IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – There is an investigation after reports of a car following other vehicles on interstate 380 with flashing lights, but it’s not a law officer.

The Johnson County sheriff said the most important thing to do is verify if you’re dealing with an undercover police officer. In this case, the sheriff says it wasn’t an undercover officer.

The driver in the car allegedly following others reached out to the Johnson County Sheriff, who is now investigating.

“I was driving home from Cedar Rapids and I passed that car, and when I did they got behind me and turned on red and blue lights,” said Kaylee Picek, who was followed by the suspicious car.

She said when she was on her way home the car started flashing what appeared to be police lights. But she didn’t pull over, because something didn’t seem right.

“Then he got behind me and followed me for a while and I called 911 because I was like ‘there’s no way this Red Buick is a police car, there’s no way,’” Picek said.

The 911 operator reassured her the Buick was not part of a police department or sheriff’s office. The car eventually stopped following her.

Sheriff Kunkle said she did the right thing in a confusing moment.

“Especially if it’s an officer from a local agency, they can verify directly over the radio that that is in fact a law enforcement officer,” said Sheriff Brad Kunkle.

Iowa has laws about which vehicles are allowed to use flashing lights, especially if they’re blue. But Sheriff Kunkle wouldn’t say if the driver of this car will face charges… only that the situation is under investigation.

For Picek, she’s just grateful her drive home ended the way it did.

“If you have any doubts about it, calling 911, calling the police, if it is a police officer, it’s not gonna be a big deal, they’ll just tell you to pull over. And if it isn’t a police officer you might have saved your own life,” Picek said.

Picek said while she doesn’t think her particular situation was likely to become violent, she’s worried it would have become dangerous if she had pulled over.

“I think maybe it might have been some road rage thing. Or more so a power trip thing, he got passed, he didn’t like it. And he wanted to control how other people drove without doing it the proper way.”

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A substantial makeover is underway for Iowa State University’s 66-year-old LeBaron Hall.

Demolition started Thursday, Sept. 5 to make way for the new home of Iowa State’s College of Human Sciences.

Bundled with additional renovations of McKay Hall and the Human Nutritional Science Building, the estimated $51.5 million project will replace LeBaron Hall, complete with a three-story building with classrooms, a multipurpose courtyard and renovated lobbies.

LeBaron Hall’s demolition and replacement will cost $39 million. The entire project was made possible through private donations, including a $15.5 million lead gift, and university funds.

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A groundbreaking moment

The groundbreaking for LeBaron Hall’s makeover took place on April 18.

Iowa State College of Human Sciences Dean Laura Dunn Jolly said the university is excited to see the project get underway.

“This has been something we’ve been working on for several years, and it’s really exciting to see it come to life,” Jolly said. “Students are just thrilled; they’ve been walking by, taking videos of the building coming down. There’s a lot of buzz about this new building coming to fruition.”

Construction is expected to be finished by the fall of 2026.

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A new, modern LeBaron Hall

The new LeBaron Hall will be located on the northwest corner of the Iowa State campus at 626 Morrill Road. The original building, built in 1958, will be expanded to 30,000 square feet, complete with two additional above-ground floors.

The new facility will include a 100-seat university classroom, studios for the college’s nationally ranked apparel program, experiential learning space for the event management program, and a historic textiles and clothing lab.

“(There will be) a lot of what I would call multi-purpose, experiential learning space,” Jolly said. “That’s been our goal, this welcoming and student-centric space that serves as a hub for student engagement.”

McKay Hall will eventually be connected to LeBaron Hall, LeBaron Auditorium and the Human Nutrition and Science Building. Once complete, Jolly said it will be a “very integrated complex” with improved wayfinding.

“We expect other renovations to follow pretty quickly after the initial building renovation,” Jolly said. “That will set the stage for moving forward with the other projects.”

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Where will classes be held during construction?

Classes and laboratories that are typically held at LeBaron Hall have been moved to the Student Innovation Center, McKay Hall and Bessey Hall.

Jolly said Iowa State is considering what the future use of those spaces will be when classes return to LeBaron Hall.

Since the new facility will have no faculty offices, LeBaron Hall’s faculty has been relocated to other permanent locations.

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Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com.

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday unveiled a limited-edition Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Iowa State Cyclones Rivalry Bobblehead ahead of Saturday’s Cy-Hawk matchup.

The bobblehead features Iowa’s mascot Herky the Hawk and Iowa State’s mascot Cy the Cardinal with a replica Cy-Hawk Trophy. The bobblehead commemorates the longtime football rivalry, which has awarded a Cy-Hawk Trophy to the winning team since 1977, according to a press release.

The special edition bobblehead, which is being released in conjunction with the 71st meeting between the Hawkeyes and Cyclones on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, is available exclusively from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of the University of Iowa and Iowa Strate University.

The bobbleheads will be available in our online store at the following link.

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The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in January, are $50 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order, according to the release.

Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,024.

Standing side-by-side on a football field base that reads “HAWKEYES” in one end zone and “CYCLONES” in the other end zone, Iowa mascot Herky the Hawk and Iowa State mascot Cy the Cardinal are wearing their respective uniforms. Positioned in between Herky and Cy is a replica of the Cy-Hawk Trophy. The front of the base features the logos for each team.

Iowa won last year’s matchup, 20-13, in Ames and has won seven of the team’s last eight matchups. Iowa State downed Iowa the last time the two teams matched up at Kinnick Stadium in 2022.

A group of friends created the original Cy-Hawk Trophy awarded annually to the winner when Iowa and Iowa State renewed their football rivalry in 1977. A new trophy was introduced in 2012 and has been used every year since.

The bobblehead is the hall’s latest Iowa-themed release. The Milwaukee-based Hall of Fame has also produced miniature bobblehead versions of Herky on Parade 3 and for the “Crossover at Kinnick,” the record-breaking Iowa women’s basketball event at Duke Slater Field last October.