ALL OF EASTERN IOWA SAW HEAVY RAIN TUESDAY. THOSE WHO WERE ANYWHERE NEAR THE IOWA HIGHWAY 150 CORRIDOR EXPERIENCED SOME OF THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL RAIN AMOUNTS AND FLOOD WARNINGS WHICH LASTED INTO THIS MORNING. FROM VINTON TO DECORAH, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REPORTS ISOLATED RAIN TOTALS PUSHING UP TO FIVE OR EVEN SIX INCHES. RIVER AND STREAM LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN HIGH THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THIS WEEK. THE WEATHER SERVICE REMINDS DRIVERS TO FIND AN ALTERNATE ROUTE AROUND FLOODED AREAS WHERE WATER HAS COVERED A ROADWAY.
IOWA HOUSE MEMBER LOUIE ZUMBACH NEEDED ASSISTANCE ON TUESDAY WHEN HE BECAME ILL DURING A LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. STATE TROOPERS CAME TO ATTEND TO ZUMBACH AT THE CAPITOL DURING A HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS SESSION. HE WAS HOSPITALIZED IN DES MOINES. ZUMBACH IS A REPUBLICAN FROM COGGON REPRESENTING IOWA HOUSE DISTRICT 95. LAST WEEK, HE ANNOUNCED HE WOULD NOT SEEK ANOTHER TERM IN DES MOINES AND WOULD INSTEAD RUN FOR A SEAT ON THE LINN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
DURING THE CORONAVIRUS SHUTDOWN, THOSE RECEIVING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL $600 PER WEEK. IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY TALKED ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THAT SPECIAL ASSISTANCE THE ADDITIONAL $600 IN WEEKLY BENEFITS RUNS OUT AT THE END OF JULY. U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT IS AT 13.3 PERCENT.
THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA FOOTBALL PROGRAM HAS BECOME A FOCAL POINT RELATED TO RACIAL ISSUES IN THE STATE. PROTESTERS SPRAYPAINTED GRAFFITI ON KINNICK STADIUM OVER THE WEEKEND AFTER FORMER PLAYERS BROUGHT STORIES OF DISCRIMINATION TO LIGHT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. MARVIN MCNUTT CAUGHT MORE PASSES AS A HAWKEYE THAN ANY OTHER PLAYER IN PROGRAM HISTORY. HE SPOKE WITH OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 ABOUT SEEING VANDALISM. MCNUTT HAS PARTICIPATED IN DEMONSTRATIONS HELD RECENTLY IN CEDAR RAPIDS. HE SAYS THAT MORE OPEN DISCUSSION OF RACIAL ISSUES WITHIN THE HAWKEYE PROGRAM WILL BRING OUT THE BEST IN EVERYONE.
HAWKEYE LINEBACKER DILLON DOYLE IS LEAVING THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA. DOYLE IS THE SON OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH CHRIS DOYLE, WHO WAS PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE OVER THE WEEKEND AND HAS BEEN AT THE CENTER OF THE ALLEGEDLY HOSTILE AND OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR DIRECTED TOWARD MINORITY PLAYERS. THE YOUNGER DOYLE APPEARED IN 13 IOWA GAMES LAST YEAR. HE IS EXPECTED TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER PROGRAM.
SOME NURSING HOMES HAVE DEMANDED THAT LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS TURN OVER THEIR $1,200 FEDERAL ECONOMIC STIMULUS CHECKS, AND IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY HAS A PROBLEM WITH THAT. GRASSLEY AND DEMOCRAT RON WYDEN OF OREGON, CALLED ON THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INSPECTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE TO ISSUE A WARNING TO NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES THAT SUCH PRACTICES ARE “IMPROPER AND UNLAWFUL.” THE INDUSTRY SAYS THE ISSUE WITH STIMULUS CHECKS IS NOT WIDESPREAD.
ON TUESDAY, IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY WAS INVOLVED IN SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARINGS AND TOOK TIME TO REFLECT ON PROTESTS AROUND THE COUNTRY IN THE WAKE OF GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH IN MINNEAPOLIS. MEANWHILE, HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING LIMITED PROTESTS TUESDAY. IN CORALVILLE, CITY OFFICIALS LIFTED A CURFEW IMPOSED ON JUNE 1ST. CORALVILLE LEADERS SAY THAT CURFEW HAD BEEN EFFECTIVE.
THE CITY OF WATERLOO CAME INTO CONFLICT WITH SOME STATE LEADERS REGARDING SO-CALLED “BAN THE BOX” EFFORTS IN 2019. NOW BLACK HAWK COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISOR CHRIS SCHWARTZ WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE SAME TYPE OF COUNTY ORDINANCE. “BAN THE BOX” IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS “FAIR CHANCE” LEGISLATION AND PREVENTS EMPLOYERS FROM ASKING ABOUT A POTENTIAL JOB CANDIDATE’S CRIMINAL HISTORY ON APPLICATIONS. THE ISSUE WAS DISCUSSED DURING TUESDAY’S SUPERVISORS MEETING. EARLIER THIS SPRING, WATERLOO’S FAIR CHANCE RULE SURVIVED AN INITIAL LEGAL CHALLENGE AND IS EXPECTED TO GO INTO EFFECT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WHICH STARTS NEXT MONTH.
THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION’S FIVE-YEAR PLAN WAS APPROVED ON TUESDAY. OVER THAT TIME, STATE ROADS, BRIDGES, AND OTHER TRAVEL INFRASTRUCTURE ARE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE 3.6 BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF ATTENTION. HOWEVER, SOME FUNDING SOURCES WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN RELATED TO COVID-19. THE IOWA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION GAVE DOT AUTHORITY TO BORROW 40 MILLION DOLLARS TO COVER SHORT-TERM NEEDS.
