IOWA ELECTION OFFICIALS SAY TUESDAY’S VOTING REPRESENTED A RECORD TURNOUT FOR AN IOWA PRIMARY. MORE THAN 500-THOUSAND VOTES WERE CAST; THE PRIOR RECORD WAS AT LEAST 10 PERCENT SMALLER. IN 1994 WHEN INCUMBENT GOV. TERRY BRANSTAD FACED A CHALLENGE FROM CONGRESSMAN FRED GRANDY, 449-THOUSAND IOWANS VOTED.
IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS TALKED ABOUT CURFEWS RELATED TO THE PROTESTS IN THE STATE CAPITAL. REYNOLDS SAYS SHE BELIEVES PEACEFUL PROTESTERS WILL OBSERVE THE CURFEW LIMITATIONS. TUESDAY NIGHT INTO THIS MORNING REPRESENTED THE FIFTH ROUND OF PROTESTS IN DES MOINES AFTER THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD IN MINNEAPOLIS. LAST NIGHT’S ACTIVITY WAS LESS CONFRONTATIONAL THAN PREVIOUS DAYS. A MARCH THROUGH THE CITY ENDED AT THE CAPITOL, WHERE THE CROWD EVENTUALLY BROKE UP.
AT LEAST A COUPLE OF ARRESTS MADE IN WATERLOO AS DEMONSTRATORS GATHERED FOR A THIRD NIGHT. LAW ENFORCEMENT SHADOWED THE PROTESTS AND TRAFFIC HAD TO BE ALTERED AT SEVERAL POINTS, INCLUDING HIGHWAY 218 FOR A TIME. TEAR GAS WAS USED TO BREAKUP THE CROWD NEAR THE HIGHWAY.
THREE-FOOT TALL ORANGE BARRIERS WERE WRAPPED AROUND THE CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE STATION TUESDAY. THE BARRICADES WERE PUT IN PLACE DUE TO CONCERNS ABOUT DEMONSTRATORS POTENTIALLY CLIMBING ONTO THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING. CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE EXPLAINED THAT THE BARRIERS WERE A SAFETY PRECAUTION TO PREVENT POSSIBLE INJURIES.
DEMOCRATS WILL LIKELY BE WEARING MASKS IN DES MOINES TODAY; REPUBLICANS MAY NOT. IOWA LEGISLATORS ARE BACK AT THE CAPITOL TO RESUME THE 2019 SESSION WHICH WAS DISRUPTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS IN MARCH. DEMOCRATIC HOUSE LEADERS ASKED MEMBERS TO WEAR FACE COVERINGS, WHILE REPUBLICANS HAVE THE OPTION. A VARIETY OF SAFETY PRECAUTIONS INCLUDING LIMITS ON SUPPORT PERSONNEL ARE ALSO IN PLACE.
ASHLEY HINSON HAS SHIFTED FROM CANDIDATE TO LEGISLATOR IN A MATTER OF HOURS. YESTERDAY SHE WON THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION TO RUN FOR IOWA’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SEAT. THIS MORNING SHE GOT ON THE ROAD TO RETURN TO HER CURRENT ROLE AS A STATE LEGISLATOR, AND TALKED ABOUT THAT LAST NIGHT WITH OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT IOWA’S NEWS NOW. HINSON WILL FACE FIRST DISTRICT HOUSE INCUMBENT ABBY FINKENHAUER IN THE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION.
CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE WERE INVESTIGATING A “SHOTS FIRED” CALL WHICH LED TO VEHICLE DAMAGE AROUND MIDNIGHT. THE CALL CAME FROM THE THREE THOUSAND BLOCK OF WILLIAMS PARKWAY SOUTHWEST. EVIDENCE WAS COLLECTED IN THE AREA NEAR THE VEHICLE. INITIAL REPORTS INDICATED NO INJURIES.
BLACK HAWK COUNTY SUPERVISORS SAY YOU NEED TO SCHEDULE A TIME TO SEE THE TREASURER, THE RECORDER, OR ANY OTHER OFFICIAL WITH AN OFFICE IN THE COURTHOUSE. THE BUILDING WILL RE-OPEN NEXT MONDAY, BUT ON AN APPOINTMENT-ONLY BASIS TO START. COUNTY OFFICIALS SAID THEY EXPECT TO HAVE A VERY BUSY SCHEDULE INITIALLY, COMPOUNDED BY THE POSSIBILITY THAT SOME PEOPLE MAY ATTEMPT TO VISIT WITHOUT HAVING HEARD DETAILS OF THE APPOINTMENT RULE.
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON POSSIBLE HOT SPOTS WHERE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 COULD HAPPEN EXPONENTIALLY. SARAH REISETTER OF THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SAYS OFFICIALS WANT TO WORK WITH PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES LIKE THOSE INVOLVED IN LONGTERM CARE OR MANUFACTURING. REISETTER REITERATED THAT THE VIRUS IS CAPABLE OF SPREADING RAPIDLY. OVER 160 THOUSAND IOWANS HAVE BEEN TESTED FOR THE CORONAVIRUS WITH MORE THAN 20 THOUSAND POSITIVE RESULTS.
SOME COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS ARE BEING LOOSENED GRADUALLY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA HOSPITALS AND CLINICS. MASKS OR FACE SHIELDS WILL BE REQUIRED FOR VISITORS, BUT MORE VISITORS WILL BE ALLOWED. IN A STATEMENT, UIHC OFFICIALS NOTED THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING LOVED ONES PRESENT DURING THE RECOVERY PROCESS. SPECIFIC VISITOR RULES VARY BASED ON THE AGE OF THE PATIENTS AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THEIR ILLNESS OR APPOINTMENT.
SOME VANDALISM CAME WITH PROTESTS IN IOWA CITY OVERNIGHT. GRAFFITI WAS DISCOVERED ALONG THE ROUT TAKEN BY MARCHING DEMONSTRATORS AND THERE WERE A FEW INSTANCES WHERE VARIOUS PROJECTILES WERE THROWN. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV9 ESTIMATED THAT APPROXIMATELY 200 PEOPLE WERE PART OF THE MARCH. PROTESTS IN DES MOINES AND OTHER COMMUNITIES WERE GENERALLY MORE PEACEFUL THAN EARLIER GATHERING RELATED TO THE DEATH OF MINNEAPOLIS MAN GEORGE FLOYD.
HONDA IS RECALLING 136-THOUSAND CARS FROM 2018 THROUGH 2020. THE CONCERN IS THAT FUEL PUMPS COULD FAIL AND CAUSE THE ENGINES TO STALL. OWNERS OF AFFECTED VEHICLES CAN EXPECT NOTIFICATION BY MAIL NEXT MONTH.
