Iowa’s population has grown in pockets around its largest cities over the past decade, while 68 counties in rural areas lost population. According to U.S. Census data released yesterday, the biggest population gainers were the counties around Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Sioux City. The fastest growing area in the state remained Dallas County west of Des Moines, which grew 50.7% to a population of 99,678 in 2020 from just over 66,000 in 2010. The data shows Johnson, Polk, Warren and Story counties grew more than 10% each and 26 counties increased by less than 10%. The remaining 68 of Iowa’s 99 counties lost population.
A number of policies have changed with Democrat control of the U.S. House and Senate and the White House. KXEL host Mark Levin is the author of the new book “American Marxism” and he told us earlier this week that the swiftness of these fundamental changes surprised even him. You can hear Mark Levin live weeknights from 5 until 8 p.m. on KXEL.
IowaWORKS will host an Open Air Career Fair at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo on Wednesday, August 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The in-person career fair is open to the public with no cost and will be held outdoors. The Open Air Career Fair will have in-person booths for job seekers. Employers will be from various industries. A similar event was held in June at the National Cattle Congress. Grow Cedar Valley has partnered with IowaWORKS to recruit local businesses who have immediate openings. Those who are looking for a career are encouraged to dress for success and bring their resume. There will be food trucks on site.
The first public forum was held Wednesday night in Cedar Rapids, designed to help Linn County officials determine how best to spend millions of dollars from the American Cares Act. County Supervisor Stacey Walker told KXEL’s Tim Harwood earlier this week he has hope the funds can be used for housing needs. And Walker outlined the timeline, once priorities are established through the series of public forums which started this week. You can hear the full interview with Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker by going to the podcast section of KXEL.com.
A Mason City man is facing a felony charge for burglarizing a residence on Monday and Tuesday. 20-year-old Alan Valdez is being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on $5,000 bond. He’s accused of breaking into the same residence in Meservey by climbing through a window on back-to-back days. Court documents state he stole a total of $900. The money was recovered and returned to the residents.
The Tama County Sheriff’s Office will not give inmates COVID-19 vaccinations. Nearly 4,800 inmates in Iowa’s jails and prisons have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic started. Cases have slowed significantly as vaccines rolled out, with just 116 cases since March 1. Sheriff Dennis Kucera told our coverage partners at TV9 that the jail has a lack of medical staff to administer vaccines and that inmates have very little risk of exposure to COVID-19 because inmates are quarantined before being placed into the general population. It also said jail staff has little direct contact with inmates.
Iowa City Police have identified and charged a 21-year-old woman for trying to shoot another woman after an argument last Friday. Danielle Williams of Coralville was charged with Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, two counts of Control of a Firearm by a Domestic Abuser, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Witnesses as well as the victim told police that Williams began arguing with her, pulled out a handgun, and tried to shoot her in the 2400 block of Bittersweet Court. Police found a shell casing and property damage from the bullet, but there were no injuries reported. Williams is in custody at the Johnson County Jail.
