IF THE NOVEMBER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WERE HELD TODAY, THE RESULTS WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WILL HAPPEN THREE MONTHS FROM NOW IN IOWA. THAT’S ONE CONCLUSION FROM A RECENT MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY POLL. DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, PATRICK MURRAY TALKED ABOUT HOW FIRMLY SURVEY PARTICIPANTS BELIEVE IN THEIR PREFERRED CANDIDATE. THE POLL FOUND IOWA TO BE A VIRTUAL TOSS UP WITH A SLIGHT EDGE TO DONALD TRUMP OVER JOE BIDEN.
SOME ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST FORMS HAVE ALREADY BEEN SENT TO VOTERS BY THE BLACK HAWK COUNTY AUDITOR’S OFFICE. AUDITOR GRANT VEEDER ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY THAT THE FIRST OF SEVERAL BATCHES OF THE DOCUMENT BEGAN BEING SENT ON TUESDAY, AND THE MASS MAILING WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK. IN A STATEMENT, VEEDER SAID THE OFFICE IS STARTING EARLY BECAUSE THEY EXPECT TO PROCESS FAR MORE OF THE REQUESTS THAN USUAL THIS FALL. HE ADDED THAT FORMS ORIGINATING FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OR THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE WILL ALSO BE ACCEPTED, AS LONG AS THEY ARRIVE AT THE AUDITOR’S OFFICE COMPLETED WITH ALL REQUIRED INFORMATION. ABSENTEE BALLOTS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE AVAILABLE OCTOBER 5TH.
AN UPDATED UNIVERSITY OF IOWA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE WAS RELEASED ON WEDNESDAY. THE HAWKEYES WILL OPEN THE YEAR AT HOME AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND ON SEPTEMBER 5TH. THAT WILL BE THE FIRST OF TEN GAMES THIS SEASON, ALL AGAINST BIG TEN OPPONENTS. HAWKEYE PRESEASON PRACTICES BEGIN TOMORROW.
AFTER ALLEGEDLY LEADING LINN COUNTY DEPUTIES ON A CHASE THROUGH MT. VERNON ON MONDAY, AUTHORITIES TRACKED DOWN DANIEL HODGES IN CEDAR RAPIDS YESTERDAY. LATE MONDAY NIGHT, DEPUTIES TRAILED A VEHICLE THROUGH MT. VERNON BEFORE IT CRASHED INTO THREE CARS AND THE DRIVER RAN AWAY ON FOOT. YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, HODGES ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO FLEE POLICE AGAIN AFTER A TRAFFIC STOP IN A VEHICLE THAT HAD BEEN REPORTED STOLEN. THE PURSUIT WENT OFF ROAD AT ONE POINT. THIS TIME POLICE WERE ABLE TO CATCH UP WITH THE 24-YEAR-OLD FROM CORALVILLE. HODGES FACES SEVERAL TRAFFIC AND DRUG CHARGES, IN ADDITION TO HAVING PREVIOUS ARREST WARRANTS ISSUED FOR INCIDENTS IN JOHNSON COUNTY.
LAST NIGHT, LINN COUNTY DEPUTIES WERE INVOLVED IN ANOTHER (UNRELATED) CHASE, THIS TIME STARTING IN CENTER POINT. THE DRIVER ABANDONED A STOLEN BLUE FORD ESCAPE AND ESCAPED. THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS DEPUTIES’ ATTENTION WAS ATTRACTED WHEN MULTIPLE VEHICLES WERE DRIVING RECKLESSLY IN CENTER POINT AROUND 11:30. THE CHASE FOCUSED ON THE STOLEN FORD AND COVERED A WIDE AREA, ENDING IN NORTHEAST CEDAR RAPIDS.
YESTERDAY, IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER RESTORING FELON VOTING RIGHTS. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV9 SPOKE WITH JORDAN PHILLIPS, WHO WILL NOW BE ABLE TO CAST A BALLOT IN NOVEMBER. PHILLIPS SERVED PRISON TIME FOR DRUG OFFENSES. EARLIER THIS SUMMER, GOVERNOR REYNOLDS HAD PLEDGED TO RESTORE FELLON VOTING RIGHTS IN TIME FOR THE 2020 ELECTION.
IOWA IS MORE-OR-LESS A TOSS UP STATE WHEN IT COMES TO THE RACE FOR PRESIDENT AND FOR THE SENATE SEAT HELD BY JONI ERNST. DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, PATRICK MURRAY OF MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY EXPLAINED THE RECENT RESULTS OF A POLL THE COLLEGE CONDUCTED. THE LEADS FOR TRUMP AND ERNST ARE WITHIN THE POLL’S MARGIN FOR ERROR. MONMOUTH’S SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BEGINNING LATE LAST WEEK, THROUGH MONDAY, AND INCLUDED OVER 400 REGISTERED VOTERS.
TESTING FOR THE CORONAVIRUS IS DROPPING EVEN AS INFECTIONS RATES REMAIN HIGH. HEALTH OFFICIALS SUGGEST MANY AMERICANS ARE DISCOURAGED OVER HAVING TO WAIT HOURS TO GET A TEST AND SOMETIMES WEEKS TO FIND OUT THE RESULTS. ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, NATIONWIDE THE NUMBER OF TESTS PER DAY SLID 3.6% OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS. IOWA AND 21 OTHER STATES SAW FEWER TESTS DURING THAT PERIOD. ACCORDING TO STATE FIGURES, ONE OF THE 6,133 TESTS REPORTED YESTERDAY WAS THE 500,000TH ADMINISTERED IN IOWA SINCE THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK BEGAN IN MARCH.
PLAN FOR A CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK TO DIRECTLY IMPACT K-12 SCHOOLS THIS YEAR. THAT’S WHAT LINN COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH’S HEATHER MEADOR TOLD OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9. MEADOR SAID FAMILIES SHOULD HAVE A PLAN IN ADVANCE FOR HOW THEY WILL ADJUST IF THAT HAPPENS IN THEIR DISTRICT.
