IOWA SENATOR JONI ERNST SAYS THERE IS A BACKLOG OF COVID RELIEF OUT THERE, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS SHE VOTED AGAINST NEW PANDEMIC-RELATED LEGISLATION LATE LAST WEEK. ERNST SHARED THOSE THOUGHTS DURING A SATURDAY APPEARANCE ON FOX NEWS LIVE ONLY A MATTER OF HOURS AFTER THE SENATE VOTED 50-49 TO PASS THE NEW 1.9 TRILLION DOLLAR PACKAGE. ERNST IS ANTICIPATED TO BE A TUESDAY GUEST DURING THE 10 A.M. HOUR OF THE KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL PROGRAM.
AS THE SENATE’S CORONAVIRUS BILL REVISIONS ARE RETURNED TO THE U.S. HOUSE FOR APPROVAL, IOWA FIRST DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN ASHLEY HINSON IS EXPRESSING DISAPPOINTMENT THAT THE LEGISLATION WAS NOT CREATED IN MORE BIPARTISAN FASHION. IN THAT VEIN, HINSON WAS TALKING SPECIFICALLY TO DEMOCRATS ON SUNDAY. SHE APPEARED DURING A VIRTUAL QUARTERLY MEETING OF FIRST DISTRICT DEMOCRATS; THE GROUP SAID IN A STATEMENT THAT HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH HINSON IS CRITICAL DURING A TIME OF EXTENDED STRESS AND UNCERTAINTY. IN HER OWN STATEMENT, HINSON SAID THAT DESPITE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES OF OPINION, THERE IS A LOT THAT IOWANS AND AMERICANS CAN UNITE ON.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS PROPOSING TO DOWNGRADE 144 CITIES FROM METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS. UNDER THE PROPOSAL, A METRO AREA WOULD HAVE TO HAVE AT LEAST 100,000 PEOPLE, COMPARED WITH THE 50,000-PERSON THRESHOLD THAT WAS IMPLEMENTED MORE THAN 70 YEARS AGO. OFFICIALS WHOSE CITIES ON THE LIST TO BE DOWNGRADED DON’T BELIEVE IT WILL HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT IN SOME CASES; OTHERS WORRY IT WILL LEAD THEM TO LOSE FEDERAL FUNDS. WATERLOO-CEDAR FALLS WOULD STILL QUALIFY WITH APPROXIMATELY 110 THOUSAND RESIDENTS.
MINOR INJURIES WERE ALL THAT RESULTED FROM A DESTRUCTIVE SINGLE-VEHICLE CRASH WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE ON SATURDAY NIGHT. THE WRECK HAPPENED ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF WATERLOO IN THE 2400 BLOCK OF OSAGE ROAD. AUTHORITIES BELIEVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY TRIGGERED THE SITUATION, CAUSING THE 72-YEAR-OLD DRIVER OF A PICKUP TRUCK TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND GO OFF ROAD, HITTING A POWER POLE, THEN CRASHING INTO A GARAGE WHICH COLLAPSED. ONE PERSON INSIDE THE STRUCTURE SUSTAINED ONLY MINOR INJURIES, AS DID THE DRIVER. BOTH WERE TREATED AT A WATERLOO HOSPITAL.
COLLINS AEROSPACE PARENT COMPANY RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES REPORTEDLY CONTINUES TO CONSIDER CHANGES TO ITS STRUCTURE. ACORDING TO A BLOOMBERG REPORT, RAYTHEON MAY SELL ONE OF ITS SUBSIDIARY PIECES TO A PRIVATE EQUITY COMPANY IN A DEAL ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH ONE BILLION DOLLARS. RAYTHEON REPRESENTATIVES DID NOT COMMENT ON THE REPORT. THE COMPANY HAS BEEN SHUFFLING ITS COMPONENT BUSINESSES SINCE MERGING WITH UNITED TECHNOLOGIES LAST YEAR. COLLINS AEROSPACE IS A MAJOR EMPLOYER IN CEDAR RAPIDS AND OTHER EASTERN IOWA COMMUNITIES.
LUKA GARZA WILL BE THE LAST IOWA HAWKEYE MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER TO WEAR #55. AFTER IOWA’S FINAL HOME GAME SUNDAY, GARZA REACTED TO NEWS THAT HIS NUMBER WOULD BE RETIRED. GARZA HAS SCORED MORE POINTS THAN ANY OTHER HAWKEYE MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER. IOWA’S NEXT GAME WILL BE FRIDAY DURING THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT.
GUN AND DRUG CHARGES HAVE RESULTED FROM A WATERLOO MAN’S ARREST AFTER HE ALLEGEDLY ELUDED POLICE IN A HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT ON SATURDAY NIGHT. JARYOUS COOPER HIT A TREE IN A LATE MODEL SEDAN AFTER AUTHORITIES ATTEMPTED TO PULL HIM OVER. THAT COLLISION HAPPENED IN THE 400 BLOCK OF EAST NINTH STREET. COOPER ALLEGEDLY WAS IN POSSESSION OF A STOLEN HANDGUN AND ILLICIT PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION. HIS LICENSE WAS REPORTEDLY SUSPENDED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, ADDING TO THE TRAFFIC, WEAPONS, AND DRUG CHARGES AGAINST HIM.
WEST LIBERTY SCHOOLS ARE NOT IN SESSION TODAY. A LACK OF AVAILABLE STAFF MADE IT IMPRACTICAL TO HOLD VIRTUAL LEARNING EITHER. THE SITUATION RESULTED FROM A NUMBER OF ADVERSE REACTIONS WHICH MANY TEACHERS REPORTED FROM THEIR SECOND DOSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE OVER THE WEEKEND. THE DISTRICT ANTICIPATES RETURNING TO ITS REGULAR SCHEDULE ON TUESDAY.
IOWA SENATOR JONI ERNST SEES THE CURRENT 1.9 TRILLION DOLLAR FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS BILL PITTING LARGE AND SMALL STATES AGAINST EACH OTHER AFTER THE LEGISLATION CLEARED THE SENATE LATE LAST WEEK. SHE TALKED ABOUT THAT SATURDAY DURING FOX NEWS LIVE. ERNST ALSO CRITICIZED THE LEGISLATIVE EFFORT BECAUSE EARLIER MONEY APPROPRIATED FOR CORONAVIRUS RELIEF HAS NOT BEEN FULLY DEPLOYED. HEAR MORE FROM ERNST DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST. THE SENATOR IS EXPECTED TO BE A LIVE GUEST ON NEWS/TALK 1540 KXEL TUESDAY MORNING DURING THE 10 O’CLOCK HOUR AS PART OF THE KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL PROGRAM WITH JEFF STEIN.
