DAVID HARRIS ACHIEVED QUITE A BIT PROFESSIONALLY AND ACADEMICALLY ON HIS WAY TO BECOMING UNI ATHLETIC DIRECTOR. HE SAYS THAT: WHILE THOSE THINGS WERE HAPPENING, HE HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH THE CHALLENGES OF BEING A BLACK AMERICAN SINCE HE WAS 8-YEARS-OLD. HARRIS SPOKE YESTERDAY ABOUT CHANGING RACIAL ATTITUDES IN THIS COUNTRY. ON WEDNESDAY, HARRIS PARTICIPATED IN A MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL CONFERENCE RACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ONLINE FORUM.
REPUBLICANS WILL CHALLENGE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL INCUMBENTS IN THREE OF IOWA’S FOUR U.S. HOUSE DISTRICTS THIS NOVEMBER. EACH OF THOSE CHALLENGERS HAD TO WIN A CONTESTED PRIMARY RACE EARLIER THIS MONTH, AND 4TH DISTRICT CANDIDATE RANDY FEENSTRA DISPLACED REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN STEVE KING FOR HIS SPOT ON THE TICKET. DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, REPUBLICAN PARTY OF IOWA CHAIRMAN JEFF KAUFMANN SPOKE ABOUT ALL OF THE INTRA-PARTY COMPETITION. HEAR MORE FROM KAUFMANN IN THE PODCAST SECTION AT KXEL.COM.
ROAD MAPS AT IOWA REST STOPS AND WELCOME CENTERS WILL BE THERE NEXT YEAR, BUT PERHAPS NOT FOR MUCH LONGER AFTER THAT. THE PAPER MAPS AVAILABLE TO TRAVELERS COST THE STATE OVER 240 THOUSAND DOLLARS ANNUALLY. AT LEAST ONE LEGISLATOR QUESTIONED THAT EXPENSE DURING A HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARING YESTERDAY.
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC WILL STRETCH THE STATE OF IOWA FINANCIALLY. LEGISLATORS BACK IN DES MOINES SINCE LAST WEEK HAVE BEEN WORKING OUT HOW TO FIT THE PIECES TOGETHER TO COVER ADDED EXPENSES WITH DIMINISHED STATE INCOME IN FISCAL YEAR 2021. YESTERDAY, IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS SAID, THE STATE’S POSITION ISN’T AS PRECARIOUS AS IT COULD BE. IOWA’S CURRENT FISCAL YEAR ENDS THIS MONTH. LEGISLATORS ARE HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE ANNUAL BUDGET IN LESS THAN THREE WEEKS.
LINN COUNTY HAS A TARGET DATE TO REOPEN MANY COUNTY BUILDINGS, WITH THE RATE COVID-19 CASES NOW SLOWING: JULY 20TH. EVEN AT THAT TIME, OFFICIALS SAY CONDUCTING BUSINESS AT COUNTY OFFICES IS LIKELY TO BE DIFFERENT. EXPECT TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT BEFORE GOING TO LINN COUNTY FACILITIES, AND MANY DEPARTMENTS CAN RESPOND TO REQUESTS OR OFFER THEIR SERVICES THROUGH LINN COUNTY .ORG. THE LINN COUNTY COURTHOUSE AND A FEW OTHER BUILDINGS HAVE REMAINED OPEN, WHILE OTHER OFFICES HAVE HAD EMPLOYEES WORKING FROM HOME…OR ON-SITE WITHOUT PUBLIC ACCESS.
A DEMONSTRATION IS EXPECTED IN CEDAR RAPIDS SATURDAY AT 5 P.M., RELATED TO ONGOING SOCIAL JUSTICE CONCERNS BROUGHT TO THE FOREFRONT BY THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD IN MINNEAPOLIS. THE PROTEST WILL BE HELD AT BEVER PARK. LEADERS OF THE GROUP ORGANIZING THE EFFORT SAY THEY WANT SEVERAL CHANGES TO CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE POLICY AND TO HAVE CITY MONEY DIRECTED TOWARD DIVERSITY POLICIES.
SOME NEW AND SOME FAMILIAR NAMES WILL BE ON THE REPUBLICAN TICKET IN NOVEMBER. IOWA G-O-P CHAIRMAN JEFF KAUFMANN TALKED ABOUT THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO WILL BE CAMPAIGNING BETWEEN NOW AND THEN ON KXEL LIVE & LOCAL YESTERDAY; PODCAST IS AT KXEL-DOT-COM. AT THE STATE LEVEL, REPUBLICANS ALREADY HAVE A MAJORITY IN THE IOWA HOUSE AND SENATE.
VOTERS WHO DON’T WANT TO VISIT A POLLING LOCATION IN PERSON FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION SHOULDN’T EXPECT AN ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST FORM TO AUTOMATICALLY APPEAR IN THEIR MAILBOX. AHEAD OF THIS MONTH’S PRIMARY, SECRETARY OF STATE PAUL PATE SENT SUCH APPLICATIONS TO ALL REGISTERED VOTERS. HOWEVER, ON WEDNESDAY, THE IOWA SENATE VOTED TO PREVENT PATE’S OFFICE FROM TAKING THE SAME STEP FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION. THE HOUSE HAD ALREADY PASSED ITS VERSION OF THE BILL WHICH WILL NOW BE SENT TO GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS.
THE IOWA AARP IS NOT HAPPY WITH LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS TO PROVIDE CORONAVIRUS LIABILITY PROTECTIONS TO NURSING HOMES AND MANY OTHER TYPES OF BUSINESSES. THE ORGANIZATION SENT AN OPEN LETTER TO STATE SENATORS THIS WEEK SAYING A BILL BEING CONSIDERED AT THE CAPITOL COULD STRIP AWAY THE RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE CITIZENS. MORE THAN HALF OF IOWA’S FATAL COVID-19 CASES HAVE BEEN TIED TO ASSISTED LIVING OR LONG-TERM CARE CENTERS.
KIRKWOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN CEDAR RAPIDS ANNOUNCED IT’S PLAN FOR IN-PERSON CLASSES DURING THE FALL TERM. ON WEDNESDAY, THE SCHOOL SAID ONLINE AND HYBRID OPTIONS WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE, ALONG WITH SMALLER IN-PERSON COURSE SECTIONS. ALL SUMMER CLASSES AT KIRKWOOD ARE BEING CONDUCTED ONLINE-ONLY.
