Q: Was the cause of the fire earlier this year in the garage at Thunder Ridge Apartments determined?
A: No, Cedar Falls Fire Chief John Zolondek said it is still under investigation.
Q: Do you know what department and who is in charge at the Waterloo school district to update their website? I’ve noticed outdated information from over a year ago that is still there. I also noticed typos that should be fixed.
A: The district’s school and community relations department manages the website and is in the process of updating it. If you notice any errors or typos, you can email Leigh Schmidt at schmidtl2@waterlooschools.org or Katrina Hemann at hemannk@waterlooschools.org.
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Q: Did the Iowa Hawkeyes endorse Matt Reisetter for Iowa House 76? I kept seeing this weird Facebook image of a Fry bus, black and yellow, with the Hawkeyes logo on the front and a giant Matt Reisetter for Iowa House sign. That seemed kind of weird.
A: The “Fry Bus” is privately owned by Reisetter and his friend. The bus was formerly used by Hawkeyes coach Hayden Fry and the team in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Q: On Saturday, Oct. 31, you had an article that said the Trump rally in Dubuque was cancelled. Then on Tuesday, Nov. 3, on the front page, you had a picture of Trump at the Dubuque rally. So what was the reason for that? Is it poor journalism or are you guys trying to show more hate for Trump?
A: If you read the Nov. 3 story, it states that the rally was canceled, then moved to Cedar Rapids, then canceled, then put on again in Dubuque within a few hours. By the time the paper went to print, the Trump administration had canceled the Dubuque rally. There was also a story online and in the Nov. 1 e-edition that noted the rally was back on and would be held in Dubuque.
Q: What happened to Ryan Witry? He did the early KWWL from 5 to 7 in the morning. And that lady, she left in February or March of this year. What happened to her? She did the news with him. Where’d they go? What are they doing?
A: Ryan Witry left KWWL in August 2025 to move back to Kentucky to be closer to his wife’s family. His LinkedIn profile states his most recent job was an information officer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Katie Easter left in February and is a stay-at-home mom.
Q: Who is paying for Trump’s big new ballroom? Congress said they didn’t approve it, so apparently it can’t be tax money.
A: The Supreme Court ruled Aug. 31 that construction of the ballroom in the former East Wing of the White House can continue, without Congress approval. The Washington Post in June reported more than $300 million will come from taxpayer money by using $155 million from the Secret Service, $149 million from the White House Military Office and $3 million from the Executive Residence, which are all taxpayer-funded. Trump received $333 million in private donations, according to Forbes last month.
Q: We always hear about the layoffs at John Deere but we want to know how many employees are laid off at Case International and Caterpillar.
A: We frequently report on John Deere because they have a large operations site in Waterloo. As for Caterpillar, the WARN Database reported 60 employees were laid off effective January 2025. The last Iowa layoff was in Elkader in 2017 where 59 people were laid off. As for Case (CNH Industrial), 209 workers were laid off when its plant in Burlington closed this spring.
Q: Who were the founding members of Cedar Valley Medical Specialists and who is the current Cedar Valley Medical Specialist physician leadership?
A: Originally called Cedar Valley Medical Clinic PC, the organization was announced in December 1994. According to Courier archives, the administrator and CEO was Gil Irey. Physicians included cardiologists Drs. David Kabel, Hugo Koo, Richard Menning, K. Mohan Pamulapati; general surgeons Drs. Robert Cak, Steven Davis, Douglas Duven, Brian Gerrelts, Thomas McGarvey; internal medicine-cardiologist Dr. Ankineedu Kavuru; nephrologist Drs. Mark Matson and Carl Richards; neurologist Dr. Brian Sires; and orthopedic surgeons Drs. James Crouse, Roswell Johnston, Arnold Delbridge, Jay Ginther, Thomas Gorsche, James Mueller, Dale Phelps and Jitu Kothari. There is not a published board of directors but rather a list of clinics and their doctors. Doctors who provided care under the organization included allergist, facial plastician, skin cancer treatment physician and ENT specialist Dr. Kenny Rodriguez; nephrologist Drs. Tarek Daoud and Vinay Kantamneni; audiologist Dr. Chalis Treloar; cardiologist Dr. Joud Dib; neurologist Dr. Ivo Bekavac; ophthalmologist Drs. Daniel Miller, Michael Puk and Thomas Petrie; optometrist Drs. Staci Boon, Lucas Cook, Bradley Johnson, Matthew Krewer and Suzanne Smith; family medicine Drs. Gregory Harter, Matthew Kettman and James Poock; orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ben Torrez; and physical therapist Dr. Oz Wolfensperger.
Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.
Read a collection of Call the Courier columns answering reader questions.
