TUESDAY, IOWANS REFLECTED ON A STORM WHICH CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE IN MANY COMMUNITIES. IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS WAS AMONG THOSE THINKING ABOUT LAST YEAR’S DERECHO. SPEAKING WITH OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9, REYNOLDS TALKED ABOUT HOW THE STATE USED TECHNOLOGY AND PREVIOUS DISASTER EXPERIENCE TO EFFICIENTLY SEEK FEDERAL SUPPORT. REYNOLDS NOTED THE SIZE OF THE STORM AND BREADTH OF THE DERECHO DAMAGE IN RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.
THE CEDAR RAPIDS CITY COUNCIL WILL PUT A MILLION DOLLARS TOWARDS DERECHO REPAIRS FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES. COUNCIL MEMBERS APPROVED THE SPENDING ON TUESDAY. THE MONEY WILL COME FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT AND WILL BE ADMINISTERED BY THE PATCH PROGRAM, WHICH IS A COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSISTANCE COLLABORATION BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS AND NON-PROFITS. PATCH LEADERS SAY THE MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE CITY WILL BE ADDED TO 750 THOUSAND DOLLARS RAISED FROM OTHER SOURCES.
ANIMAL RIGHTS AND PUBLIC INTEREST GROUPS FILED SUIT TUESDAY, CHALLENGING AN IOWA LAW CRIMINALIZING COVERT INVESTIGATIONS INTO ANIMAL TREATMENT ON LIVESTOCK FARMS. A FEDERAL COURT WILL DECIDE IF THE LAW VIOLATES FIRST AMENDMENT FREE SPEECH PROTECTIONS. GOV. REYNOLDS SIGNED THE BILL CREATING THE NEW RULES IN JUNE. LAWMAKERS SAY IT’S NEEDED TO PROTECT FARMERS FROM HARASSMENT AND DETERS INTRUSIONS THAT THREATEN THE SAFETY OF THE STATE’S MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY.
PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DOMESTIC DISPUTE FACTORED INTO THE CONVICTION OF A WATERLOO MAN TUESDAY. SKYLAR WILLIAMS-RANKIN FACED WILLFUL INJURY AND DOMESTIC ASSAULT CHARGES FOLLOWING AN APRIL CONFRONTATION. JURORS FOUND THAT WILLIAMS-RANKIN FIRED A WEAPON FROM INSIDE A VEHICLE AT HIS GIRLFRIEND STANDING OUTSIDE THE CAR. SHATTERED GLASS HIT THE WOMAN IN THE FACE AND EYE. WILLIAMS-RANKIN’S SENTENCING WILL COME DURING A FUTURE HEARING; HE COULD FACE AS MUCH AS 10 YEARS OF INCARCERATION.
LINN COUNTY IS TAKING STEPS TO ASSURE THAT IT HANDLES FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS RELIEF MONEY RESPONSIBLY. THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, SUPERVISOR STACEY WALKER SPOKE ABOUT THE 44 MILLION DOLLARS RECEIVED THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT. WALKER SAYS THE COUNTY IS WORKING TO SET PRIORITIES FOR HOW THE 44 MILLION DOLLARS WILL BE SPENT. THE FIRST OF THREE PUBLIC FORUMS ON THAT SUBJECT WILL BE HELD TONIGHT, BEGINNING AT 5 P.M. IN THE CEDAR RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY.
ALSO ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL THIS MORNING, SYNDICATED RADIO HOST MARK LEVIN CRITICIZED SENATE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE LEGISLATION YESTERDAY. IOWA’S JONI ERNST VOTED AGAINST THE BILL, WHILE CHUCK GRASSLEY VOTED FOR IT. IN A STATEMENT, GRASSLEY SAID THE BIPARTISAN PACKAGE WOULD BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH, ALSO NOTING THAT HE HAD HEARD ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS IN NEARLY ALL OF THE 85 COUNTIES HE HAS VISITED THIS YEAR.
AFTER A SIX-MONTH INVESTIGATION, THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SAYS IT HAS CAUGHT UP WITH A GROUP OF POACHERS. FIFTY-SEVEN HUNTING-RELATED CHARGES WERE FILED. LARRY JONES, TANIA HOLDREN, AND SHANE YARRINGTON ALL OF CEDAR RAPIDS, AS WELL AS STEVE SINNETT OF SWISHER EACH ENTERED PLEAS OF GUILTY TO VARIOUS VIOLATIONS. JONES IS ALSO A CONVICTED FELON PROHIBITED FROM HANDLING FIREARMS. THE CASE AGAINST THE GROUP INVOLVED DEER AND WATERFOUL IN LINN AND JOHNSON COUNTIES.
THREE PUBLIC FORUMS ARE SCHEDULED IN LINN COUNTY, WITH THE FIRST PLANNED FOR TONIGHT IN THE CEDAR RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY. THE MEETINGS WILL DETERMINE SPENDING PRIORITIES FOR 44 MILLION DOLLARS IN CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUNDS. THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, SUPERVISOR STACEY WALKER SPOKE ABOUT INITIAL FEEDBACK FROM LINN COUNTY RESIDENTS. HEAR THE FULL INTERVIEW AT KXEL.COM. TONIGHT’S FORUM BEGINS AT 5 P.M.
A LONG-SERVING CONGRESSMAN REPRESENTING SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN WILL NOT SEEK ANOTHER TERM. DEMOCRAT RON KIND’S THIRD DISTRICT COVERS ALL OF THE AREA WHICH BORDERS IOWA. KIND HAS SERVED IN CONGRESS SINCE 1996.
AFTER A RARE TWO-DAY BREAK, THE WATERLOO BUCKS ARE BACK AT RIVERFRONT STADIUM. TONIGHT’S 6:35 GAME VERSUS THE EAU CLAIRE EXPRESS OPENS A FOUR-GAME HOMESTAND WHICH WILL WRAP UP THE REGULAR SEASON.
