LABOR DAY WEEKEND IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. THAT HAS SOME HEALTH PROFESSIONALS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THE CORONAVIRUS SPREADING. DR. JORGE SALINAS IS THE LEAD EPIDEMIOLOGIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA HOSPITALS AND CLINICS, AND HE SHARED THESE TIPS FOR PEOPLE PLANNING TO TRAVEL WITH OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9. A RECENT SURGE OF NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES IN JOHNSON COUNTY HAS JUST BEGUN TO SHOW SIGNS OF RECEDING.
SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS AND MOVIES HAVE SUGGESTED A VARIETY OF POTENTIAL DANGERS FROM ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. MATTHEW LAMONS IS CO-FOUNDER AND AI STRATEGY ARCHITECT AT THE INTELLIGENCE FACTORY AND TALKS ABOUT THE REALITY OF THE EXPANDING TECHNOLOGY, WHICH HE SAYS IS PROVIDING AMAZING NEW INSIGHTS. HEAR MORE FROM LAMONS DURING THE IOWA BUSINESS REPORT, SATURDAY MORNING AT 7 AND SUNDAY MORNING AT 11 ON KXEL.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA IS MAKING CHANGES TO HOMECOMING AND FALL COMMENCEMENT. HOMECOMING ACTIVITIES WILL BE SHIFTED TO THE SPRING TO COINCIDE WITH A REVISED FOOTBALL SCHEDULE. THIS SEMESTER’S GRADUATION EXERCISES WILL BE MOVED ONLINE TO THE SATURDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING.
U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY SONNY PERDUE WAS IN CENTRAL IOWA ON THURSDAY LOOKING AT STORM DAMAGE FROM LAST MONTH’S DERECHO. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS FROM CBS-2 WERE THERE TO CATCH HIS REACTION TO THE DAMAGED FIELDS HE SAW. PERDUE SIGNED A USDA DISASTER DESIGNATION TO ASSIST FARM PRODUCERS IN 18 IOWA COUNTIES. THE LIST INCLUDES BENTON, CEDAR, HARDIN, LINN, MARSHALL, POWESHIEK, AND TAMA AND ALLOWS FARMERS TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY LOANS FROM THE AGENCY. MONEY CAN BE USED FOR VARIOUS PROJECTS LIKE REPLACING ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT. AFFECTED PRODUCERS WILL HAVE UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF MAY TO APPLY FOR THAT ASSISTANCE.
MEANWHILE, THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY IS PROVIDING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THOSE WHO HAD TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES DUE TO THE AUGUST 10TH WIND STORM. THE NEW FEMA DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER IN CEDAR RAPIDS IS COLLECTING INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE IN 11 COUNTIES WHOSE HOMES WERE DAMAGED. THAT CENTER IS NEAR VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM AND CEDAR RAPIDS ICE ARENA ON THE CITY’S SOUTHWEST SIDE. WHILE THE FEDERAL MONEY AVAILABLE COVERS COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH TEMPORARY LODGING, REIMBURSEMENTS WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR SPOILED FOOD OR OTHER SIMILAR LOSSES CAUSED BY THE STORM.
RESEARCHERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA ARE RECEIVING A GRANT TO STUDY COVID-19 IN THE POLAR NORTH. UNI’S ARCTIC CENTER IS GETTING 200 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. THE MONEY WILL BE USED FOR CORONAVIRUS RESEARCH AMONG PEOPLE LIVING IN THE ARCTIC. THE PROJECT IS SCHEDULED TO BE CONDUCTED OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
TEST IOWA SCREENING LOCATIONS WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY DUE TO THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY. THE EIGHT DRIVE-THROUGH LOCATIONS, INCLUDING THOSE IN BLACK HAWK, LINN, AND MARSHALL COUNTIES, AS WELL AS PARTICIPATING CLINICS WILL ALL BE OFF BEFORE RETURNING TO NORMAL HOURS ON TUESDAY. PEOPLE PLANNING TO VISIT TEST IOWA FOR A COVID-19 SCREENING NEED TO FIRST GO ONLINE TO TESTIOWA.COM FOR A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT.
BUSES IN CEDAR RAPIDS WILL HAVE NEW ROUTES BEGINNING TUESDAY. CEDAR RAPIDS TRANSIT OFFICIALS SAY THE NEW PLAN WILL CUT DOWN TRAVEL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE CITY BY ADDING MORE BUSES IN HIGH-TRAFFIC AREAS. DURING MORNING AND AFTERNOON COMMUTING TIMES, CEDAR RAPIDS BUSES WILL RUN EVERY 30 MINUTES. HOWEVER, LIMITS TO PASSENGER NUMBERS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE. MASKS ARE STILL REQUIRED WHILE USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, WITH NO MORE THAN 15 PEOPLE ALLOWED ON A CEDAR RAPIDS BUS AT ONE TIME.
BUSINESSES ARE DRAWING AN EVER-WIDENING NUMBER OF BENEFITS FROM AI, OR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. MATTHEW LAMONS WILL SHARE HIS INSIGHTS ON THE TECHNOLOGY THIS WEEKEND ON KXEL DURING THE IOWA BUSINESS REPORT. LAMONS IS CO-FOUNDER OF THE INTELLIGENCE FACTORY. HEAR MORE FROM LAMONS DURING NEXT HOUR’S NEWS. THE FULL IOWA BUSINESS REPORT INTERVIEW AIRS AT 7 A.M. ON SATURDAY AND 11 A.M. ON SUNDAY.
