A POLL BY FOUR OUT-OF-STATE UNIVERSITIES SUGGESTS IOWANS ARE CRITICAL OF GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS’ HANDLING OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. A MONTHLY SURVEY SHOWED REYNOLDS’ APPROVAL RELATED TO CORONAVIRUS ISSUES AT 28 PERCENT. THAT’S LOWER THAN ANY OTHER GOVERNOR IN THE COUNTRY OR PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. NORTHWESTERN, NORTHEASTERN, HARVARD, AND RUTGERS UNIVERSITIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POLL. BACK IN APRIL, A SIMILAR SURVEY BY THE SAME SCHOOLS PUT REYNOLDS’ APPROVAL AT 52 PERCENT. THE ONLINE SURVEY INCLUDED 19 THOUSAND PEOPLE.
MOST OF THE MONEY SPENT TO HELP SUPPORT PORK PRODUCERS WHO HAVE HAD TO EUTHANIZE MARKET READY HOGS HAS GONE TO ONE COMPANY. NEWLY RELEASED DATA SHOWS THAT CHRISTENSEN FARMS HAS RECEIVED OVER $1.8 MILLION FROM THE IOWA DISPOSAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. THAT’S 72% OF WHAT THE PROGRAM HAS PAID TO DATE. CHRISTENSEN FARMS IS BASED IN MINNESOTA. THE COMPANY HAS DISPOSED OF 46,000 HOGS. FIFTEEN OTHER PRODUCERS HAVE RECEIVED PAYMENTS FOR A TOTAL OF 18,000 HOGS COMBINED.
WHILE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS CREATED CHALLENGING CONDITIONS FOR MANY RETAILERS AND RESTAURANTS, SOME OTHER BUSINESSES HAVE PROSPERED, AND IN CEDAR RAPIDS TODAY, A NEW COMPANY IS OPENING. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS FROM TV-9 TALKED WITH RICK HELLER, THE PRESIDENT OF METAL SUPERMARKETS. THE COMPANY PROVIDES SUPPLIES FOR BOTH INDUSTRIAL AND RESIDENTIAL END USERS. THE NEW METAL SUPERMARKETS LOCATION IS ON 4TH STREET SOUTHWEST IN CEDAR RAPIDS.
THE IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE AND THE STATE HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT ARE TRAINING COUNTY ELECTION OFFICIALS THIS WEEK TO BE PREPARED FOR ANY POSSIBLE VOTING DISRUPTIONS THIS FALL. A HALF DOZEN VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS RUN THROUGH THURSDAY. SECRETARY OF STATE PAUL PATE TALKS ABOUT THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. INFORMATION IN THIS WEEK’S INCIDENT RESPONSE PLAN SEMINARS COVERS A VARIETY OF POTENTIAL DISRUPTIONS, FROM CYBER THREATS TO NATURAL DISASTERS. OF NOTABLE CONCERN, A WELL-TIMED RANSOMWARE ATTACK COULD BLOCK ACCESS TO VOTER REGISTRATION DATA AND FREEZE CRITICAL ELECTION OPERATIONS.
IOWA’S ONLY ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS-ACCREDITED ZOO IS STILL RECOVERING FROM FINANCIAL LOSSES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CORONAVIRUS. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED WITH AMANDA NUZUM, VICE PRESIDENT OF BLANK PARK ZOO IN DES MOINES. THE ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS IS HOPING FOR A $30 MILLION AID PACKAGE FROM CONGRESS.
LUKA GARZA SAYS HIS HEART IS IN IOWA CITY. WITH THAT, THE ALL-AMERICAN BASKETBALL STAR ANNOUNCED THAT HE WILL REMAIN AN IOWA HAWKEYE FOR HIS SENIOR YEAR. GARZA WAS NAMED THE BIG TEN MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR AT THE END OF LAST SEASON.
A LOW-COST, MAIL-IN COVID-19 TEST WOULD BE CONVENIENT AND LIMIT THE POTENTIAL SPREAD OF THE CORONAVIRUS BETWEEN PATIENTS AND SCREENING WORKERS. IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY IS WORKING ON DEVELOPING JUST SUCH A TEST. ENGINEERS AT ISU SAY THE ENVELOPES CONTAINING SAMPLES WOULDN’T EVEN NEED TO BE OPENED, WITH SCANNERS CAPABLE OF READING THE SENSORS INSIDE. RESEARCHERS AT THE SCHOOL HAVE A $200 THOUSAND GRANT TO WORK ON THE TECHNOLOGY. LAST WEEK, IOWA STATE SHARED DETAILS ABOUT THE PROJECT AND SAID, IF SUCCESSFUL, THE TESTS COULD BE ADAPTED TO SCREENING FOR OTHER ILLNESSES IN THE FUTURE.
STATE HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICIALS ARE WORKING WITH FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES ON ELECTION SECURITY THREE MONTHS BEFORE IN-PERSON VOTING. JOYCE FLYNN IS DIRECTOR OF THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. IOWA HOMELAND SECURITY AND THEIR FEDERAL COUNTERPARTS HELD AN ELECTION SECURITY PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE LAST WEEK. THIS WEEK, THE IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE IS HOLDING A HALF-DOZEN WORKSHOPS ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF ELECTION SECURITY. SECRETARY OF STATE OFFICIALS SAY ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUESTS ARE CURRENTLY BEING COLLECTED WITH THOSE BALLOTS AVAILABLE BEGINNING OCTOBER 5TH.
THE USE OF FOOD STAMPS WAS UP IN IOWA DURING THE SPRING. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE USING THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM INCREASED FIVE-AND-A-HALF TO 11 PERCENT IN APRIL AND MAY COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
