THREE MEN WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE THE NEXT POLICE CHIEF IN CEDAR FALLS COULD ADDRESS RESIDENTS AS EARLY AS NEXT MONTH. THE CANDIDATES FOR THE JOB ARE ACTING CHIEF CRAIG BERTE, CEDAR FALLS CAPTAIN MARK HOWARD, AND DERRICK TURNER, WHO IS FROM OREGON. A PUBLIC MEETING TO HEAR FROM THE FINALIST WILL BE DEPENDENT ON THE CORONAVIRUS SITUATION AND COULD BE HELD ONLINE.
COVID-19 TESTING IS BEING OFFERED FOR ALL EMPLOYEES OF LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES IN TAMA COUNTY. THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH WILL OFFER THE TESTS. GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT YESTERDAY. IN ADDITION TO AN OUTBREAK RELATED TO PREMIER ESTATES IN TOLEDO, NEARLY 200 CASES AMONG WORKERS AT NATIONAL BEEF IN TAMA HAVE HAD A DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON THE COUNTY.
NO ONE WANTS TO BE AT THE HOSPITAL, AND THE CORONAVIRUS HAS ONLY CREATED MORE ANXIETY FOR SOME WHO MAY NEED TO GO THERE. DR. TIMOTHY QUINN SPOKE TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV9. THE CHIEF OF CLINIC OPERATIONS AT MERCY MEDICAL CENTER SAYS CEDAR RAPIDS HOSPITALS HAVE MADE THOUGHTFUL PREPARATIONS TO KEEP OTHER PATIENTS AWAY FROM THOSE WHO MAY HAVE CORONAVIRUS. THOSE WITH HEART ISSUES OR OTHER EMERGENCIES CAN INCREASE THE CHANCE OF COMPLICATIONS BY NOT SEEKING PROMPT TREATMENT.
ACT AND SAT TESTS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED THIS SPRING. AS A RESULT, MOUNT MERCY UNIVERSITY IS SKIPPING THE REQUIREMENT FOR THOSE EXAMS OVER THE NEXT TWO ACADEMIC YEARS. THE COLLEGE WILL FOCUS ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADES INSTEAD.
CARS ARE ABOUT TO START ROLLING THROUGH IOWA’S FIRST COUPLE OF DRIVE THROUGH COVID-19 TEST SITES. WEDNESDAY, GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS TALKED ABOUT GETTING POTENTIAL PATIENTS IN LINE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS ADVANCE IN TESTING. EARLIER THIS WEEK, REYNOLDS SAYS SHE EXPECTS IOWA’S CAPACITY TO INCREASE BY ABOUT 3,000 TESTS PER DAY.
THE STATE OF IOWA WILL KEEP ALMOST 11 MILLION DOLLARS IN ANNUAL TOBACCO SETTLEMENT PAYMENTS. OVER THE LAST 22 YEARS, MORE THAN 1.3 BILLION DOLLARS HAS COME TO THE STATE FROM FOUR LARGE TOBACCO COMPANIES. THE MONEY WAS INTENDED TO REIMBURSE STATES FOR CARE OF THOSE WITH TOBACCO-RELATED ILLNESSES. ANTI-SMOKING PUBLIC HEALTH CAMPAIGNS HAVE ALSO BEEN FUNDED WITH SETTLEMENT MONEY.
THE ZACH JOHNSON FOUNDATION CLASSIC WILL BE PLAYED IN CEDAR RAPIDS DURING LATE JULY…BUT WHILE THE PROS WILL BE THERE, THE FANS WILL BE STAYING AT HOME. THE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCED THAT CHANGE ON WEDNESDAY. OTHER AUXILIARY ACTIVITIES TIED TO THE PRO-AM EVENT HAVE ALSO BEEN CALLED OFF FOR THIS YEAR. THE GOLF EVENT IS THE MAJOR FUNDRAISER FOR THE FOUNDATION AND ITS KIDS ON COURSE PROGRAM IN CEDAR RAPIDS SCHOOLS.
IOWA IRISH FEST IS ON AS SCHEDULED IN WATERLOO. WITH OTHER SUMMER EVENTS ANNOUNCING MAJOR ALTERATIONS DUE TO COVID-19, IRISH FEST ORGANIZERS FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO ANNOUNCE WEDNESDAY THAT THEIR EVENT IS UNCHANGED. IOWA IRISH FEST STARTS JULY 31ST.
IOWA’S JUNE 2 PRIMARY ELECTION WILL GO ON, BUT SECRETARY OF STATE PAUL PATE HAS CONSISTENTLY URGED CITIZENS TO SKIP THE POLING STATIONS AND INSTEAD VOTE BY MAIL. PATE WAS A GUEST THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. THE ABSENTEE VOTING PERIOD FOR MAILED PRIMARY BALLOTS BEGINS TODAY. ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST FORMS SHOULD BE ARRIVING BY MAIL NEXT WEEK AND NEED TO BE RETURNED BY MAY 22ND, FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO VOTE THAT WAY.
ROMICA MARTUICA SPENT MORE THAN AN HOUR PULLING MONEY OUT OF AN ATM IN HIAWATHA LAST YEAR USING STOLEN CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD NUMBERS. NOW HE WILL BE SPENDING THREE YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON. THE 21-YEAR-OLD ORIGINALLY SWIPED THE CARD INFORMATION USING A SKIMMING DEVICE. MARTUICA PULLED OVER $8,600 DOLLARS OUT OF THE COMPROMISED ACCOUNTS BEFORE HE WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. THE NATIVE OF ROMANIA WAS ALSO IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY.
MORE THAN $300 BILLION IS LIKELY ALREADY GONE BEFORE EVEN ARRIVING. THE MONEY IS INTENDED TO REPLENISH THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY LOAN PROGRAM FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS. CONGRESS HAS BEEN WORKING ON AN ADDITIONAL $310 BILLION FOR THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM THIS WEEK. HOWEVER, BANKING GROUPS SAY THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS ALREADY SENT TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MAKES IT LIKELY THAT MUCH, IF NOT ALL OF THAT MONEY ALLOTTED, WILL GO TO THOSE APPLICATIONS. ANY NEW APPLICANTS ARE LIKELY MISS OUT ON THIS FUNDING ROUND.
