MALLS AND OTHER RETAILERS, CAMPGROUNDS, AND MORE WILL BE RESUMING OPERATIONS TO ONE DEGREE OR ANOTHER STARTING TODAY IN PLACES WHERE THEY HAD BEEN SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY BY COVID-19. BLACK HAWK COUNTY IS ONE OF THOSE AREAS. SHERIFF TONY THOMPSON IS HOPEFUL THE PEOPLE WILL REMAIN CAUTIOUS. THOMPSON WENT ON TO SAY PEOPLE CAN STILL TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO PREVENT VIRUS SPREAD, LIKE WEARING MASKS WHEN OUT IN PUBLIC.
SEVERAL IOWA NATIONAL GUARD ACTIVITIES OVER THE SUMMER HAVE BEEN CANCELED. GUARD LEADERS ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY THAT A SUMMER CONCERT SERIES PLANNED FOR CAMP DODGE WILL NOT BE HELD. THE NATIONAL GUARD’S MEMORIAL DAY BREAKFAST HAS ALSO BEEN TAKEN OFF THE SCHEDULE DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS. THE ANNUAL IOWA NATIONAL GUARD ALUMNI DAY HAS ALSO BEEN CANCELED IN AUGUST.
WATERLOO BUCKS BASEBALL WILL NOT BEGIN ON TIME. ON THURSDAY, THE NORTHWOODS LEAGUE ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS DELAYING THE START OF THE SEASON. AT THIS TIME, THE LEAGUE IS UNSURE WHEN THE FIRST PITCH WILL BE THROWN. THE BUCKS’ FIRST GAME HAD BEEN SCHEDULED FOR MAY 26TH. TICKETS FROM POSTPONED GAMES WILL BE REDEEMABLE AS THOUGH THE GAMES WERE RAIN-OUTS.
ALL OF IOWA IS UNDER EITHER A FREEZE WARNING OR FROST ADVISORY. THE FREEZE WARNING APPLIES TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM HUMBOLDT THROUGH AMES TO BURLINGTON, WITH THE FROST ADVISORY TO THE SOUTH AND WEST.
THE STATE HAS MADE UP GROUND ON IT’S COVID-19 TEST BACKLOG AFTER THERE HAD BEEN A DELAY IN PROCESSING AND SHARING RESULTS. ON MONDAY, REYNOLDS HAD APOLOGIZED FOR THE INABILITY FOR THE STATE TO KEEP UP WITH TEST PROCESSING. THE TESTS ARE HANDLED BY THE STATE HYGIENIC LAB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF IOWANS HAVE BEEN TAKING CORONAVIRUS ASSESSMENTS ONLINE. MORE THAN 65 PERCENT OF THOSE COMING TO THE SITE ARE WOMEN. VERY FEW ARE OVER 80; JUST TWO PERCENT. THAT AGE GROUP IS MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE THE SEVEREST CONSEQUENCES FROM A COVID-19 INFECTION. THE ONLINE ASSESSMENT IS INTENDED TO HELP WEBUSERS TO TAKE STOCK OF RISK FACTORS. THOSE WITH HIGHER-RISK ARE THEN ROUTED TO LOCATIONS WHERE THEY CAN BE SWABBED FOR COVID-19. BY TAKING THE INITIAL ONLINE ASSMENT, STATE OFFICIALS HOPE THAT THE CLINICAL TESTS CAN BE USED MOST EFFECTIVELY TO FIND THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA MUSIC PROGESSOR ALISON ALTSTATT WILL SPEND THE SUMMER STUDYING A MEDEIVAL MUSIC MANUSCRIPT WHICH SHE DISCOVERED IN THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES. A $6,000 GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FROM THE HUMANITIES WILL MAKE MORE RESEARCH POSSIBLE. ALTSTATT FOUND A FRAGMENT OF THE MANUSCRIPT IN 2015.
IT WON’T QUITE BE RECORD-COLD TONIGHT. THE CEDAR RAPIDS RECORD LOW IS 26 AND WATERLOO IS 27, BOTH SET IN 1945. FIND OUT HOW COLD IT WILL GET IN 30 SECONDS.
SOME COMMUNITIES ARE REDIRECTING MONEY FOR BUSINESSES START UPS TO KEEP COMPANIES AFLOAT DURING THE CORONAVIRS PANDEMIC. THAT’S THE PLAN IN CRESCO. JASON PASSMORE OF HOWARD COUNTY BUSINESS AND TOURISM SAID CRESCO IS MAKING LOANS FROM ITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND. PASSMORE SAYS THE CITY HAS THE ABILITY TO MAKE ABOUT 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN SUCH LOANS TO HELP KEEP BUSINESSES GOING IN THE COMMUNITY OF FOUR THOUSAND PEOPLE.
WORK BEGAN AGAIN AT TYSON’S WATERLOO PORK PROCESSING FACILITY ON THURSDAY. A SHUTDOWN IN LATE APRIL WAS THE RESULT OF EMPLOYEE FEARS ABOUT COVID-19. PLANT MANAGER TOM HART SHARED SOME OF THE PRECAUTIONS THE COMPANY IS TAKING TO KEEP WORKERS SAFE. THE NUMBER OF WORKERS WHO TESTED POSITIVE AT THE WATERLOO TYSON PLANT IS HIGHER THAN INITIALLY SUSPECTED. THE FIGURE REPORTED BY BLACK HAWK COUNTY OFFICIALS YESTERDAY WAS OVER ONE THOUSAND, OR MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE LOCAL WORKFORCE. THE DIFFERENCE IN NUMBERS WAS ATTRIBUTED TO INITIAL REPORTING ABOUT ONLY THOSE WHO WERE TESTED ON SITE, VERSUS TESTING AT MEDICAL OR OTHER FACILITIES.
IF YOU HAVE SEWING SKILLS, UNITY POINT HOSPITALS ARE HOPING YOU WILL PUT THEM TO GOOD USE MAKING MASKS TO HELP PREVENT CORONAVIRUS SPREAD. THE HEALTH NETWORK IS LOOKING FOR MASKS TO PROVIDE TO PATIENTS AND VISITORS. UNITY POINT SAYS IT IS ALSO ACCEPTING DONATIONS OF MATERIALS SO THAT ITS OWN WORKERS CAN SEW MORE MASKS.
