Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds addressed the Republican National Convention last night in a brief speech that focused on how Iowans have faced adversity from last year’s floods and this year’s derecho, and how President Donald Trump and his administration have helped. Reynolds highlighted how Iowans show up to help each other and how the President has stepped in to help with federal funding when the state needed it. She called her speech “a shout-out to Iowans and their tenacity and resiliency in the face of adversity”. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa will speak at the RNC tonight.
Conventions have evolved over the past few decades, and this year’s is indeed unique due to COVID-19. University of Northern Iowa political science professor Christopher Larimer told KXEL’s Tim Harwood the impact of the conventions may be limited. You can hear the full conversation by going to the podcast section of kxel-dot-com.
Waterloo school superintendent Dr. Jane Lindaman will have an additional $5,700 in her paycheck over the next year, following action by the Board of Education Monday. The board approved a new three-year contract and a 2.52% increase on her annual salary in a 6-0 vote with one abstention. Unlike past years, the raise is not based on performance initiatives. Board members said they had to suspend that approach this year because of incomplete measurements related to COVID-19.
A La Porte City man has been arrested, accused of stabbing his mother last week. 25-year-old Dillon Talaska was charged Monday with willful injury causing serious injury and domestic assault. Court records indicate La Porte City police were sent to a home around 5 a.m. on August 20th following a report of a man who was acting violent. Officers say when they arrived, Talaska threw a machete toward them and his mother. Police grabbed the weapon and attempted to lead the mother out of the house, but she turned back to talk to her son and was stabbed. Talaska then barricaded himself in his room until deputies on the sheriff’s office tactical team detained him about three hours after the incident began. He was taken to a Waterloo hospital for evaluation. The mother was treated for stab wounds to her collar bone area and upper back and required about 40 stitches.
A north-central Iowa man has been sentenced to federal prison for filing false tax returns. 52-year-old David Miller of Gilmore City was sentenced this week to one year and a day in prison. Prosecutors say Miller ran a tax return preparing business. During his plea hearing in February, Miller admitted preparing fraudulent returns for clients and for himself over several years. Prosecutors say that as part of his plea, Miller agreed to pay $125-thousand in restitution to victims and the IRS.
Linn County Emergency Management will be closing the donation warehouse located at 4200 C Street SW in Cedar Rapids at 3 o’clock this afternoon. Material donations will not be accepted after that time, and all remaining inventory will be distributed to local non-profits.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is allocating $100 million in federal funds to help livestock producers, the biofuels industry, beginning farmers and small-scale meat processors recover from the coronavirus pandemic. As many Iowa farmers deal with the impact of this month’s derecho, and continue to suffer from lower demand for corn and soybeans and extremely low prices, Reynolds says she will use money from the federal CARES Act to programs to help agriculture related businesses and farmers. Included is $60 million to provide grants to eligible producers of pork, beef, chicken, turkeys, dairy, fish or sheep to serve as working capital to stabilize the livestock industry.
