Will Iowa cold case card decks be released to the public? Your Call the Courier questions

Q: Who painted the mural on the UNI building that faces Hudson Road? It’s very pretty, it adds some color to the area.

A: The mural on the Kamerick Art Building is actually a vinyl application. The creative team in the university relations department provided art direction and was brought to life by illustrator Lydia Hill.

Q: I would like to know where Geno’s Pizza that was in the Crossroads Mall, where did they move to?

A: Geno’s Pizza will move to 321 E. Fourth St. in Waterloo. The building is currently under renovation.

Q: How does a soldier get a promotion after he is killed in action? It doesn’t make sense.

A: Posthumous promotions are more of an honorary act to symbolize soldiers' bravery and commitment to the country.

Q: I would like to know if Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe is every going to be back on TV. I read on the computer that they were going to have a new season in 2025 but I never saw it.

A: We can’t find anything about the show coming back with new episodes last year, but new episodes did premiere on the Discovery Channel in 2022 and 2023, 10 years after the show ended. 

Q: Ridgeway Avenue from Deere Road to Highway 63 is in massive need of repair. When will that be put on the Waterloo City Council agenda?

A: City engineer Jamie Knutson said that work is scheduled for 2028. 

Q: Are those 52-card decks of cold cases available to the general public? 

A: Cold case card decks created last year by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office of 52 unsolved homicides, missing persons cases and unidentified human remains have been distributed to the state’s nine correctional facilities. The AG’s office has not mentioned public release of the decks. 

Q: What is a home remedy for removing small skin tags? 

A: The Courier is not able to give medical advice but there are a few over the counter options such as Dr. Scholl’s Freeze Away. 

Q: I was wondering what the national debt was before the war started and do they add on? What is this war costing the national debt now? I just wondered if that has increased our national debt because they say all of these bombs and stuff are so expensive.

A: The Associated Press reported the U.S. national debt hit $39 trillion Wednesday. It hit $38 trillion five months ago and $37 trillion two months before that. White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett told the AP that the war in Iran has cost $12 billion so far.

Q: How come you don’t give all the news for The Courier like the Legacy Tour with Gov. Reynolds? Not a word about it, it’s just getting to be not a very good paper. I think it needs more news and more interesting stuff and the paper every other day or three times a day it should have a newspaper every day and should have the news. 

A: The Courier printed many words about the first stop on Gov. Kim Reynolds’s farewell tour March 12 in Cedar Rapids. A lengthy story ran on our website March 15 and was the main story on the front page of our e-edition that day. Reynolds won't be coming to the Cedar Valley as part of her Legacy Tour. She will visit Davenport April 30, Dubuque May 14, Clear Lake June 19, Des Moines July 10 and Sioux Center Sept. 10. The decision to switch from a daily printed paper to publishing on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday was made by our corporate owner Lee Enterprises, which also shifted that schedule in many other markets. Print subscribers also have full access to The Courier's website and can read the March 15 story there.

Q: My concern is the railroad crossing at the corner of Hawthorne Street and La Porte Road. In my opinion, it is in a terrible state of repair. Perhaps there’s a way to get the railroad or city street department to inspect that crossing and see if they agree that it certainly needs repair. 

A: You could call the Waterloo Public Works department at (319) 291-4455 or Canadian National railway’s Waterloo terminal at (800) 465-9239 to voice your concerns.

Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.