IT’S THE 59TH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY. DONALD TRUMP AND JOE BIDEN HAVE EACH BEEN IN IOWA DURING RECENT DAYS, AND THE STATE IS ONE OF MANY WHICH LOOKS TO BE A TOSS UP TODAY. EVEN WITH NEARLY ONE MILLION EARLY VOTES CAST, IOWA REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN JEFF KAUFMANN SAYS THAT THE OUTCOME HERE WILL DEPEND ON WHO COMES TO THE POLLS TODAY. THE POLLS ARE OPEN NOW AND WILL BE UNTIL 9 P-M.
FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN WATERLOO, CEDAR RAPIDS, AND IOWA CITY HAVE ALL BEEN ACTIVE RESPONDING TO SEPARATE INCIDENTS SINCE MIDDAY YESTERDAY. IN CEDAR RAPIDS MONDAY AFTERNOON, THEY BATTLED HEAVY SMOKE IN A HOME ON 35TH STREET NORTHEAST. A NIGHTTIME FIRE IN WATERLOO CAUSED DAMAGE ON COTTAGE STREET. LATER DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS IN IOWA CITY, A KITCHEN FIRE BROUGHT OUT FIRST RESPONDERS. THE FIRES IN CEDAR RAPIDS AND IOWA CITY DID LEAD TO HOSPITALIZATIONS OF INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN EACH OF THOSE RESIDENCES.
A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUPS IN IOWA CITY AND CEDAR RAPIDS IS CHANGING COURSE. ICR POOLS RESOURCES FROM CEDAR RAPIDS’ METRO ECONOMIC ALLIANCE AND THE IOWA CITY AREA DEVELOPMENT GROUP. ICR IS CUTTING ITS ONLY EMPLOYEE, CEO JENNIFER DALY. DEVELOPMENT OFFICIALS IN CEDAR RAPIDS AND IOWA CITY HAVE HAD TO REFOCUS ON BUSINESS ASSISTANCE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AMID ITS ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES.
AN EARLY MORNING WRECK NOT FAR FROM WESTDALE MALL LED TO AN INJURY AND A POWER OUTAGE IN CEDAR RAPIDS. AUTHORITIES SAY A UTILITY POLE WAS STRUCK BY A VEHICLE IN THAT PART OF THE CITY. RESULTING INJURIES SENT ONE PERSON TO A CEDAR RAPIDS HOSPITAL. THE ACCIDENT KNOCKED OUT POWER TO APPROXIMATELY 66-HUNDRED PEOPLE BOTH IN CEDAR RAPIDS AND IN SURROUNDING AREAS.
ON ELECTION DAY, REPUBLICAN PARTY OF IOWA CHAIRMAN JEFF KAUFMANN IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FOUR CONGRESSIONAL RACES IN THE STATE. THAT INCLUDES THE FIRST DISTRICT RACE BETWEEN REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER ASHLEY HINSON AND DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENT ABBY FINKENAUER. KAUFMANN CITED A DES MOINES REGISTER POLL ASKING ABOUT GENERIC CONGRESSIONAL PREFERENCES IN THE FIRST DISTRICT. DEMOCRATS HAVE HELD THREE OF IOWA’S FOUR SEATS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SINCE THE 2018 ELECTIONS. FINKENAUER AND CINDY AXNE ARE EACH SEEKING THEIR SECOND TERMS TODAY. CONGRESSMAN DAVE LOEBSACK IS RETIRING, LEAVING AN OPEN SEAT RACE BETWEEN DEMOCRAT RITA HART AND REPUBLICAN MARIANETTE MILLER-MEEKS. THE FOURTH DISTRICT SEAT IS ALSO OPEN AS J.D. SCHOLTEN AND RANDY FEENSTRA SEEK TO REPLACE STEVE KING.
FROM COUNTING VOTES TO COUNTING STUDENTS. WATERLOO PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE FEWER OF THEM. ENROLLMENT IS DOWN BY MORE THAN ONE PERCENT. DISTRICT OFFICIALS ATTRIBUTE THE CHANGE, IN PART, TO MANY PARENTS HOLDING YOUNG CHILDREN OUT OF KINDERGARTEN DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, IOWA REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN JEFF KAUFMANN MADE A FINAL ELECTION DAY PITCH. MEANWHILE ON THIS ELECTION DAY, THE IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE IS REMINDING VOTERS THAT THEY NEED AN OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT ID WHEN THEY GO TO VOTE. MINOR CHILDREN ARE ALLOWED TO GO TO THE POLLS WITH THEIR PARENTS. VOTERS WHO MAKE A MISTAKE ON THEIR BALLOT CAN TELL AN ELECTION OFFICIAL AND RECEIVE A REPLACEMENT. THE POLLS REMAIN OPEN UNTIL 9 P.M.
STARTING TODAY, SCHOOLS IN ANAMOSA HAVE MOVED TO ONLINE-ONLY CLASSES DUE TO COVID-19. THE DISTRICT PLANS FOR THE CHANGE TO CONTINUE THROUGH NOVEMBER 16TH. CLIMBING CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS HAVE SHIFTED ANAMOSA ABOVE THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THRESHOLD FOR ALL-VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION. STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN ONLINE CLASSES IS REQUIRED, AND THE DISTRICT WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SCHOOL MEALS ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, AVAILABLE FOR PICKUP.
A SETTLEMENT HAS BEEN APPROVED BETWEEN IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY AND A FORMER IOWA 4-H DIRECTOR WHO WAS FIRED IN 2018. J.P CHAISSON-CARDENAS WAS DISMISSED AFTER A DISPUTE OVER A PROPOSED POLICY TO REDUCE DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER. THE SETTLEMENT IS FOR $550,000. THE AGREEMENT ALSO CHANGES CHAISSON-CARDENAS’ DEPARTURE IN UNIVERSITY RECORDS FROM A TERMINATION TO A VOLUNTARY RESIGNATION.
