened at around 12:30-p.m.

Lee was transported to the hospital by law enforcement, after she complained of pain and unknown/possible injuries. No citations were issued.