Local government

Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker has announced he will not run for reelection. Walker is currently the chair of the board and is the first African American to hold the seat. He says he intends to finish out his term, which runs through January of 2023.

Iowa's state medical examiner has confirmed that the human remains found in a farm field outside of Montezuma last month are that of 10-year-old Xavior Harrelson, who disappeared in May, just days before his 11th birthday. The cause of death has not yet been released but law enforcement officers continue to investigate the boy's death as suspicious.

Cedar Rapids police have arrested a 17-year-old boy for allegedly killing both of his parents. According to a criminal complaint, the teen told officers he killed his parents with a knife and an ax in order to “take charge of his life."

Iowa needs targeted investments to strengthen and expand its electrical grid, in order to prepare for extreme weather events brought on by climate change. That’s the recommendation from the latest Iowa Climate Statement, which was released Wednesday by a coalition of more than 200 researchers.

City officials say the funds will help speed up construction on the west side of the river, providing more protection sooner.

The City of Cedar Rapids has released a far-reaching climate action plan aimed at significantly reducing the community’s greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The draft plan was shared at a public event Tuesday will go before the city council for a vote as soon as next week.

A year ago this month, a powerful derecho devastated communities across Iowa. Among the hardest hit were refugee families in Cedar Rapids, where many are still struggling to recover from the storm. Some say their lives have been forever changed.

An audit of the Buchanan County Jail has found officers there were improperly holding some inmates longer than they were sentenced and releasing others before they had finished their time. The audit found more than 100 instances where inmates were released a day or two early without proper authorization and 40 instances where inmates were held too long.

Advocates are continuing to call on officials in Johnson County to allocate federal pandemic relief money to undocumented immigrants and low wage workers. Activists with the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition marched in the streets of Iowa City Wednesday as they headed to a public hearing with city staff on the American Rescue Plan Act.

The first Black female mayor elected in the state of Iowa has died. Former Clinton Mayor LaMetta Wynn died in Lincoln, Nebraska last week at the age of 87.