LAST MONTH, ASHLEY HINSON WON IOWA’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SEAT IN A RACE AGAINST INCUMBENT ABBY FINKENAUER. ON THE HOUSE FLOOR WEDNESDAY, FINKENAUER SHARED SOME FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT LEAVING WASHINGTON. CONTROL OF THE SENATE IS DEPENDENT ON TWO SPECIAL ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA NEXT MONTH.
IN WATERLOO, MAYOR QUENTIN HART IS THINKING ABOUT DEVELOPMENT DOWNTOWN AND IN ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS. DURING A RECENT APPEARANCE ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, HART SAID A VARIETY OF PROJECTS FALL UNDER WATERLOO’S CENTRAL CITY INITIATIVE. HART SAYS THERE HAS BEEN APPROXIMATELY 17 MILLION DOLLARS IN INVESTMENT IN THE WALNUT NEIGHBORHOOD. HE HOPES THAT CAN BE A MODEL FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY. HEAR THE FULL INTERVIEW ANYTIME AT KXEL.COM.
IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS WILL BE THE VICE CHAIR OF THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR’S ASSOCIATION FOR THE NEXT YEAR. THE GROUP ANNOUNCED ITS 2021 OFFICERS ON WEDNESDAY. ARIZONA GOVERNOR DOUG DUCEY IS CHAIRMAN OF THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR’S ASSOCIATION.
IOWA CITY FIRST RESPONDERS ARRIVED TO BRING A FIRE UNDER CONTROL IN A MATTER OF MINUTES, BUT NOT BEFORE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGE WAS DONE TO A HOME. THE BEDROOM FIRE HAPPENED IN A TOWNHOME ON WEST SIDE DRIVE WEDNESDAY. REPORTS INDICATE SMOKE MAY HAVE CAUSED AS MUCH AS 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGE. NO ONE WAS INJURED IN THE FIRE.
WATERLOO’S CONVENTION CENTER OPENED MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO AND IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING A SUBSTANTIAL RENOVATION. MAYOR QUENTIN HART PROVIDED AN UPDATE ON THE PROJECT DURING AN EXCLUSIVE KXEL INTERVIEW, AND SAY IMPROVEMENTS TO THE FACILITY ARE VITAL TO KEEPING WATERLOO IN THE MIX AS A DESTINATION FOR STATE AND REGIONAL EVENTS. THE REMODELING EFFORT INCLUDES MECHANICAL AND AESTHETIC IMPROVEMENTS, AS WELL AS REARRANGING THE LAYOUT OF SOME CONVENTION CENTER SPACES.
HY-VEE SAYS NEARLY FOUR DOZEN OF ITS PHARMACIES WILL OFFER RAPID COVID-19 TESTS SOON. BETWEEN NOW AND DECEMBER 14TH, SCREENING WILL BEGIN IN CEDAR FALLS, THE EDGEWOOD AND MOUNT VERNON ROAD HY-VEES IN CEDAR RAPIDS, AND IOWA CITY’S NORTH DODGE STREET STORE, AMONG OTHERS. RAPID ANTIGEN TEST RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS. HY-VEE SAYS ADVANCED REGISTRATION WILL BE REQUIRED TO USE THE NEW DRIVE-THRU TESTING LOCATIONS.
THE FIRST CORONAVIRUS VACCINES ARE EXPECTED TO ARRIVE NEXT WEEK AT UNIVERSITY OF IOWA HEALTH FACILITIES. U-I-H-C OFFICIALS SAY THEY PLAN TO GIVE THE INITIAL DOSES TO STAFF WHO WORK IN COVID-19 UNITS. IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO VACCINATE APPROXIMATELY 1,000 OF THE 2,000 SUCH EMPLOYEES IN THE FIRST ROUND. THE COVID-19 VACCINE ACTUALLY REQUIRES TWO DOSES PER PERSON, SEPARATED BY APPROXIMATELY THREE WEEKS. HOSPITAL OFFICIALS SAY IT IS NOT CLEAR WHEN ENOUGH OF THE VACCINE WILL ARRIVE TO PROVIDE FULL PROTECTION FOR ALL STAFF.
A CEDAR FALLS AIR FORCE COLONEL COULD BE AMONG THE NEXT HUMAN BEINGS ON THE MOON. RAJA CHARI GREW UP IN THE CEDAR VALLEY AND IS A COLUMBUS HIGH SCHOOL ALUM. CHARI IS ONE OF 18 ARTEMIS PROGRAM ASTRONAUTS ANNOUNCED BY VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE WEDNESDAY AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. THE EFFORT IS TARGETTED TOWARD SENDING AMERICANS BACK TO THE LUNAR SURFACE BY 2024. THE LAST HUMAN MOON LANDING WAS MADE BY THE CREW OF APOLLO 17 NEARLY 50 YEARS AGO.
WATERLOO MAYOR QUENTIN HART IS HOPEFUL THAT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC WILL COME UNDER CONTROL EARLY NEXT YEAR. HART TALKED ABOUT SOME OF COVID-19’S LOCAL IMPACTS – AND HIS OPTIMISM – DURING A RECENT APPEARANCE ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. HART HIMSELF TESTED POSITIVE FOR THE CORONAVIRUS IN EARLY NOVEMBER. WATERLOO HAS HAD A FACE-COVERING MANDATE IN PLACE SINCE AUGUST. JEFF STEIN’S FULL INTERVIEW WITH MAYOR QUENTIN HART IS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND AT KXEL.COM.
