Emily Andersen

The Anamosa State Penitentiary, currently a medium/maximum security facility, will be changed to a strictly medium security facility, according to a Friday news release from the Iowa Department of Corrections.

“He was an amazing father and brother and husband and cousin and best friend of many people,” Bridgette Vascik said of her husband. He was “honest, loving, dependable ... positive, supporting.”

A Cedar Rapids man who was shot to death on Jan. 8 was reportedly meeting with the accused shooter that day to sell drugs, according to a criminal complaint.

A former manager of a mobile home park in Mount Vernon is facing charges of theft and fraud after police say he lied to his employer about derecho damages.

A coalition of Cedar Rapids activist groups, which has organized protests and meetings in response to the fatal stabbing of Devonna Walker in January, has issued a statement in response to a statement issued last week about the case by Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks.

Iowa City has announced several Black History Month events held this month. The events range from children’s art projects to movie screenings and book club discussions.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks released a video Friday afternoon stating that he expects to make a decision regarding charges in the fatal stabbing of Devonna Walker by the end of February.

A Cedar Rapids man was arrested Friday in relation to the fatal shooting of Mohamed Tawfik on Jan. 8.

A Cedar Rapids man has been charged with first-degree murder in relation to the 2016 shooting death of a man in Webster County.

The National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa has announced it will be closing in September after struggling with finances for the past several years, according to Jill Parham, chair of the board of directors of the museum.

A snowmobiler fell through the ice Sunday on the Coralville Reservoir and was rescued by the North Liberty Fire Department, according to a news release from the city of North Liberty.

A town hall event was held Sunday to discuss concerns surrounding the fatal stabbing of Devonna Walker and how, organizers say, it plays into the larger issue of how Black people are treated in the justice system.

Cedar Rapids firefighter Jesse Lennox is the first Iowa firefighter to become a certified smoke diver. Smoke diver training is an elite week-long training program in Georgia that goes far above and beyond normal required training for firefighters.

Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids has announced it will be opening a new emergency services center in Marion, next to the MercyCare Marion clinic.

A coalition of local activist groups will host a town hall meeting Sunday at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, in order to raise awareness and discuss concerns surrounding the fatal stabbing of Devonna Walker, a Black woman, on Jan. 3.