Iowa will soon get a supply of COVID-19 vaccines…a two inoculation protocol, and one which Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds told KXEL’s Jeff Stein Friday would not be adversely impacted by a possible change in presidential administrations. You can hear the full interview with Gov. Reynolds during the 9 o’clock hour of KXEL Live & Local today, where we also discuss a presidential order issued last Thursday night, that will reimburse Iowa for Iowa National Guard costs incurred during last August’s derecho, as well as costs tied to the pandemic, including vaccine distribution into next year.
Also Friday, the governor announced that a total of nearly $9 million in assistance is available to help low-income Iowans who are at imminent risk of eviction, those who have lost housing so they can quickly regain housing stability, and for homeless shelter operations. The funds come through a supplemental appropriation to the Emergency Solutions Grant program, through the federal CARES Act. Thirty-five agencies were awarded the money, which is administered by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department and the Iowa Finance Authority.
U.S. Senator Charles Grassley of New Hartford was one of at least seven U.S. senators who have tested positive for the coronavirus. He said he had no symptoms and returned to the capitol last Monday, noting that his holiday plans have been impacted due to the virus; namely, not having a meal with family members, but offering thanks for frontline workers. The government runs out of money and will have to shutdown until something is done by this Friday…and it may now be tied to COVID relief. Grassley talked with Neil Cavuto on Fox News about the possibility that a covid-relief package could be passed soon, saying something has to be done. KXEL News will be talking one-on-one with Senator Grassley this afternoon…it’s our regular monthly conversation, which you can hear in the 10 o’clock hour of KXEL Live & Local tomorrow.
The Waterloo Black Hawks dropped a pair of games over the weekend…falling in the home opener to Sioux Falls 1-0 on Friday, then losing on the road at Dubuque Saturday by a score of 5-3. Waterloo returns home to face Green Bay Friday night.
Rather than exhausting all avenues for appeal according to Iowa law, Democrat candidate Rita Hart is taking her case to a U.S. House committee in hopes that they will overturn the certified results in Iowa’s 2nd congressional district and name her the representative as opposed to Republican Marianette Miller-Meeks, who won the election by six votes out of nearly 394-thousand cast. During an interview on KXEL Live & Local last Thursday, KXEL News raised the issue with Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, whose office is responsible for running elections in Iowa. He said it was wrong for the Hart campaign to skip the legal step, and having a political body in Washington decide an Iowa election, instead of a designated judicial panel in Iowa. You can hear the full interview by going to the podcast page of kxel-dot-com.
