INCREASED SALES AND AN EXPANDING ECONOMY ARE THE EXPECTATION FOR THE STATE’S LARGEST COMPANIES. THE LATEST QUARTERLY SURVEY RESULTS FROM THE IOWA ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY SHOW MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS OF RESPONDENTS SAY THEY ARE PLANNING FOR SALES GROWTH. ONE FACTOR THAT COULD LIMIT THAT OPTIMISM INVOLVES CHALLENGES TO SUPPLY CHAINS. ABI PRESIDENT MIKE RALSTON TALKED ABOUT THAT RECENTLY ON KXEL. ANOTHER CONTINUING CHALLENGE WHICH ABI HAS NOTED FROM MANY PREVIOUS SURVEYS IS A SHORTAGE OF WORKERS. HEAR MORE FROM RALSTON DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST.
MARION POLICE QUICKLY HANDLED A BURGLARY CALL AT A CONVENIENCE STORE EARLY THIS MORNING. SHORTLY AFTER 1 O’CLOCK, THE BREAK-IN WAS REPORTED AT THE CORNER MART IN THE 900 BLOCK OF 8TH AVENUE. OFFICERS FOUND THE ENTRYWAY SMASHED OPEN AND A TRAIL OF STOLEN GOODS OUTSIDE. AN ARREST WAS MADE NEAR THE SCENE, ALTHOUGH MARION POLICE DID NOT RELEASE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR SUSPECT.
IN BASEBALL, THE CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS AND THE WATERLOO BUCKS BOTH OPEN NEW SERIES TONIGHT. THE 28-26 KERNELS ARE AT VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM FOR THE FIRST OF SIX GAMES VERSUS THE PEORIA CHIEFS. FIRST PITCH IS PLANNED FOR 6:35. THE BUCKS GET STARTED AT THE SAME TIME ON THE ROAD VERSUS THE MANKATO MOONDOGS. IT’S THE FIRST GAME DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE NORTHWOODS LEAGUE SEASON.
AUTHORITIES ARE LOOKING FOR CEMETERY VANDALS WHO CAUSED DAMAGE IN A RURAL CHURCHYARD OVER THE WEEKEND. THE FREDSVILLE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IS LOCATED BETWEEN CEDAR FALLS AND DIKE. ACCORDING TO A POST OF THE CHURCH’S FACEBOOK PAGE, MORE THAN 30 HEADSTONES WERE BROKEN THERE OVER THE WEEKEND. THE VANDALISM WAS DISCOVERED ON MONDAY MORNING. SOME OF THE BROKEN MONUMENTS WERE WELL OVER 100 YEARS OLD, AND REPAIRS WILL COST TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, ACCORDING TO THE CHURCH’S FIRST ESTIMATES.
SEVERAL PETS WERE IN A WATERLOO HOME WHICH CAUGHT FIRE MONDAY AFTERNOON. FIRST RESPONDERS WERE ABLE TO RESCUE AND RESUSCITATE AN 8-YEAR-OLD HUSKY. THE DOG WAS INITIALLY UNRESPONSIVE BUT WAS GIVEN OXYGEN BY RESCUE CREWS. THE HOUSE IN THE 1400 BLOCK OF LIBERTY AVENUE WAS ALSO HOME TO A NUMBER OF CATS, AT LEAST TWO OF WHICH DIED IN THE FIRE. THE HOME OWNER WAS AT WORK AT THE TIME THE FIRE WAS REPORTED. INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT CAUSED THE INCIDENT WASN’T IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE.
SUPPLY CHAIN SNAGS COULD DAMPEN AN OTHERWISE POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR MANY IOWA COMPANIES. IOWA ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY PRESIDENT MIKE RALSTON SAYS SOME MANUFACTURERS ARE RESPONDING WITH MEASURES TO MAKE THEMSELVES MORE SELF-SUFFICIENT. THE LATEST SURVEY FROM IOWA ABI INDICATES 75 PERCENT OF RESPONDING BUSINESSES EXPECT TO MAKE NEW CAPITAL EXPENDITURES DURING THE NEXT THREE MONTHS. NEARLY AS MANY COMPANIES SAY THE EXPECT TO HIRE NEW EMPLOYEES.
A FORMER WATERLOO EAST AND UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA WRESTLING STAR IS BEING MOURNED AFTER PASSING AWAY OVER THE WEEKEND. BILL DOTSON WAS THE DIVISION I NATIONAL RUNNER-UP IN 1962 BEFORE WINNING THE TITLE AT 137 POUNDS IN 1963. HE WAS HONORED WITH A PLACE IN UNI’S ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME IN 1987. THE FORMER WATERLOO EAST PREP STAR RETURNED TO COACH THE TROJANS, AS WELL AS HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS IN CHARLES CITY, DUBUQUE, AND CEDAR FALLS. DOTSON DIED SATURDAY AT AGE 81 WHILE LIVING IN RETIREMENT IN NEW MEXICO.
A VIOLENT ACCIDENT REQUIRED A MEDICAL HELICOPTER AS PART OF THE RESPONSE AND AFFECTED TWO HIGHWAYS IN CEDAR RAPIDS MONDAY AFTERNOON. A VEHICLE TURNED OVER ON THE EXIT RAMP CONNECTING SOUTHBOUND INTERSTATE 380 TO U.S. 30. AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE HAD SERIOUS INJURIES, ACCORDING TO CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED AT AROUND 3:30, WITH EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ON THE SCENE FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS. NAMES OF THE VICTIMS AND ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE.
HOPES THAT 70 PERCENT OF AMERICANS WOULD BE VACCINATED AGAINST THE CORONAVIRUS BY THE 4TH OF JULY WERE NOT REALIZED. NONETHELESS, SECOND DISTRICT IOWA CONGRESSWOMAN MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS TOLD “FOX AND FRIENDS FIRST” THAT IT’S FINE FOR INDIVIDUAL AMERICANS TO REMAIN CAUTIOUS, BUT STATES AND CITIES SHOULD NOT ENFORCE COVID RESTRICTIONS. THE C-D-C REPORTS THAT 67% OF AMERICAN ADULTS HAVE GOTTEN AT LEAST THEIR FIRST DOSE OF CORONAVIRUS VACCINE.
