MAYOR QUENTON HART HAS BEEN AMONG THE CITY OF WATERLOO OFFICIALS URGING IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS TO ISSUE A STATEWIDE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK. YESTERDAY DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, HART TALKED ABOUT WHY HE BELIEVES THAT STEP BY REYNOLDS WOULD BE MORE POWERFUL THAN OTHER EFFORTS IOWA HAS TAKEN. HART EMPHASIZED THAT HIS CONCERN IS FOR THOSE WHO WOULD BE MOST VULNERABLE TO COMPLICATIONS FROM A CORONAVIRUS INFECTION.
THE LEVEL OF PROTECTION FOR WORKERS IN MEAT PROCESSING FACILITIES
DURING THE PANDEMIC HAS COME INTO FOCUS THIS WEEK. SEVERAL PLANTS
HAVE CLOSED NATIONWIDE DUE TO COVID-19. NICK SALAZAR OF THE LEAGUE
OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS, TALKED TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNER
TV-9. WORKERS AT SOME MEAT PRODUCTION FACILITIES ARE
STAYING HOME FOR FEAR OF CONTRACTING THE VIRUS. MEANWHILE, AS
PLANT SHUTDOWNS HAPPEN, THERE IS GREATER CONCERN THERE COULD BE A
KINK IN THE MEAT SUPPLY CHAIN, HURTING BOTH CONSUMERS AND
PRODUCERS BRINGING BEEF, PORK, OR POULTRY TO MARKET.
IOWA LOTTERY SALES WERE UP…UNTIL SHUTDOWNS FOR COVID-19 BEGAN.
FROM LAST JULY THROUGH MARCH, LOTTO DOLLARS WERE COMING IN NEARLY
TWO PERCENT AHEAD OF WHAT STATE LOTTERY OFFICIALS HAD EXPECTED.
HOWEVER, MARCH SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DOWNWARD TREND,
PARTICULARLY FOR JACKPOT GAMES LIKE POWERBALL AND MEGA-MILLIONS.
ALMOST 100 LOTTERY RETAILERS HAVE CLOSED DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS.
THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS WITH CONFIRMED COVID-19
CASES IS GROWING AT LINN MANOR CARE CENTER IN MARION. AT LEAST 15
PEOPLE HAVE CAUGHT THE VIRUS FROM THE SECOND HEALTH FACILITY
OUTBREAK IN LINN COUNTY. INITIAL POSITIVE TESTS AT LINN MANOR WERE
FIRST REPORTED EARLIER THIS WEEK. FACILITY ADMINISTRATORS SAY THAT ALL
RESIDENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS HAVE BEEN TESTED AT THIS POINT, WITH
RESULTS STILL PENDING FROM SOME OF THOSE TESTS. OF THE CONFIRMED
CASES, THERE HAVE BEEN TWO COVID-19 DEATHS AT LINN MANOR CARE
CENTER.
WITH MORE PEOPLE STAYING HOME DUE TO COVID-19, THERE ARE FEWER
MANDATORY REPORTERS WHO CAN SHARE CONCERNS ABOUT POTENTIAL
DOMESTIC ABUSE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. KELLY GARCIA IS THE DIRECTOR
OF THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. YESTERDAY,
GARCIA ASKED THAT NEIGHBORS, FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND
TEACHERS CONNECTING WITH STUDENTS REMOTELY SHARE ANY CONCERNS
WITH PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIALS. THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES ALSO
HAS AN ABUSE HOTLINE…THE NUMBER IS 1-800-362-2178. THE NUMBER
AGAIN IS 1-800-362-2178 FOR THE DHS ABUSE HOTLINE.
IOWA CITY AND AREAS ALONG INTERSTATE 80 ARE UNDER A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FROM THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL MID-MORNING ON FRIDAY.
FARTHER SOUTH, THE WEATHER COULD BE EVEN WORSE, WITH A WINTER
STORM WARNING OUT FOR PLACES LIKE MOUNT PLEASANT AND BURLINGTON.
SIX TO TEN INCHES OF HEAVY, WET SNOW IS ANTICIPATED FROM AN
OVERNIGHT STORM MOVING THROUGH IOWA, MISSOURI, AND ILLINOIS.
THE RECOVERY OF THE U.S. AND WORLD ECONOMIES AFTER COVID-19 HAS
BEEN THE SUBJECT OF MUCH SPECULATION. CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY
ECONOMIST ERNIE GOSS SAYS TOO MANY ATTEMPTS TO STIMULATE THE
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT MIGHT HAVE THE WRONG EFFECT. GOSS
WAS A GUEST THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. HE SAYS FED
PURCHASES OF CORPORATE BONDS AND GOVERNMENT TAKE-OVERS OF HARD HIT BUSINESS WILL HAVE NEGATIVE LONGTERM CONSEQUENCES DESPITE THE
SEEMING SHORTTERM BENEFITS.
THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK HAS MEANT CHANGES TO HOW COMMUNITIES
DISPOSE OF WASTE, PARTICULARLY RECYCLABLE MATERIALS. IN SMALL TOWNS
WITHOUT AUTOMATED RECYCLING TRUCKS, MORE AND MORE LOADS ARE
GOING TO THE LANDFULL, DUE TO CONCERNS ABOUT DRIVER SAFETY. OUR
COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED TO JOE HORANY OF THE
LINN COUNTY SOLID WASTE AGENCY. PART OF THE CONCERN IS
THAT IT IS UNCLEAR HOW LONG THE VIRUS WILL SURVIVE ON DIFFERENT TYPES
OF SURFACES.
IN SPORTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA HAS ADDED A PAIR OF MEN’S
BASKETBALL PLAYERS. SIX-SEVEN FORWARD GOANAR MAR IS A TRANSFER
FROM GEORGE MASON AFTER BEING A 2017 FINALIST FOR MINNESOTA’S MR.
BASKETBALL AWARD. DREW DANIEL WILL BE A FRESHMAN AFTER WRAPPING
UP HIS CAREER AT DOWLING CATHOLIC IN WEST DES MOINES.
