President Donald Trump approved Governor Kim Reynolds’ request for funding under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) individual assistance program for Linn County. This came yesterday, in the wake of last week’s derecho that devastated much of the county. More than 15,000 Alliant Energy customers in Linn County spent their eleventh night without power last night. Now, this is just for Linn County…more than two dozen other Iowa counties were declared eligible by the state, and await word on federal assistance.
Waterloo school students will be going back to school soon…but parents did have the option to request their children learn virtually instead of in person…and according to Waterloo schools spokesperson Tara Thomas, a large number did just that. The first day of class for kindergarten through sixth graders and some high school students is Monday.
It just got harder for the Des Moines School District and some others to continue on with fall sports. Yesterday, the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union sent a letter to school activities directors and state superintendents backing up what the Iowa Department of Education said last week: If a school district goes to all-virtual learning, they can’t play sports. This past Monday night, the Des Moines school board voted to go fully virtual, but said they would continue activities despite the Department of Education’s position. The Department of Education says this is a temporary measure that will be used two weeks at a time. That means, for example, Des Moines schools are safe to play until Tuesday, Sept. 8, because that is their first day of school. What happens after that may be decided in court.
Waterloo Police say the driver injured in that tanker accident early yesterday morning was originally in a collision in a different vehicle. Police say they first responded to a report of an accident in the area of Sergeant Road and Greyhound Drive but were then told the driver who crashed had left the scene and was now in a tanker truck. Officers then found that truck going East on Ridgeway at a high rate of speed, before it ran into a residence near Hammond and Ridgeway, overturning and causing a fuel spill. Police say the tanker truck had hit one other vehicle before running into the home. Neighborhood residents were evacuated for about eight hours. Waterloo Fire and Rescue had to cut the driver from the truck; he was injured and taken to a hospital. One person was in the house but was uninjured.
This would have been the second week of the Iowa State Fair, which was cancelled in June due to COVID-19. According to Greg Edwards, CEO of Catch Des Moines, the impact on the Central Iowa economy is significant. You can hear more on this during the Iowa Business Report, tomorrow morning at 7 and Sunday morning at 11 on KXEL.
Dubuque is one of 15 cities across the United States that is losing flights with American Airlines—the only commercial airline to fly out of Dubuque. The company said yesterday it’s leaving those cities when a federal requirement to serve them expires on October 7th. The decision appears to put pressure on Congress and the Trump Administration to approve another $25 billion in relief after the pandemic stopped most travel plans. American has already gotten $5.8 billion and has applied for an additional federal loan of nearly another $5 billion.
The first day of class for many Waterloo school students is this coming Monday…it’s the first day of a new academic year, and their first day in a school since March. Waterloo schools spokesperson Tara Thomas told KXEL’s Tim Harwood that while some students will learn virtually, there is great value in having an in-person educational experience. Hear more from Tara Thomas about the new academic year by listening to Iowa This Week, tomorrow at 5:45 p.m. and Sunday at 8:45 a.m. on KXEL.
This would have been the last weekend of the Iowa State Fair…another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the loss of the Fair is not the only loss suffered by the Central Iowa economy according to Greg Edwards, CEO of the capitol city’s convention and visitors bureau, Catch Des Moines. More on the topic on the Iowa Business Report, tomorrow morning at 7 and Sunday morning at 11 on KXEL.
