NEW LEADERSHIP IS COMING SOON AT THE ANAMOSA STATE PENITENTIARY. THE IOWA BOARD OF CORRECTIONS HAS OKAYED KRISTOFER KARBERG AS THE NEW WARDEN FOR THE FACILITY. KARBERG HAS WORKED IN PRISON ADMINISTRATION AROUND THE WORLD; MOST RECENTLY HE WAS DEPUTY WARDEN AT A FACILITY IN SOUTH DAKOTA. THE CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT OF THE ANAMOSA PENITENTIARY COMES LESS THAN THREE MONTHS AFTER A GUARD AND NURSE AT THE PRISON WERE KILLED DURING AN ESCAPE ATTEMPT BY TWO INMATES.
SOPHISTICATED RANSOMWARE HAS NOTABLY SHUTDOWN SEVERAL BUSINESSES THIS SPRING. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 SPOKE WITH DON WATSON OF THE LINN COUNTY RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ABOUT THE THREAT. WATSON TOLD TV-9 THAT PREVENTATIVE MEASURES INCLUDE A VARIETY OF TACTICS, RIGHT UP TO AUTOMATICALLY SHUTTING DOWN COMPUTERS WHEN MALICIOUS CODE IS DETECTED.
LAST WEEK, STATE AUDITOR ROB SAND QUESTIONED WHETHER A COVID-19 PUBLIC SERVICE CAMPAIGN VIOLATED STATE ETHICS RULES. THE MESSAGES FEATURED GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS IN WAYS SAND CLAIMED WERE SELF-SERVING. IOWA REPUBLICAN LEADER JEFF KAUFMANN FIRED BACK ON KXEL. AUDITOR SAND IS WIDELY EXPECTED TO CHALLENGE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL NOMINATION AHEAD OF NEXT YEAR’S ELECTION.
WHATEVER YOUR OPINION OF EARMARK SPENDING, LEGISLATORS IN CONGRESS ARE AGAIN MAKING DIRECT REQUESTS TO BOOST PROJECTS IN THEIR HOME DISTRICTS. FIRST DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN ASHLEY HINSON IS SEEKING MORE THAN 22 MILLION DOLLARS FOR LOCK AND DAM IMPROVEMENTS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. OTHER COMMUNITY FUNDING ON HINSON’S PRIORITY LIST INCLUDE A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE INDEPENDENCE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AND ANOTHER MILLION FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO TOWER TERRACE ROAD IN LINN COUNTY. IN TOTAL, THE FIRST TERM CONGRESSWOMAN IS SEEKING OVER 26 MILLION DOLLARS FOR 10 PROJECTS.
GOOD NEWS DURING ROAD CONSTRUCTION SEASON. A NINE-MILE STRETCH OF U.S. HIGHWAY 30 EAST OF TAMA IS NOW OPEN AS A FOUR-LANE ROUTE. THE EXPANSION STRETCHES TO HIGHWAY 21 NORTH OF BELLE PLAINE. FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS ARE ANTICIPATED ALONG AND NEAR THAT STRETCH OF HIGHWAY 30 AS THE SUMMER CONTINUES.
THE IOWA STATE FAIR IS JUST MORE THAN TWO MONTHS AWAY. THE EVENT WAS CANCELLED IN 2020 DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. FAIR CEO GARY SLATER TALKED TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 AND ENCOURAGED FAIR-GOERS TO BE VACCINATED FOR THE CORONAVIRUS. FAIR OFFICIALS SAY THEY WILL BE IMPLEMENTING CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL SAFETY GUIDELINES RELATED TO THE VIRUS. THE IOWA STATE FAIR BEGINS AUGUST 12TH.
MY WATERLOO DAYS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. WATERLOO’S ANNUAL SUMMER FESTIVAL WILL HIT TOP GEAR THIS WEEKEND WITH FRIDAY’S PARADE AND AN ARRAY OF DOWNTOWN ACTIVITIES ON SATURDAY. HEAR MORE WHEN JESSICA RUCKER OF MAIN STREET WATERLOO IS A GUEST DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL LATER THIS WEEK.
FORMER FIRST DISTRICT IOWA CONGRESSWOMAN ABBY FINKENAUER IS BELIEVED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST NOTABLE DEMOCRATS IN THE FIELD HOPING TO CHALLENGE REPUBLICAN SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY DURING THE 2022 ELECTION. IN LATE MAY, SOURCES REPORTED THAT FINKENAUER WAS POSITIONING HERSELF TO MAKE A BID FOR THE NOMINATION. JEFF KAUFMANN IS CHAIRMAN OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF IOWA; RECENTLY DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, HE SCOFFED AT FINKENAUER’S CHANCES. FINKENAUER WAS DEFEATED BY ASHLEY HINSON DURING THE 2020 FIRST DISTRICT ELECTION. GRASSLEY IS CURRENTLY SERVING HIS SEVENTH SENATE TERM. HEAR MORE FROM KAUFMANN DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST, WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT HEIGHTENED POSTURING BETWEEN AUDITOR ROB SAND AND GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS.
HIGHWAY OFFICIALS ARE WORKING TOWARD BUILDING A NEW NORTHEAST IOWA BRIDGE BETWEEN IOWA AND WISCONSIN. THE STRUCTURE WOULD REPLACE LANSING’S BLACK HAWK BRIDGE WHICH IS THE EASTERN-MOST POINT ON IOWA HIGHWAY NINE. BUILDING A NEW BRIDGE WOULD REQUIRE ALMOST SIX ACRES TO BE CARVED OUT OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. DURING THE LATTER PART OF JUNE, THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS ACCEPTING PUBLIC COMMENTS RELATED TO THE LANSING PROJECT.
WATERLOO NATIVE CAL PETERSEN WAS NAMED THE TOP GOALTENDER DURING THE INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, WHICH WRAPPED UP OVER THE WEEKEND. PETERSEN WON FIVE GAMES FOR THE UNITED STATES AND STOPPED OVER 95 PERCENT OF THE SHOTS HE FACED. THE U.S. TEAM WON BRONZE DURING THE 16-TEAR EVENT.
