BLACK HAWK COUNTY SUPERVISORS VOTED DOWN A MASK MANDATE ON TUESDAY. THE BOARD DECIDED 4-1 AGAINST A POLICY RECOMMENDED BY THE BLACK HAWK COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH. CHRIS SCHWARTZ WAS THE ONLY SUPERVISOR TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF A COUNTY-WIDE MASK RULE WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN PUBLIC, INCLUDING AT BUSINESSES. WATERLOO AND CEDAR FALLS HAVE ALREADY PASSED MUNICIPAL FACE COVERING MANDATES.
ONE OF THE STATE’S MOST SIGNIFICANT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGES TO SOME OF IOWA’S MARIJUANA RULES. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 PROVIDED THIS AUDIO FROM CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE CHIEF WAYNE JERMAN. SUCH A CHANGE WOULD NEED TO HAPPEN AT THE STATE LEVEL. JERMAN’S COMMENTS WERE MADE DURING A CEDAR RAPIDS CITY COUNCIL SESSION WORKING THROUGH POLICY ALTERNATIONS SOUGHT BY CITIZEN GROUP ADVOCATES FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE.
ON TUESDAY, IOWA REPUBLICAN SENATOR JONI ERNST REFLECTED ON THE LIFE LIBERAL SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG, WHO DIED LATE LAST WEEK. ERNST SERVES ON THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND WILL LIKELY HAVE A PROMINENT OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH THE NOMINEE TO REPLACE GINSBURG DURING CONFIRMATION HEARINGS. THOSE ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN BEFORE THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
THE COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION IS AN ARM OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. IT WAS CREATED TO PREVENT EXTREME SWINGS IN AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND AFTER SOME WRANGLING, IT LOOKS LIKE A CCC BUDGET HAS BEEN SECURED BY CONGRESS. IOWA SENATOR JONI ERNST. THE TIMING TO BUDGET MONEY FOR THE COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION WAS IMPORTANT, WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S NEW FISCAL YEAR ABOUT TO BEGIN NEXT WEEK.
EARLY VOTING IN BLACK HAWK COUNTY WILL HAPPEN AT THE UNI-DOME AND SEVERAL OTHER LOCATIONS STARTING NEXT MONTH. WITH UNI PANTHER FOOTBALL SIDELINED BY COVID-19 UNTIL THE SPRING, VOTERS WILL TAKE THE FIELD INSTEAD ON FIVE DAYS IN EARLY OCTOBER. OTHER EARLY SATELLITE VOTING LOCATIONS ARE AT THE WESTERN HOME, THE CEDAR VALLEY SPORTSPLEX, AND NORTHSTAR COMMUNITY SERVICES. ABSENTEE BALLOTS WILL BE MAILED OCTOBER 5TH.
THE CEDAR VALLEY WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY. THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION’S BRIGET MEYER SAYS THE ANNUAL FUNDRAISER IS VITAL TO HER ORGANIZATION’S MISSION. UNLIKE PAST YEARS, COVID-19 WILL PREVENT THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION FROM HOLDING A LARGE GATHERING. INSTEAD, THE EVENT WILL BE AN INDIVIDUAL OR SMALL GROUP PARTICIPATION.
CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE SERGEANT LUCAS JONES CONTINUES TO SEEK REINSTATEMENT. AN APPEAL HEARING OPENED YESTERDAY AFTER JONES WAS FIRED EARLIER THIS YEAR. HE WAS NOTABLY INVOLVED IN A 2016 SHOOTING WHICH PARALYZED JERIMIE MITCHELL AFTER THE TWO BECAME INVOLVED IN A SCUFFLE DURING A TRAFFIC STOP. JONES’ TERMINATION WAS RELATED TO ANOTHER STOP WHEN A BODY MICROPHONE HE WAS WEARING BEING OFF AND THE REASONS JONES GAVE HIS SUPERVISORS ABOUT THAT MICROPHONE’S USE.
MORE THAN 66 THOUSAND IOWANS HAVE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE OR OTHER FORMS OF DEMENTIA. THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 136 THOUSAND DOMESTIC CARE-GIVERS HELPING THOSE PATIENTS. SOME OR ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WILL BE IN THE THOUGHTS OF THOSE PARTICIPATING IN THE CEDAR VALLEY WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S ON SATURDAY. BRIGET MEYER OF THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION WAS A GUEST ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL AND TALKED ABOUT THE ELEMENTS OF THIS YEAR’S SOCIALLY-DISTANT EVENT. MEYER SAYS THE WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S IS HER GROUP’S BIGGEST FUNDRAISER.
PLANS FOR UNI PANTHER BASKETBALL BECAME CLEARER ON TUESDAY. THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED THE SCHEDULE FOR CONFERENCE PLAY. THE PANTHER MEN WILL SEE THEIR FIRST MVC OPPONENT DECEMBER 30TH WHEN THEY HOST MISSOURI STATE. THE UNI WOMEN OPEN THEIR CONFERENCE AWAY SCHEDULE ON NEW YEAR’S EVE AGAINST ILLINOIS STATE.
