Pictured: Jeremy Rourke (DMCCC)

A Burlington man is facing a multitude of charges after leading authorities on a chase… to the Des Moines County jail.

45-year-old Jeremy Rourke was arrested in the Des Moines County jail parking lot on Sunday morning. Court records show West Burlington police tried to stop a grey Chevy Cobalt that he was driving for a missing headlight. Police say Rourke didn’t stop, leading officers on a chase that began in the Wal-Mart parking lot, went down Broadway, Mt. Pleasant, and Curran streets, then turned on West Avenue and drove to the jail parking lot.

Authorities say Rourke didn’t stop at several stop signs and lights, and hit speeds that doubled the limit during parts of the chase.

A search of his vehicle turned up two syringes with clear liquid that tested positive for Methamphetamine, a prescription pill, and a clear baggie.

Rourke faces felony eluding and drug charges, as well as several traffic violations due to the incident. He remains in the Des Moines County jail on a $2500 cash-only bond.

Rourke is due back in court March 14th for a preliminary hearing.

Burlington has been awarded a $17M federal grant from the Department of Transportation’s TIGER program.

The funds will be used for work along Burlington’s riverfront, and converting parts of Jefferson and Main streets into “complete streets.”

Congressman Dave Loebsack announced the award in an e-mail on Tuesday afternoon, he says he is “excited to see the final results.”

Specifics haven’t been announced yet, although Loebsack’s email says the money will fund new gathering spaces, boat docks, parking lots, and a “linear multi-path park” along the riverfront.

The TIGER program had $500M in federal grants to award. It is described as being “heavily competitive,” $5.1B has been invested in communities across the county as part of the program.

Des Moines County union workers are asking for a three-year extension of their contract.

America Local 7176 President Kevin Glendening asked supervisors to extend the union contract following Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, under the proposal he says the county’s 157 workers would switch to a cheaper health insurance plan, effectively saving the county $190K.

County healthcare rates increased by 12.8% this year, workers are responsible for any increase above 12.5%, which would affect most workers by around $5 per month.

Supervisor Tom Broeker says the contract puts too much liability on the county.

“What if things don’t go well next year? Or the year after?” Broeker asked. “We’re in a contract to carry all the risk.”

The proposal would also guarantee workers continued annual $2.25% pay increases, which Glendening says is consistent with increases given to department heads this year.

The supervisors will vote on the proposal at next week’s meeting.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission renewed licenses for the 19 casinos during its meeting Tuesday. The state issues one license to the gambling company to run the games, and one to a non-profit organization to distribute money they are required to set aside by the state.

Southeast Iowa Regional Riverboat Commission President Steve Staebell says the benefits of the relationship between SIRRC and Catfish Bend Casino are spread across the area.

“I’m happy to report that the relationship between the Catfish Bend Casino and the Southeast Iowa Regional Riverboat Commission or SIRRC — continues to thrive to the benefit of the Des Moines and Lee County communities,” Staebell says.

The Racing and Gaming Commission took the action to approve the new licenses at their meeting at the Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona.

A Danville native is making a run for Iowa’s statehouse.

Tim Goodwin will be running for Iowa’s House district 87, which includes Burlington, West Burlington, and parts of southeastern Des Moines County.

Goodwin is running on a platform of education reform, and reducing tax burdens for both individuals and small business. He says the state’s “whole educations system needs to be looked at.”

Goodwin has served in administrative positions in Muscatine and Burlington school districts. He currently works at WW Trucking in Burlington.

The former educator is a Burlington High School graduate, and holds both a bachelors and master’s degree from Western Illinois University. He has previously worked in Marketing for the Boston Celtics and the New York Nicks.

Edit: New Information Received from Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office (3/8/18 12:30 PM)

A school bus was rear-ended by a Morning Sun woman who was using her cell phone on Thursday.

The Des Moines County sheriff’s office says the south-bound bus had stopped to pick up two students just north of Mediapolis when it was hit by a GMC Envoy driven by Elizabeth Hahn at around 7:45 Thursday morning.

Hahn reportedly hit the bus at 55 miles-per-hour. Authorities say the woman was “acknowledging her cell phone” when the accident occurred. The bus was at a complete stop and had its stop lights and arm activated at the time.

The Mediapolis Fire Department evaluated everyone involved, and no injuries were reported from students or either driver. Traffic was blocked for around an hour during the investigation and cleanup.

Hahn’s 2005 GMC Envoy was totaled, the bus reportedly sustained minor damage. Hahn was cited for failure to stop wthin an assured clear distance.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A jury has awarded $2 million in damages to a former Iowa correctional officer, ruling that she faced retaliation for complaining that her bosses allowed inmates to routinely sexually harass her.

The jury entered the verdict Wednesday in favor of Kristine Sink, a former guard at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison who has engaged in a high-profile legal battle against the Department of Corrections for years.

Jurors ordered the state to pay her $1.425 million for lost wages and benefits and $575,000 for emotional distress. Her attorneys are also expected to seek a significant award for legal fees and to petition the court to require the department to change its policies on accommodations for workers with disabilities.

“Kristine is thrilled. She has fought long and hard and I think this verdict represents finally some justice for her,” said one of her attorneys, Emily McCarty of the Johnston-based Fiedler & Timmer law firm.

The jury ruled that Sink faced illegal retaliation for bringing an earlier lawsuit that alleged her supervisors allowed inmates and co-workers to harass her and belittled her complaints. That case exposed how Sink had repeatedly complained about the maximum-security prison’s now-abandoned practice of allowing inmates to watch graphic and sexually explicit movies, which she said caused them to masturbate in front of her and become aggressive and violent toward her.

Inmates were irate with Sink when the movies were turned off in 2011 and some threatened her. One warden had told Sink that she was the one who created a hostile work environment by filing complaints, and another supervisor told her it was her outfit — a standard-issue prison uniform — that was enticing the inmates.

After a 2014 trial, jurors accepted the state’s argument that officials didn’t break any laws in their handling of Sink’s complaints. State lawyers claimed that her difficulties were simply part of working in a prison.

On Wednesday, the Polk County jury found that Sink’s superiors begin retaliating against her almost immediately after she returned to work following the 2014 verdict. Prison officials put her on administrative leave for two months while they investigated whether she improperly removed a prison video and documents to help her lawsuit, before clearing her of any wrongdoing. Then, they announced plans to move her back to a job with direct inmate supervision, after she had been reassigned to a desk job in a control room for years during the case.

A doctor told the state that Sink needed to stay in the control room position, finding she suffered post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues that required her to have minimal contact with inmates. State officials told Sink they didn’t have a job that would accommodate her after inmates transferred to a newly-built penitentiary in Fort Madison in August 2015. She was fired in January 2016 after a medical leave.

The jury found that the state failed to provide a reasonable accommodation for Sink as required by Iowa law.

Department of Corrections spokesman Cord Overton said the agency is evaluating the verdict with its lawyers. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office, which defended the state, declined comment.

The case marks the latest major verdict against the state in a workplace misconduct case. In the last year, the state has paid millions after verdicts in favor of an Iowa Senate GOP aide who was fired after reporting sexual harassment and a high-ranking University of Iowa athletics administrator who was let go after complaining about gender bias.

Pictured: Ryan Hiemstra (HCCC)

A Cedar Rapids man is in custody following a chase through Mount Pleasant on Thurday morning.

40-year-old Ryan Hiemstra was arrested on felony burglary and eluding charges after allegedly leading authorities on a chase through the streets of Mount Pleasant in a stolen car.

The Henry County Sheriff’s office was originally called to a burglary in progress in the 1800 block of Grisham Avenue just before 10 AM Thursday. Authorities say a man had entered the residence then left when confronted by the homeowner, reportedly stealing a nearby vehicle and fleeing the scene.

That vehicle was reported to Henry County authorities a few minutes later, Mount Pleasant police attempted to stop the vehicle, which then led authorities on a chase that ended on North Carnahan Road where Heimstra allegedly lost control of the vehicle, entering a yard and hitting a squad car.

Heimstra is charged with 2nd-degree burglary, 2nd-degree theft, felony eluding, and 2nd-degree criminal mishief, all felonies. He also faces several misdemeanor and traffic violations as a result of the incident. He’s being held on a $16K bond pending an appearance in court.

As Burlington residents continue to debate larger 65-gallon garbage cans, West Burlington is finalizing plans to switch to larger yet 95-gallon cans.

The city contracts with LaVeine Sanitation for their waste collection. Company owner Dennis LaVeine says his company will be switching to trucks with automated arms and larger cans as a safety measure for their workers.

“The reason why is safety and injuries of our workers,” LaVeine told West Burlington council members on Wednesday. He says waste collection is the 5th-deadliest occupation in the country. “We’ve had so many close rear-ends.” (accidents)

The company will be issuing mostly 95-gallon cans, although a limited number of 65-gallon cans will also be available by request. West Burlington residents will receive a pamphlet detailing the differences when the switch occurs.

The council also approved their FY19 budget, which keeps tax rates steady at $10 per thousand of valuation.

A teenager has been arrested following an early Friday morning home invasion in St. Paul.

The Lee County Sheriff’s office reports that a 15-year-old boy was arrested in Fort Madison Friday, he was taken to the Lee County juvenile detention center. No further information has been released due to his age.

Authorities were called to a house in the 1400 block of 210th avenue around 1:45 Friday morning to a reported home invasion. The victim told police they woke up to a man in their home armed with a knife and demanding money. The homeowner said they were able to wrestle the knife away from the man, who then fled to a waiting vehicle.

Authorities announced that an arrest had been made shortly after 3 PM on Friday afternoon, roughly 14 hours after the crime was reported.

A group of people participating in the Shamrock Shuffle color-run on March 10th, 2018. (KBUR, DH)

A colorful tradition took place in Crapo and Dankwarkdt parks on Saturday morning, as area runners, walkers, leprechauns, and other assorted characters ran through clouds of colored corn starch.

The Shamrock Shuffle 5K, put on annually by Burlington Kiwanis raises money for area youth programs. Organizers say around 750 people took part in the slightly more than 3-mile run.

Several color stations were set up along the path, blasting runners with a burst of color as they passed, the race culminated in the “color blast” at the finish line, when a humongous cloud of all colors was thrown up at once.

The 26th annual SnowBull event drew in thousands for another year of buckin bulls and mutton bustin.

On Friday night, approximately 1,000 people gathered in the Memorial Auditorium to watch bull riders from all over the Midwest. Saturday morning was filled with kids riding sheep, playing games inside the arena, getting lasso lessons from the rodeo clown, and lots of other activities. The mutton bustin sign up was cut off at 60, but hundreds of parents, grandparents, and children attended the Kid’s Day.

Burlington SnowBull designated this years event to the P.I.E.C.E.S. before and after school program at Aldo Leopold Middle School. Funds were raised by selling #BurlingtonStrong t-shirts, that came with a free Thursday night ticket to the show. Each year, the SnowBull board chooses a non-profit organization to designate as their benefactor.  DiAnna Lerud-Chubb, the secretary of the SnowBull board, said ” We’ve donated over $100,000 to non-profit organizations over the years.”

SnowBull will wrap up this year’s event with a show tonight and a DJ with karaoke from Purple Star Entertainment in the downstairs ballroom to follow. Doors open at 6:00 and the show starts at 7:00.

Tennis courts are again being served up on a city council agenda.

The Burlington City Council will discuss how to fund needed maintenance and improvements for tennis courts at Burlington public parks tonight.

Last week Burlington school officials announced a potential deal for the school district to fund improvements to the courts at Crapo and Dankwarkdt parks was off the table after they’d reached an agreement with Notre Dame schools to share the courts. They originally asked the city for a priority usage agreement in exchange for $50K.

The contentious issue saw several Notre Dame coaches, players, and supporters voice opinions to the council not to give Burlington priority usage of the courts. The agreement was voted down in a 3-2 vote last week.

The council meets at 4:30 tonight at Burlington City Hall.

Four nationally known acts will headline Fort Madison’s Riverfest in August.

The festival, now in its third year since being relaunched will feature Firehouse, Saving Abel, Hinder, Pop Evil, and Country rapper Colt Ford during the four-day August festival. Festival organizer Charles Craft says they had a five year plan to get the festival back to the level it was in the 80s and 90s, but they’ve accomplished that in three.

“This year obviously we’ve really ramped things up with our entertainment,” Craft says. “There’s a pretty good reason to come every night, we’ve got a bunch of great local and regional bands…and obviously national acts as well.”

Organizers named the bands at a reveal party at Kinnick South on Saturday night. Craft says he wants the festival to be known for bringing rock music to Lee County.

In addition to the five national acts at least ten local bands will be playing, including The Brandon Gibbs Band, Jive Radio, Stumptown, Headfirst, and the Natu Band. The Thursday night main stage opener will be the winner of a Battle of the Bands contest in May, which he also describes as a “battle of the charities.”

“We didn’t want to be the same as everybody else,” Craft tells KBUR. “I wanted it to be known this is our format…this is what we’re gonna stick with. I think that will hopefully keep the majority of people happy.”

The Battle of the Bands will be held May 27th, and will benefit three local charities, Elliot Test Kitchen, PAW Animal Shelter, and Puppy Jake Foundation. Craft says the no-cover charge event will raise money for all three charities while five judges determine which band will open up the festival.

“The winning band is gonna win a paid spot on the main stage opening for a national act,” Craft says. “The winning Charity makes a little money for their cause and they get their word out there.”

This will be Riverfest’s third year since it was revived in 2015. It was a popular music festival in the 80’s and 90’s, with the final event held in 2000.

Fort Madison firefighters respond to a fire above Sorrento’s Pizza (Eastern Iowa Fireground Photos – FB)

Fire officials in Fort Madison are investigating a fire in an upstairs apartment above Sorento’s Pizza on Sunday evening.

Firefighters were called to the building at 7:32 on Sunday, when they arrived flames were visible on the deck of the apartment, and had extended in the building.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames, and were on scene for around two hours. The occupant of the apartment wasn’t home at the time of the fire. There were no injuries.

A representative from Sorrento’s couldn’t be reached to determine when the pizzeria will reopen.

Pictured: Jon Michael Pitts and Dawn Marie Oberly

Two people were arrested early Monday morning following the repeated burglary of a house north of Burlington.

Authorities say Jon Pitts and Dawn Oberly, both 30-years-old, are facing 3rd-degree burglary charges after being pulled over by Des Moines County sheriff’s deputies with items from a rural house in their vehicle.

Deputies were watching the home after it was broken into multiple times over the past several months. They say Pitts and Oberly’s vehicle was observed parking behind the house around 2:30 Monday morning, and leaving two hours later. Deputies pulled the pair over and detained them, Pitts was taken to the Des Moines County Sheriff’s office and interviewed where he admitted to entering the house through an unlocked window and taking doors, heaters, and an air conditioning unit.

Both were taken to the Des Moines County jail and charged with third-degree burglary and possession of burglars tools, where they are being held on a $7K bond. They could face up to 7 years in prison if convicted.

Both are due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 22nd.

The Burlington City Council agreed to look into setting a fee structure for schools using public park tennis courts during their Monday night work session. Councilman Matt Rinker says there should be fees for any group that takes over use of a public amenity.

“If they want to have the ability to use these courts in the future… then we should look to them to help us come up with the funding in order to maintain them,” Rinker said. “And I think we should give them some time to do that.”

The council voted down an agreement with Burlington High School last week for priority usage of the tennis courts in exchange for $50K to fund the maintenance which has been cut out of the city’s five-year capital improvement plan.

The council may also look at setting a fee structure for other city entity’s, such as Flint Hills Golf Course.

In 2018, Burlington will be Iowa’s only location for a Gus Macker tournament.

The Greater Burlington Partnership went live on Facebook for the announcement of this years’ Gus Macker tournament on the Mississippi Riverfront on August 4th-5th. Jeremy Slagel, chairman of the tourism branch of Greater Burlington Partnership, introduced the creator of Gus Macker, Scott McNeil who opened up his speech with ” This all started in my parent’s drive way 45 years ago when I was 17. “

McNeil explained the tournament is a 4 player, half-court game, similar to a ‘pick up’ game, but with a referee. Once registration is closed, teams that signed up will be placed in categories based on age, height, and experience. This is a double elimination tournament with the goal prize of a trophy. Each team is guaranteed 3 games. McNeil said ” The age range has been as young as 7 and all the way up to 50-60.”

Teams will pay a registration fee, but the event is free for spectators. If you are interested in participating, visit www.macker.com, for information. Registration will open up soon for the Burlington Tournament and will close 3 weeks before the event.

Demolition has begun on a former nursing home near Burlington’s Dankwarkdt and Crapo parks.

The former Parkview Care Center on Shoquoquon Drive was razed on Tuesday. The Burlington City Council authorized the demolition at a cost of $380K last year.

The building has sat empty for around ten years, and been a frequent target for break-ins.

The city plans to sell the land for redevelopment.

Editors note: A previous version of this story contained inaccurate information about the familial relationship of the suspect to the victim, the story has been changed upon review.

Pictured: Christopher Joseph Hesseltine (DMCCC)

A Burlington man is facing felony charges for the sexual abuse of  a three-year-old girl.

Burlington police arrested 28-year-old Christopher Joseph Hesseltine around 1:45 on Wednesday afternoon on 2nd-degree sexual abuse charges.

Authorities say Hesseltine was caught by the girls mother with his hands allegedly down his the girls pants at a Summer Street home. The woman, identified as Hesseltine’s step-sister, took the girl to Great River Medical Center and notified authorities.

When interviewed by police the girl said he had put his hands on her “private parts.” Hesseltine reportedly told authorities that he had touched her outside of her clothing but denied touching her inside of her clothing or penetration.

Court documents show he told police he knew what he was doing what wrong and he would “do time” for it.

Hesseltine was taken to the Des Moines County jail where he is being held on a $25K cash-only bond. He’s due back in court on March 23rd.