U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley announced late yesterday he has tested positive for the coronavirus. The 87-year-old New Hartford Republican did not say how he was exposed, but said he would follow doctor’s orders to quarantine and work virtually. Grassley tweeted that he is feeling good and will keep up on his work from home. Grassley, who is third in line of presidential succession, had announced yesterday morning that he was quarantining because of exposure to COVID. That meant that the longest consecutive voting streak in U.S. Senate came to an end yesterday. It was the first time in more than 27 years that Grassley missed a floor vote in the chamber…that’s 8,927 straight votes since July 20, 1993, a record for longest length of time without missing a vote. Grassley said he was disappointed at not being able to vote, but added the health of others is more important than any record. Grassley broke the voting record of the late Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire in January 2016. The last vote Grassley missed occurred in 1993 when he was in Iowa with President Bill Clinton due to the terrible floods that ravaged the state.
Authorities have released the name of a Waterloo woman who died in a shooting early Saturday morning. Police say 27-year-old Jada Young-Mills died at Unity Point Hospital from gunshot wound injuries. 36-year-old Lasondra Johnson has been charged with First-Degree Murder in connection with Young-Mills’ death. She is currently in custody at the Black Hawk County Jail. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Waterloo Police.
Charges have been filed against two people after a 2-year-old child accidently shot his mother on November 4 in Dyersville. 21-year-old Meriah Carlyle is now charged with child endangerment. Police say Carlyle was shot by her 2-year-old son with a handgun that was left unsecured. A second person, 23-year-old Logan Keller has also charged with child endangerment. Carlyle was flown to a hospital in Iowa City and her condition is unknown.
The increase of COVID-19 cases and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday have led both the Waterloo and Cedar Falls schools to alter their instruction plans. Both districts announced late yesterday that they are moving to virtual instruction for a total period of five days. Waterloo and Cedar Falls Schools will not hold in-person classes the week of Thanksgiving—next Monday and Tuesday. Then comes the normal three day holiday break. No in-person classes will be held on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday following Thanksgiving. Classes will be provided virtually for this period of five instructional days, and both the Waterloo and Cedar Falls districts will resume in-person classes on Thursday, December 3. This coordinated effort is aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 due to exposures occurring around the Thanksgiving holiday and was done with consultation with Black Hawk County Public Health officials.
At a news conference yesterday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds continued to urge residents to follow her new partial mask mandate, but noted “there’s science on both sides” about whether face coverings reduce the spread of coronavirus. Reynolds signed an order Monday that requires people to wear masks in indoor public places under some circumstances. She said that she changed course on the issue because the state has seen an exponential increase in the number of people hospitalized with the virus this month. She warned that without action, hospitals will be overwhelmed and people will be at risk of not being able to get medical care of any kind.
Construction has been completed on the 16th Avenue SE floodgate in Cedar Rapids. The bridge will reopen later today. The City says it will be the first floodgate to be installed as part of the new permanent flood control system. The project has been going on since April. Only minimal work is left. The floodgate will be an important part of protecting part of Cedar Rapids from dangerous flooding whenever the Cedar River runs too high.
State officials are collecting information on individual hospitals’ capacity, staffing and resources–but they won’t share it with the public. The state gathers and maintains such information on a service called the Iowa Health Alert Network. But the Iowa Department of Public Health won’t allow local health departments to release that information to the public. Only statewide information on hospital capacity and resources is currently shared on the state’s COVID-19 public data portal. The Iowa Department of Public Health did not immediately answer questions yesterday about why the data on individual hospitals is not publicly shared.
Iowa State has announced it will not allow fans, outside of family members and guests of student-athletes, to attend Saturday’s football game against Kansas State. The announcement comes as COVID-19 cases are spiking across Iowa. A limited number of fans have been present at three out of four home games so far this season. The university says fans who already purchased tickets will receive information from the ticket office regarding refunds after the season is completed. Attendance will also be limited for men’s and women’s basketball games through the end of November, to not include fans outside of family and guests of student-athletes.
The Waterloo Black Hawks are seeking guidance from the governor’s office about her proclamation Monday…you may recall that sporting events have been prohibited except for high school, college, and professional events. But the United States Hockey League is junior hockey, a unique classification that doesn’t fit in any of those other categories. In jeopardy is a Saturday game at Des Moines, as well as the traditional Thanksgiving games at Young Arena next Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets for those games were to have gone on sale today, but that has been postponed pending word from the governor.
