FEWER IOWANS WHO ARE RECEIVING COVID-19 TESTS ARE GETTING POSITIVE RESULTS. STATE PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICAL DIRECTOR DR. CAITLIN PEDATI TALKED ABOUT IOWA’S CORONAVIRUS SITUATION IN THAT CONTEXT, SAYING THAT AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE STATE’S RESPONSE WILL BE TO FOLLOW PATTERNS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL IN THE MONTHS AHEAD. SOME COUNTIES HAVE SEEN RECENT LOCALIZED INCREASES IN COVID-19 CASES.
THREE NEW TEST IOWA LOCATIONS WILL OPEN AFTER THE WEEKEND, INCLUDING ONE IN DUBUQUE. THE SITE THERE WILL BE A HEALTH CLINIC AT 1075 CEDAR CROSS ROAD AND WILL BEGIN SCREENINGS ON MONDAY. THE OTHER NEW SITES WILL BE IN DICKINSON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST IOWA AND CASS COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST IOWA. ONLINE TESTIOWA QUESTIONNAIRES WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE APPOINTMENTS CAN BE MADE. DRIVE-THRU SITES IN BLACK HAWK AND LINN COUNTY ARE SCHEDULED TO REMAIN OPEN THROUGH NEXT WEEK, WITH ANOTHER LOCATION IN MARSHALLTOWN CONTINUING OPERATIONS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
BLACK HAWK COUNTY AUTHORITIES CLOSED IN ON A GROWING GROUP OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN A CRIME SPREE THAT BEGAN EARLIER THIE YEAR. EIGHT PEOPLE RANGING IN AGE FROM THEIR MID-20S TO MID-30S HAVE NOW BEEN CHARGED WITH BURGLARIES OF HOMES AND BUSINESSES, AT LEAST TWO OF WHICH WERE SET ON FIRE. SHERIFF TONY THOMPSON NOTED IN A STATEMENT THAT THE INVESTIGATION INVOLVED A NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS, BOTH IN AND BEYOND BLACK HAWK COUNTY.
SHOOTINGS WERE REPORTED IN THREE OF THE FOUR QUADRANTS OF CEDAR RAPIDS SINCE THURSDAY EVENING. POLICE WERE INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENTS NEAR G AVENUE AND ELLIS BOULEVARD, C AVENUE AND BLAIRS FERRY ROAD, AND NEAR KIRKWOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE. ONE 18-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS INJURED WHEN HE WAS HIT BY GUNFIRE WHILE RIDING A SCOOTER; HIS INJURIES ARE NOT LIFE-THREATENING. CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE INDICATED THERE WAS ALSO SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE.
WATERLOO STATE REPRESENTATIVE RAS SMITH SAYS A POLICE REFORM BILL PASSED UNANAMOUSLY BY THE IOWA LEGISLATURE LAST WEEK DOESN’T SOLVE ALL OF THE ISSUED RAISED IN RECENT PROTESTS. DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL THIS MORNING, SMITH SAID THE PROBLEMS WHICH LED TO UNREST ARE NOT ONE-SIZE FITS ALL. SMITH SAYS HE WAS PROUD OF WATERLOO’S PROTESTERS, WHO DEMONSTRATED FOR SEVERAL NIGHTS WITH ONLY A FEW ARRESTS.
THE TIMING MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR WATERLOO’S CONVENTION CENTER FACELIFT. JUST ACROSS FROM THE KXEL STUDIOS, WORK INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BUILDING HAS BEEN UNDERWAY THROUGHOUT 2020 WITH A VARIETY OF STRUCTURAL MATERIALS ON SITE WAITING FOR INSTALLATION. WORK ON IMPROVEMENTS IS EXPECTED TO TOTAL FIVE MILLION DOLLARS OR MORE. COVID-19 CANCELLATIONS HAVE OPENED THE SCHEDULE FOR WORK TO GO ON LARGELY UNINTERRUPTED BY OTHER ACTIVITY IN THE SPACE.
SEVERAL THOUSAND RACE FANS COULD BE AT THE IOWA SPEEDWAY WHEN INDY CAR DRIVERS TAKE THE GREEN FLAG NEXT MONTH. FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING PURPOSES 20 TO 25 PERCENT OF THE VENUES SEATS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ON SALE.
ALTHOUGH THE IOWA LEGISLATURE DID NOT PASS A BILL RELATED TO FELON VOTING CHANGES, THE QUESTION REMAINS UNSETTLED. FELON VOTING HAS BEEN AN AREA OF FOCUS FOR GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS, WHO SPOKE THURSDAY ABOUT EXPECTATIONS THAT SHE WILL SIGN AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ON THE MATTER SOME TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE. IOWA IS THE ONLY STATE TO AUTOMATICALLY REVOKE VOTING RIGHTS FOR FELONS AND TO REQUIRE THEM TO INDIVIDUALLY PETITION THE GOVERNOR TO GET THEIR RIGHTS BACK.
ANOTHER BILL WHICH CAME TO THE GOVERNOR’S DESK HAS BEEN SIGNED. PROTECTION FROM CORONAVIRUS LAWSUITS FOR DOCTORS, HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES, MEATPACKING PLANTS, RESTAURANTS AND OTHER BUSINESSES HAS NOW OFFICIALLY BECOME PART OF IOWA CODE. THE MEASURE IS RETROACTIVE TO JANUARY 1ST. IT WAS PASSED BY REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS AND OPPOSED BY DEMOCRATS, WHO TRIED REPEATEDLY TO AMEND IT TO OFFER PROTECTIONS FOR MEATPACKING PLANT WORKERS AND RESIDENTS OF NURSING HOMES. REPUBLICANS DEFEATED THOSE EFFORTS.
AN ILLINOIS MAN ACCUSED OF WRITING “KKK” ON A BLACK WOMAN’S CAR DURING PROTESTS IN WATERLOO HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH A HATE CRIME. 54YEAR-OLD GARY SHELTON WAS ARRESTED IN BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, IN CONNECTION WITH THE INCIDENT. HE REMAINS JAILED FACING EXTRADITION TO IOWA TO FACE CHARGES OF SECOND-DEGREE CRIMINAL MISCHIEF UNDER THE STATE’S HATE CRIME STATUTES. THE VICTIM REPORTED SOMEONE WROTE “KKK” WITH A WAXY SUBSTANCE ON HER CAR, CAUSING DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT MORE THAN $1,500.
