FLAGS HAVE BEEN LOWERED TO HALF-STAFF TODAY. IT’S THE 19TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001 TERRORIST ATTACKS ON NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON. GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS HAS PROCLAIMED THAT FLAGS SHOULD BE LOWERED AT GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, WITH OTHER FACILITIES ENCOURAGED TO DO THE SAME. 9-11 ANNIVERSARIES HAVE BEEN KNOWN AS “PATRIOT DAY” SINCE PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH DECLARED A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE IN 2001.
GOVERNOR REYNOLDS SPOKE TO THE MEDIA ON THURSDAY ABOUT THE SPREAD OF THE COVID-19 VIRUS AMONG YOUNG ADULTS. IOWA’S POSITIVE CORONAVIRUS CASE COUNT PASSED 70 THOUSAND EARLIER THIS MONTH. OVER 12 HUNDRED OF THOSE COVID-19 INFECTIONS HAVE BEEN FATAL; THE STATE SAYS MORE THAN 52 THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE RECOVERED.
DESPITE EXTREMELY DRY CONDITIONS DURING AUGUST, THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SAYS STREAM FLOWS IN THE CEDAR, IOWA, AND WAPSIPINICON RIVER BASINS REMAIN NORMAL. THE DNR’S MONTHLY WATER SUMMARY UPDATE DID MOVE SOME CENTRAL IOWA WATERWAYS INTO THE LOW FLOW CATEGORY. STATEWIDE, LAST MONTH WAS THE THIRD-DRIEST AUGUST ON RECORD.
RAIN THIS WEEK IS A REMINDER ABOUT THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THE DERECHO WIND STROM WHICH CAUSED DAMAGE OVER A WIDE SWATH OF THE STATE LAST MONTH. TEMPORARY FIXES TO ROOFS HAVE BEEN TESTED BY THE CONTINUED PRECIPITATION. JUSTIN SULLIVAN OF THE IOWA ROOFING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION SAYS CONTRACTORS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEED FOR ROOF REPLACEMENTS. SULLIVAN SAYS MANY CONTRACTORS WILL HELP WITH TEMPORARY MITIGATION ONCE A WORK AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED WITH A HOMEOWNER.
WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF IOWA COMMUNITIES ADOPTING MASK MANDATES, IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS WAS ASKED ABOUT FACE COVERINGS THURSDAY. REYNOLDS SPOKE ABOUT CDC GUIDENCE ON MASKS AND OTHER MITIGATION STEPS.
ALSO ON THURSDAY, REYNOLDS NOTED THAT FEDERAL AID HAS NOW BEEN APPROVED FOR THE MESQUAKI SETTLEMENT. THE SAC AND FOX TRIBE OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA FOUND ITSELF IN THE PATH OF LAST MONTH’S HURRICANE-FORCE WIND STORM. WIDESPREAD DAMAGE IN TAMA COUNTY INCLUDED MESQUAKI FACILITIES. FEMA WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE RELIEF RESOURCES AFTER A FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARATION WHICH WAS APPROVED LAST NIGHT.
NO CLASSES IN DES MOINES MEAN NO SPORTS EITHER. AS SCHOOL OFFICIALS IN IOWA’S LARGEST DISTRICT GRAPLE WITH GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS OVER IN-PERSON VERSUS ONLINE INSTRUCTION, REYNOLDS SAYS IT WOULD BE A DOUBLE-STANDARD TO ALLOW SPORTS IN ANY DISTRICT WHERE STUDENTS ARE STAYING HOME. STATE JUDGES HAVE SO FAR SIDED WITH REYNOLDS IN LAWSUITS RELATED IOWA’S COVID-19 EDUCATION POLICIES.
FRESH PRODUCE HAS BEEN MAKING IT TO LINN COUNTY STORM VICTIMS ON THE BUS…THE FEED IOWA FIRST VEGGIE BUS. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED WITH KIT KIRBY, WHO COORDINATED THE VEGGIE BUS’ STOPS THIS SUMMER. FEED IOWA FIRST HAS DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 22 THOUSAND POUNDS OF LOCALLY GROWN VEGETABLES AND FRUIT IN THE LAST MONTH, MORE THAN THEIR TOTAL FOR ALL OF 2019.
ANOTHER CEDAR RAPIDS ORGANIZATION WILL RECEIVE NEARLY 28 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN GRANT MONEY TO HELP THOSE DISPLACED BY THE AUGUST DERECHO. THE CATHERINE MCAULEY CENTER IS SHELTERING DOZENS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE DRIVEN OUT OF DAMAGED APARTMENTS IN CEDAR RAPIDS. THE AGENCY FOCUSES ON REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS. NEW FUNDS FOR THE CATHERINE MCAULEY CENTER ARE COMING FROM A VIRGINIA ORGANIZATION CALLED “TOGETHER RISING.”
