WITH WAGES CLIMBING AS COMPANIES TRY TO FILL VACANCIES, MANY MUNICIPAL WORKERS IN WATERLOO WILL ALSO SEE A PAY INCREASE. MONDAY EVENING, THE WATERLOO CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A THREE PERCENT PAYROLL BOOST. THE ADDED INCOME WILL GO TO BOTH UNION AND NON-UNION WORKERS. LIKE MOST LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE STATE, THE CITY OF WATERLOO’S FISCAL YEAR BEGINS ON JULY 1ST, WHICH IS WHEN THE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE RAISES WILL TAKE EFFECT.
FLEXIBILITY AND RESPONSIVENESS HAVE BEEN VITAL FOR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATED THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION’S IOWA OFFICE SAYS THOSE CHARACTERISTICS HAVE BEEN IMPORTANT TO THE SBA TOO. DIRECTOR JAYNE ARMSTRONG WAS A WEEKEND GUEST DURING “INSIGHT ON BUSINESS: THE NEWS HOUR” ON KXEL. ACCORDING TO AN ESTIMATE FROM EARLIER THIS MONTH, MORE THAN 173 THOUSAND PAYROLL PROTECTION LOANS HAVE BEEN MADE TO IOWA BUSINESSES.
THE CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS WON FIVE OF SIX GAMES DURING A SERIES AGAINST SOUTH BEND WHICH WRAPPED UP OVER THE WEEKEND. AFTER AN OFF-DAY ON MONDAY, THE KERNELS START THEIR NEXT SIX-GAME SET TONIGHT AGAINST THE LANSING LUGNUTS. CEDAR RAPIDS GOES INTO THE SERIES TWO GAMES ABOVE .500. FIRST PITCH TONIGHT IS SCHEDULED FOR 6:35.
THE IOWA STATE PATROL SAYS ONE PERSON WAS KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT ON A JONES COUNTY ROAD SOUTH OF WYOMING MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE VICTIM’S NAME WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY RELEASED. THE STATE PATROL REPORT SAYS THE PASSENGER TRUCK’S RIGHT SIDE TIRES WENT OFF THE PAVEMENT AND THE DRIVER OVER-CORRECTED BEFORE THE VEHICLE SKIDDED ACROSS THE ROADWAY AND INTO THE OPPOSITE DITCH, STRIKING A UTILITY POLE. THE DRIVER WAS NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA EXPECTS TO RAISE TUITION ONE-AND-A-HALF PERCENT. THE PROPOSED CHANGE WILL BE REVIEWED BY IOWA’S BOARD OF REGENTS DURING A THURSDAY MEETING. TUITION RATES WERE UNCHANGED LAST SUMMER AMISDT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. IOWA STATE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA ARE EACH SEEKING THREE-AND-A-HALF PERCENT INCREASES.
THE CEDAR RAPIDS COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT IS CONSIDERING THE ROLE OF POLICE WHO WORK ON ITS CAMPUSES. DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT NICOLE KOOIKER TALKED TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 ABOUT SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS. THE FIRST OF TWO CEDAR RAPIDS SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER INFORMATION SESSIONS WAS MONDAY; THE NEXT IS TONIGHT AT MCKINLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL.
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS WERE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT COVID-19 SPREAD IN NURSING HOMES. A NEW REPORT SUGGESTS THAT CONCERN WAS JUSTIFIED. MEDICARE PATIENTS WHO DIED IN NURSING HOMES REPRESENT OVER 40 PERCENT OF TOTAL CORONAVIRUS DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES LAST YEAR.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS RELEASED ITS FINDINGS ABOUT TWO TORNADOES WHICH TOUCHED DOWN IN IOWA SUNDAY EVENING. NEAR PELLA, AN EF-1 TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT FOUR MINUTES. THE PATH OF DAMAGE IT CAUSED WAS ABOUT 150 FEET AT ITS WIDEST POINT OVER A ONE-AND-A-HALF-MILE PATH. ANOTHER STORM IN JACKSON AND DUBUQUE COUNTY WAS ALSO GRADED AS AN EF-1 AND COVERED JUST OVER THREE MILES IN SIX MINUTES. EF-1 TORNADOES HAVE WINDS SPEED UP TO 110 MILES PER HOUR.
THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE’S WEEKLY CROP REPORT CONFIRMED WHAT MANY SUSPECTED: SUNDAY’S RAINS DID NOT HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON LONGER TERM DRY CONDITIONS IN IOWA. ONLY 31 PERCENT OF THE STATE’S SUBSOIL IS CONSIDERED TO HAVE ADEQUATE MOISTURE LEVELS. JUST 56 PERCENT OF IOWA CORN IS CLASSIFIED AS GOOD TO EXCELLENT; 57 PERCENT OF SOYBEANS WERE GIVEN THAT GRADE.
THERE IS POSITIVE SENTIMENT ABOUT THE POSITION OF SMALL BUSINESSES AS MANY HOPE THAT THE WORST OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS PASSED. JAYNE ARMSTRONG IS IOWA DISTRICT DIRECTOR FOR THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. DURING “INSIGHT ON BUSINESS: THE NEWS HOUR” PROGRAM ON KXEL SUNDAY, ARMSTRONG SAID WE’RE COMING OUT OF THE CORONAVIRUS DISRUPTION. INSIGHT ON BUSINESS AIRS SUNDAYS AT NOON ON KXEL. HEAR MORE FROM ARMSTRONG ABOUT THE SBA’S RESPONSIVENESS IN 2020 DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST.
