FLOODING BECAME A CONCERN IN PARTS OF NORTHERN IOWA AFTER OVERNIGHT STORMS DUMPED HEAVY RAIN. SOME PARTS OF FLOYD AND CHICKASAW COUNTIES SAW AS MUCH AS EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN. FOR A TIME, A FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAD BEEN IN EFFECT FOR CHARLES CITY, NEW HAMPTON, AND SEVERAL OTHER COMMUNITIES. THAT WARNING EXPIRED AROUND 6 O’CLOCK THIS MORNING. THE WEATHER CONCERN FOR TODAY IS HEAT. MUCH OF SOUTHERN IOWA IS UNDER A HEAT ADVISORY, PARTICULARLY AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF IOWA HIGHWAY 92. THAT’S WHERE HEAT INDEX FIGURES ARE EXPECTED TO CLIMB INTO THE TRIPLE-DIGITS.
GUNSHOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT ON SUNDAY MORNING SENT WATERLOO POLICE TO LOCATIONS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CEDAR RIVER. ONE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED ON HIGH STREET NEAR THE WATERLOO EAST HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS. MINUTES LATER, OFFICERS WERE DISPATCHED TO THE 300 BLOCK OF JEFFERSON STREET NEAR THE CEDAR VALLEY SPORTSPLEX. POLICE COLLECTED EVIDENCE FROM THE SHOOTING SCENES BUT DID NOT FIND SIGNS OF PROPERTY DAMAGE. NO ONE WAS HIT BY THE GUNFIRE.
AS STATE OFFICIALS AND LOCAL SCHOOL LEADERS CLASH OVER FACE COVERING POLICY, THE DECISION WHETHER TO WEAR MASKS MIGHT ULTIMATELY END UP IN UNLIKELY HANDS. TRACY DONELS TALKED TO OUR TV-9 COVERAGE PARTNERS. DONELS IS THE PARENT OF A FIRST-GRADER AT HIAWATHA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE STILL FINALIZING THE DETAILS OF THEIR COVID-19 SAFETY PLANS.
WEEKEND STORMS PRODUCED A TORNADO IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA AND ANOTHER IN SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. JUST BEFORE 11:30 LAST NIGHT, A TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND IN A RURAL AREA OF WEBSTER COUNTY. MEANWHILE, RESIDENTS OF GRANT COUNTY, WISCONSIN, HAD SEEN DAMAGE TO HOMES AND FARM OUTBUILDINGS SATURDAY. SIX HOMES WERE DESTROYED AND FIVE OTHERS HAD MAJOR DAMAGE. LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SAY NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. THE STRENGTH OF THE SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN TORNADO WAS ESTIMATED AT EF-3.
ONE OF 15 IOWA SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS IS LOCATED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA. LISA SHIMKAT DIRECTS THE EFFORTS OF THE STATE’S S-B-D-C’S, WHICH HELP COACH ENTREPRENEURS GET THEIR COMPANIES UP AND RUNNING. THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, SHIMKAT SAID FINANCIAL ANALYSIS IS A STARTING POINT, BUT OTHER EXPERTISE CAN ALSO HELP BUSINESS OWNERS. MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER’S FREE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE AT IOWA S B D C.ORG.
SEVERAL PARENTS ARE PLANNING A PROTEST AT THE STATE CAPITOL WEDNESDAY MORNING. STARTING WEDNESDAY AT 10 A.M., THE MOTHERS OF AT LEAST FIVE CHILDREN WILL HOLD A SIT-IN. THE SAFE AT SCHOOL SIT-IN IS AN EXPRESSION OF DISAPPROVAL FOR STATE RULES THAT PREVENT LOCAL DISTRICTS FROM SETTING THEIR OWN MASK AND SOCIAL DISTANCING POLICY. ORGANIZERS NOTED THEIR CONCERN ABOUT A LACK OF MASKING WHILE COVID-19 VACCINES HAVE NOT YET BEEN APPROVED FOR CHILDREN UNDER 12.
WORK ON BACK-TO-SCHOOL CORONAVIRUS SAFETY AND READINESS PLANS CONTINUES AHEAD OF THE RETURN TO CLASS IN K-THROUGH-12 DISTRICTS LATER THIS MONTH. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED TO PARENT TRACY DONELS, WHO WILL SEND HER DAUGHTER TO HIAWATHA ELEMENTARY THIS FALL. DONELS IS EAGERLY AWAITING DETAILS FROM THE DISTRICT. THE CEDAR RAPIDS SCHOOL BOARD WILL REVIEW A DRAFT OF THE DISTRICT’S COVID-19 MITIGATION PLAN THIS EVENING.
ONE NORTHEAST IOWA SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL CONTINUE A LONG-RUNNING VIRTUAL EDUCATION EFFORT TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY. THE CLAYTON RIDGE DISTRICT HOSTS THE IOWA VIRTUAL ACADEMY, WHICH IS OPEN TO STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE, TUITION-FREE. VIRTUAL ACADEMY LEADERS NOTE THAT THE PAST SCHOOL YEAR GOT SOME FAMILIES THINKING ABOUT MAKING A PERMANENT SWITCH TO FULLTIME ONLINE SCHOOL. THE IOWA VIRTUAL ACADEMY SAYS IT IS STILL ACCEPTING ENROLLMENTS FOR THE COMING ACADEMIC YEAR.
THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, IOWA STATE DIRECTOR OF THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER LISA SHIMKAT TALKED ABOUT HER ORGANIZATION’S MISSION. ALL OF THE SBDC’S SERVICES ARE FREE. FIND THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH SHIMKAT ANYTIME AT KXEL.COM.
