The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a Nebraska man was arrested Thursday morning following an accident at Highway 92 and 510th Street, near Griswold. 51-year old Craig Thomas Arellano, of Omaha, was charged with OWI/2nd offense. His bond was set at $2,000. And, Thursday evening, a 17-year old male was cited for Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense, following a traffic stop at 205th and Badger Avenue, in the Crescent area.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a man who was found dead at the scene of what they say was an ambush on police officers during a night of unrest in Davenport, Iowa, earlier this week. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday identified the dead man as Marquis M. Tousant, of Rock Island, Illinois, which is just across the Mississippi River from Davenport.

Tousant was found dead at the scene of what authorities say was an ambush on an unmarked police truck in an alley early Monday. Police say men fired several times at the truck, wounding the officer who was driving it. Another officer returned fire. Six suspects were later arrested after a high-speed chase.

(Radio Iowa) – The two top Republicans in the Iowa legislature say they’re preparing legislation to respond to the death of George Floyd and protesters asking for racial justice. Hundreds of peaceful protesters marched past the state capitol last (Thursday) night. “Those voices are being heard and we’ve had conversations with the speaker and with the governor about taking a very positive step forward.”  That’s Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a Republican from Ankeny.

On Thursday, Democratic lawmakers proposed banning most police chokeholds, making it illegal to hire officers with a record of serious misconduct and ensuring the attorney general can investigate police actions. “I think it would be a very good step forward if we could craft a bill that incorporates these ideas, maybe others,” Whitver says, “but we want to make sure we’re listening and these are good ideas that they are bringing forward and we want to see if we can get it done.”

Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley says he met privately on Wednesday with the Democratic Leader of the House and an African American state representative from Des Moines to discuss positive actions the legislature might take now. “We had a conversation. I said: ‘With the timeline that we’re working within the legislature, what are some things that we can do immediately to have an impact immediately on the situation before us,'” Grassley says, “and I’m hopeful that some of these things are in response to us having those conversations and I think we can have a productive piece of legislation come from that.”

This week lawmakers reconvened the 2020 legislative session after a hiatus for the initial pandemic response and hope to complete work soon on policy and budget matters. Grassley and Whitver made their comments this (Friday) morning during taping of “Iowa Press” which will air tonight on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) — Authorities have arrested a man on multiple charges connected to a February 4th fire that heavily damaged a Waterloo bowling alley. Officials believe 29-year-old Kevin Cruz Soliveras was one of several people who forced their way into Maple Lanes Bowling Center and set the fire after stealing money from vending machines, video games and an ATM. Police say an overnight maintenance worker was also robbed of his wallet.

Cruz is charged with first-degree arson, second-degree robbery and second-degree burglary. He’s also facing charges linked to other recent crimes in Waterloo, including a March 5th robbery and fire at the popular Wishbone Restaurant and Bar and the attempted robbery of an armored car outside a bank on March 11th, when one suspect was shot and killed.

DES MOINES – A barn in Ogden, a courthouse in Decorah, a tiny cemetery chapel in Avoca and a sprawling military base on the south side of Des Moines – these are just four of the 14 historic preservation projects that were honored in a virtual ceremony Thursday during the annual Preserve Iowa Summit. Chris Kramer, director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, which oversees the State Historic Preservation Office, says “These outstanding properties give communities a unique sense of pride and place. The adaptive reuse of these iconic buildings is a creative and economic way to revitalize an entire neighborhood.” The IDCA is co-hosting this year’s summit with the City of Dubuque.

The state office presented four awards, for projects that were completed July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019. The nonprofit group Preservation Iowa presented 10 additional awards. Preservation Iowa President Bruce Perry said “It’s thrilling to see owners, architects, contractors and communities work together not only to save Iowa’s historic treasures but to make them focal points to attract new investment into Iowa communities. Preservation is a unique way of using our collective history to prepare for Iowa’s bright future.”

Graceland Cemetery Chapel, Avoca

Among the winners of the “Preservation at its best” awards, was:

Graceland Cemetery Chapel, Avoca
Best Rural Preservation Project
Members of the Newton-Avoca Historical Society teamed up with the City of Avoca to save a tiny octagonal chapel in the local cemetery. Built around 1875, the 320-square-foot chapel now has a refurbished chimney, restored arched windows and new cedar shingles that pay tribute to the original design.