A MOTORCYCLIST WAS CRITICALLY INJURED IN A CRASH LAST NIGHT. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED IN WATERLOO NEAR THE 18TH STREET BRIDGE AROUND 8:30. POLICE SAY THE MOTORCYCLE HIT THE BACK END OF A TRUCK WHICH HAD STOPPED FOR A ROAD HAZARD NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF 18TH AND COMMERCIAL. THE MOTORCYCLIST’S INJURIES LEFT HIM UNCONSCIOUS AT THE SCENE BEFORE HE WAS TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL.
HEALTH OFFICIALS AREN’T CERTAIN ABOUT THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON THOSE INFECTED BY THE VIRUS. THE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC ARE ALSO UNCLEAR WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL ILLNESS WITHIN THE WIDER COMMUNITY. TOM EACHUS IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BLACK HAWK GRUNDY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER. HEAR MORE FROM EACHUS AT KXEL.COM.
WHEN IT COMES TO UNPREDICTABILITY ABOUT FAR-REACHING IMPACTS OF THE CORONAVIRUS, QUESTIONS LOOM ABOUT HOW IT WILL AFFECT THE STATE BUDGET. FORMER CEDAR VALLEY LEGISLATOR WALT ROGERS IS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TAX EDUCATION FOUNDATION IOWA. ROGERS SAYS HIS GROUP ADVOCATES STATUS QUO OR SHRINKING GOVERNMENT SPENDING UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
THE HAWKEYES, THE CORNHUSKERS, AND THE BUCKEYES WANTED TO PLAY THIS FALL. A NEW COURT FILING SHOWS THAT BIG TEN PRESIDENTS VOTED 11-3 TO POSTPONE THE FOOTBALL SEASON UNTIL SPRING, A MOVE WHICH WAS ANNOUNCED LAST MONTH DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. A GROUP OF NEBRASKA ATHLETES IS SUING THE CONFERENCE OVER THE CHANGE. THE BIG TEN’S FILING DID NOT DIRECTLY IDENTIFY HOW EACH SCHOOL VOTED, BUT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS IOWA, NEBRASKA AND OHIO STATE VOTED AGAINST POSTPONING THE FALL FOOTBALL SEASON.
THE BLACK HAWK COUNTY AUDITOR’S OFFICE IS GETTING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST FORMS ARE VALID. COURTS IN LINN AND WOODBURY COUNTIES HAVE THROWN OUT THOUSANDS OF ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUESTS WHERE VOTING OFFICIALS PRE-ENTERED PERSONAL INFORMATION ON DOCUMENTS. IN A STATEMENT, BLACK HAWK COUNTY AUDITOR GRANT VEEDER REMINDED VOTERS THAT HIS OFFICE SENT OUT BLANK FORMS. HE ALSO SAYS FORMS SENT BY POLITICAL PARTIES OR OTHER GROUPS WITH BASIC INFORMATION LIKE NAME AND ADDRESS ARE OK.
UNTREATED MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS CAN PREVENT PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES FROM ACHIEVING THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. BLACK HAWK GRUNDY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TOM EACHUS PUT A NUMBER ON THE PROBLEM. DURING A RECENT EDITION OF KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, EACHUS SUGGESTED THAT MANAGERS CAN START BY SIMPLY ASKING EMPLOYEES IF SOMETHING IS WRONG IF SOMETHING SEEMS AMISS.
LAST WEEK WAS THE DRIEST WEEK OF THE SUMMER. ACCORDING TO MONDAY’S USDA CROP REPORT, THAT HELPED PUT 81 PERCENT OF IOWA TOP SOIL INTO THE SHORT OR VERY SHORT MOISTURE CATEGORY. THREE QUARTERS OF SUBSOIL IN THE STATE HAS A SIMILAR RATING AMID A SPREADING DROUGHT. BUT FOR THE MOMENT, CORN DEVELOPMENT REMAINS A WEEK AHEAD OF AVERAGE, WHILE SOYBEANS ARE FOUR DAYS BETTER THAN WHAT’S TYPICAL.
A HALLOWEEN DECORATION WITH THREATENING MESSAGES WAS FOUND IN CEDAR FALLS MONDAY. THE PLASTIC SKULL APPEARED ON THE PROPERTY OF STEPHEN AND ANITA KEVE. IT INCLUDED ANTI-TRUMP SLOGANS. THE KEVE’S ARE TRUMP SUPPORTERS AND STEPHEN KEVE IS A BLACK HAWK COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY OFFICIAL. CEDAR FALLS POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING.
THE TAX EDUCATION FOUNDATION IOWA (OR T-E-F IOWA) HAS DRAWN SOME CONCLUSIONS ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS IN THE WAKE OF THE CORONAVIRUS. WALT ROGERS IS THE GROUP’S DEPUTY DIRECTOR. ROGERS ESTIMATED THAT THE STATE OF IOWA COULD LOSE 770 MILLION DOLLARS IN REVENUE AS A RESULT OF ECONOMIC CHANGES AND DISRUPTIONS CAUSED BY COVID-19. ROGERS IS A FORMER STATE LEGISLATOR AND WAS A RECENT GUEST ON KXEL.
