Federal Transit Administration officials Thursday announced a $4.9 million federal grant for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Black Hawk County. The grant comes from funds allocated in the CARES Act Coronavirus-relief package passed in March, and is meant to help the transit authority take necessary precautions while recovering from the pandemic. It will ensure continuation of essential bus service, salary and benefits for transit workers and the purchase of vital safety equipment and supplies. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Black Hawk County serves the communities of Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and Evansdale.
The month of June has been marked by protests across the country tied to race and law enforcement. Waterloo’s new police chief, Joel Fitzgerald, started less than two weeks ago but the man who recommended him for the job, Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart, told me he has confidence Fitzgerald is the right choice at this time in the city’s history. The full interview with Mayor Hart can be heard later this morning on KXEL Live & Local, beginning at 9.
Meat production has rebounded from its low point during the coronavirus pandemic when dozens of plants were closed, but experts say consumer prices are likely to remain high. They also say it will take months to work through the backlog of millions of pigs and cattle that was created this spring, creating headaches for producers. The U.S. Agriculture Department says beef, pork and poultry plants were operating at more than 95% of last year’s levels earlier this week. That was up from about 60% in April at the height of plant closures and slowdowns.
The State of Iowa is moving ahead with a $10 million purchase to stockpile ventilators for coronavirus patients. There are currently 767 such machines available at hospitals statewide. Demand for the breathing machines did not reach levels anticipated, but the head of a distribution company hired to supply ventilators to the state says the decision to buy now is smart because new waves of the virus could still potentially overwhelm hospitals in coming months. Records show that Iowa’s executive branch signed a contract to purchase 500 ventilators for $10.3 million. Now some ten weeks later, a spokeswoman says Iowa has only received five of them but expects the rest to be delivered over the next several months as production ramps up.
A soil scientist whose research has led to improved food production and a better understanding of how atmospheric carbon can be held in the soil to help combat climate change is this year’s recipient of the World Food Prize…that word from Des Moines Thursday. Rattan Lal is a professor of soil science at Ohio State University and founding director of its Carbon Management and Sequestration Center. Officials say Lal’s research has demonstrated how healthy soils result in higher crop yields, while requiring less land, chemicals, tillage, water and energy. The foundation that awards the $250,000 prize is based in Des Moines.
Major League Baseball is building a field a few hundred yards down a corn-lined path from the famous movie site for “Field of Dreams” near Dyersville. But unlike the original, even if it’s built, we don’t know if they will come…negotiations continue to determine when, or if, a coronavirus-shortened season will start or what it will look like. Those who live near the Field of Dreams say the country could use a boost like seeing the scheduled Aug. 13 game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox.
The number of people filing initial unemployment claims in Iowa jumped last week, even as the state continued reopening after taking steps intended to slow spread of the coronavirus. Iowa Workforce Development reported Thursday that 10,112 people filed initial claims last week, compared 6,920 people who filed in the previous week. But while there were 159,966 continuing weekly unemployment claims last week, that’s a decline of 2,596 from the previous week.
Police are investigating a second incident of hate speech graffiti in Waterloo in a single week. Officers said an auto was found on Independence Avenue with a burning rag on it and the letters “KKK” carved into the doors. Fire damage was minimal. Police say the owner of the vehicle is a black female. The incident was discovered around 3 o’clock Wednesday morning, and no arrests have been made. Meanwhile, police continue to investigate an earlier incident where “KKK” was painted on a black man’s car with a waxy substance while it was parked at the Baymont Inn on La Porte Road; that happened sometime late last Thursday night or early last Friday morning.
