Election Day is one week away, and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst told the Fox News Channel yesterday that the choice in her race for re-election is clear. Listen for my one-on-one interview with GOP candidate Joni Ernst tomorrow in the 10 o’clock hour of KXEL Live & Local.
The City of Waterloo Community Development Office has issued the first round of grants in more than a half million dollars of CARES Act funding, for non-profit groups that show they will prevent, prepare for, or respond to the coronavirus. They include $50,000 each to Family Management Financial Solutions for mortgage assistance, Eastside Ministerial Alliance and the Jesse Cosby Neighborhood Center for rental assistance, Operation Threshold for utility assistance, and the Northeast Iowa Food Bank for purchase of food. In addition, Grin and Grow Child Care received $42,000 for daycare services, and $40,000 to Iowa Legal Aid for legal services…again, to support those who were left without income due to the economic shutdown due to the pandemic. Nearly half the funding remains to be distributed, and the city is still evaluating applications.
Iowa City Police investigating a report of shots fired yesterday afternoon near Westwinds Dr. and Robert Rd. Witnesses said they heard multiple shots being fired just before 3 p.m. Officers were able to find shell casings from two different handguns. No injuries were reported but an uninvolved occupied car was hit by gunfire. Two vehicles were reported near the scene and witnesses said at least three men were in the area.
The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office is implementing a variety of safety protocols after multiple jail inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. Sheriff Tony Thompson says four inmates have tested positive for the virus—one inmate was in the general population and the other three were recent arrivals at the jail and were going through the standard 14 days of isolation for incoming inmates. Test results came back last week and all four inmates remain in the jail. The general population inmate who tested positive has been placed in isolation and officials are awaiting a follow-up test to confirm the results. Visitations were suspended at the jail following the positive results, but are expected to resume today. Jail staff have implemented rolling lockdowns to keep half of the inmates within a pod at a given time to cut down on contact and allow more time for cleaning. Half of the inmates are given access outside of their cells while the other half remain in their cells. The facility is then cleaned and then the inmates switch. Masks are mandatory for staff and inmates are required to wear masks when they’re outside of their cells.
