Gazette Daily News Podcast: Friday, March 8, 2024

– Linn County seed truck rollover turns fatal

– Johnson County puppy farm owner arrested on animal neglect charges

– Iowa’s Kim Reynolds endorses Donald Trump after Super Tuesday victories

– Jersey Mike’s locations return with charity month

Episode Transcript

Coming up, two people have died after a seed truck rolled over on Wednesday

Plus, a Johnson County puppy farm owner is arrested on animal neglect charges

And later, Jersey Mike’s is partnering with four local charities this month. Stay tuned for how to support each cause.

Welcome to the Friday, March 8 edition of the Gazette Daily News Podcast. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Yesterday, we reported on a seed truck that crashed and blocked traffic on Highway 13 near Marion on Wednesday morning. We have an update on that story. Both the driver and the passenger have died. 74-year-old John Kilburg was driving a seed truck on Highway 13 near Travis road with his wife, 70-year-old Donelle Kilburg in the passenger seat. According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, John lost control of the truck and it rolled. It stopped on its side. Emergency responders were called to the scene at 8:42 Wednesday morning. John Kilburg was pronounced dead at Mercy Medical Center. Donelle Kilburg died at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Next, last year a Johnson County puppy farm surrendered 131 dogs to Iowa City Animal Services. Now, the owner of that farm has been arrested and charged with 41 counts of animal neglect. 62-year-old Loren Yoder is facing five serious misdemeanor animal neglect charges and 36 simple misdemeanor animal neglect charges.

On August 24, 2023 the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship conducted a surprise inspection at Sunset Valley Farm. The farm is located near Riverside at 3027 540th Street SW. The inspection found the dogs were being kept in hot, dirty conditions and many of the dogs were in a state of distress. Physical exams of the dogs found many had developed conditions caused by a lack of care. Court records from Yoder’s case said veterinarians found issues like “severely matted” hair, fleas, discharge from eyes, dental diseases and a yeast infection. The reports indicated that the animals were extremely nervous and one dog spent its exam quote “frozen in fear” end quote. Nine of the 131 dogs taken from Yoder’s farm died. The rest were adopted out from Iowa City and other shelters across the Midwest. Yoder has surrendered his commercial breeding license and in the past,

he was cited multiple times by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Next, former president Donald Trump is the last major Republican candidate running for president. Now, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has voiced her support for Trump. Wednesday, Reynolds posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, quote, “Joe Biden has been a disaster for our country. Higher prices, inflation, an open border, crime, and the destruction of America’s image on the world stage. I will do everything to defeat him and elect Donald J. Trump for President of the United States!” end quote. Notably, Reynolds supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Iowa GOP caucuses. When Trump heard the news of Reynolds’ endorsement of DeSantis, Trump called her “disloyal” and took out TV ads showing Reynolds applauding him in rallies going back to 2016. On Tuesday, Trump defeated his last remaining rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Haley dropped out of the race on Wednesday after winning primaries in just Vermont and Washington D.C.

Your sub sandwich purchase could support four local charities this month. Five Jersey Mike’s locations across the Corridor are partnering with charities for the 14th annual Month of Giving campaign. Since starting the Month of Giving campaign in 2011, Jersey Mike’s has raised over $88 million for local charities across 3,000 locations. Customers can round up their total to the nearest dollar or donate more. Locations in Cedar Rapids and Marion are partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor. The Washington, Iowa location will support Make-A-Wish Iowa. The Coralville location is donating to Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa. In addition to the month-long campaign, March 27 is the Day of Giving. That’s when restaurants will donate 100% of the day’s gross sales–that’s everything, not just the profit. This is a part of a nationwide campaign from Jersey Mike’s. The company hopes to exceed last year’s record-breaking total of $21 million.

As always, you can find a link to each of the stories featured in today’s episode in this episode’s description or at the gazette dot com.

Now, let’s take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Today will rain. Expect a high of 45 degrees and a low of 25 degrees. Saturday will be partly cloudy. Anticipate a high of 45 degrees and low of 21 degrees. Sunday will be sunny with a high of 50 degrees and a low of 28 degrees.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Stay up to date with the latest news from Eastern Iowa at the gazette dot com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com