AN IMPROMPTU SWIM IN THE CEDAR RIVER PROVED FATAL IN CEDAR RAPIDS LAST MONTH. ON WEDNESDAY, AUTHORITIES RELEASED THE NAME OF THE MAN WHO DROWNED. 44-YEAR-OLD CLIFFORD JONES WAS REPORTEDLY WALKING HIS DOG ON THE WARM AFTERNOON OF JULY 16TH. AFTER GETTING INTO THE WATER, JONES ENCOUNTERED DIFFICULTY, AND EMERGENCY RESPONDERS WERE CALLED TO THE RIVER’S WEST BANK NEAR O AVENUE NORTHWEST. JONES’ BODY WAS RECOVERED ABOUT A HALF HOUR AFTER RESCUERS ARRIVED.
INCREASING NUMBERS OF CORONAVIRUS CASES ARE SENDING MORE PATIENTS INTO EASTERN IOWA HOSPITALS. DR. TONY MYERS IS VICE PRESIDENT OF MEDICAL AFFAIRS AT MERCY MEDICAL CENTER IN CEDAR RAPIDS. HE TALKED TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 ABOUT RECENT COVID-19 TRENDS AND MERCY’S ABILITY TO HANDLE MORE ADMISSIONS. MYERS SAYS THAT HE EXPECTS UNVACCINNATED RESIDENTS WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME INFECTED. AS OF WEDNESDAY, THE STATE OF IOWA REPORTED 214 CURRENT CORONAVIRUS HOSPITALIZATIONS.
APPROXIMATELY THREE-QUARTERS OF THOSE ATTENDING NEXT WEEK’S MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAME IN DYERSVILLE MAY BE COMING FROM OUTSIDE IOWA. MLB OFFICIALS SAY TWO THOUSAND OF THE EIGHT THOUSAND SEATS AT THE FIELD OF DREAMS SITE ARE BEING OFFERED TO STATE RESIDENTS. FACE VALUE OF TICKETS IS $375 APIECE. THE RIGHT TO BUY SEATS WAS ASSIGNED BY A RANDOM DRAWING. THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX AND NEW YORK YANKEES MEET IN DYERSVILLE ONE WEEK FROM TODAY.
POWER LINES ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE SNAGGED A HELICOPTER WHICH CRASHED NEAR WAUKON ON WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE PILOT WAS BRIEFLY HOSPITALIZED BUT WAS RELEASED FROM VETERANS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LATER IN THE DAY. AUTHORITIES SAY KURT LEPPING’S INJURIES WERE NOT LIFE THREATENING. LEPPING WAS FLYING THE HELICOPTER WHILE SPRAYING A CORNFIELD. INVESTIGATORS CONTINUE TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE ACCIDENT.
GOOD TIMING MAY HAVE LIMITED THE DAMAGE FROM A FIRE IN CEDAR FALLS EARLY WEDNESDAY. FIRE CREWS WERE CALLED TO RASMUSSEN TOWING ON UNIVERSITY AVENUE SHORTLY AFTER 2 A.M. A COMPANY DRIVER WAS RETURNING TO THE SHOP AND FOUND SMOKE AND FLAMES. THE CEDAR FALLS FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ALERTED AND FIREFIGHTERS WERE ON THE SCENE FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS TO MAKE SURE THE SITUATION WAS CONTAINED. OFFICIALS SAY THAT IN ADDITION TO SOME BUILDING DAMAGE, A TOW TRUCK COULD NOT BE SAVED.
CYBER CRIMES HAVE BECOME A NEW STRESS POINT IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA, WHERE CRIMINAL GANGS ARE BELIEVED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR WIDESPREAD RANSOMWARE SCHEMES. RECENTLY, IOWA SECOND DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS TALKED ABOUT THE NETWORK ATTACKS DURING “SUNDAY NIGHT IN AMERICA WITH TREY GOWDY”. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SAYS HE HAS TOLD PUTIN THE U.S. WILL TAKE ACTION TO COUNTER CYBER CRIME.
IMPACTS OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ARE MIXED, WHEN IT COMES TO IOWA SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS. ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, READING SKILLS FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS SAGGED FROM THE FALL OF 2019 TO THE FALL OF 2020, HOWEVER SIGNS OF RECOVERY WERE EVIDENT AFTER SPRING TESTING. MATH SCORES WERE DOWN ACROSS AGE GROUPS IN A RANGE FROM ONE TO SEVEN PERCENT. IOWA EDUCATION OFFICIALS ALSO SAY FEWER 2020 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WENT TO COLLEGE; THE RATE FELL TO 58 PERCENT FROM 62 PERCENT OF THE 2019 CLASS.
RANSOMWARE ATTACKS ORIGINATING OVERSEAS AND SHUTTING DOWN VITAL COMPUTER NETWORKS HAVE BECOME AN INCREASING CONCERN. DURING FOX’S SUNDAY NIGHT IN AMERICA” PROGRAM, IOWA SECOND DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS TALKED ABOUT THE RESPONSE SHE WOULD LIKE TO SEE FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. RUSSIA HAS DENIED ANY GOVERNMENT ROLE IN CYBERATTACKS.
AMES-BASED BIODIESEL MAKER RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP ANNOUNCED STRONG EARNINGS WEDNESDAY. THE COMPANY MADE OVER 79 MILLION DOLLARS IN THE MOST RECENT QUARTER, BEATING WALL STREET EXPECTATIONS. RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP STOCK HAD BEEN DOWN NEARLY 20 PERCENT IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS. THE COMPANY IS THE UNITED STATES’ LARGEST BIODIESEL PRODUCER BY VOLUME.
THE WATERLOO BUCKS TRY TO KEEP ROLLING AT RIVERFRONT STADIUM. THE BUCKS HAVE WON THREE OF THEIR LAST FOUR HOME GAMES. THEY START A NEW SERIES VERSUS THE MANKATO MOONDOGS AT 6:35 THIS EVENING.
