SINCE SEVERE STORMS PASSED THROUGH EASTERN IOWA ON TUESDAY, PROPERTY OWNERS HAVE BEEN ASSESSING THE DAMAGE. FARMERS ALREADY BATTLING A DIFFICULT WEATHER YEAR FACED ANOTHER SETBACK IF THEY WERE IN THE PATH OF THIS WEEK’S STORM. MARK MUELLER IS A BOARD MEMBER FOR THE IOWA CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION AND FARMS NEAR WAVERLY. SURROUNDED BY BENT CORN STALKS, MUELLER SPOKE TO OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 OFFERING A MIX OF DISAPPOINTMENT TEMPERED BY STOICISM. ON THURSDAY, BREMER AND FAYETTE COUNTIES WERE FORMALLY DECLARED DISASTER AREAS BY IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS.
U.S. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS OF VERMONT WILL BE IN CEDAR RAPIDS ON SUNDAY. THE FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND ADVOCATE FOR BIGGER GOVERNMENT WILL TRY TO CONNECT WITH WHITE WORKING CLASS VOTERS DURING A PAIR OF TOWN HALL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND. TODAY, SANDERS IS IN WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA. BOTH THERE AND IN IOWA’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, DEMOCRATS LOST GROUND TO REPUBLICANS DURING THE 2020 FEDERAL ELECTION CYCLE. SANDERS’ VISIT IS INTENDED TO PROMOTE A 3.5 TRILLION DOLLAR BUDGET PACKAGE CURRENTLY BEING CONSIDERED IN CONGRESS.
FOOD TRUCKS WILL CONVERGE ON WATERLOO ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW. MAIN STREET WATERLOO ANNOUNCED ITS INAUGURAL FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL YESTERDAY. APPROXIMATELY 15 VENDORS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ON HAND NEXT SATURDAY AT THE RIVERLOOP EXPO PLAZA ON JEFFERSON STREET. THEY WILL OFFER BOTH FULL-SIZED AND SAMPLE-SIZED MENU OPTIONS. ADMISSION FOR THE EVENT IS $5.
MARION POLICE ARE SEEKING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEATH OF AN INFANT ON THURSDAY. FIRST RESPONDERS WERE CALLED TO THE AZURE APARTMENTS ON 10TH STREET AND BOYSON ROAD YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. THEY FOUND THE CHILD UNRESPONSIVE AND RESUSCITATION ATTEMPTS WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL. THE INFANT WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE. AN AUTOPSY WILL BE PERFORMED. OFFICIALS SAY THEY WILL NOT OFFER ANY ADDITIONAL DETAILS AT THIS TIME.
REPUBLICAN U.S. SENATOR JONI ERNST CRITICIZED THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IN THE WAKE OF THURSDAY’S FATAL BOMBING AT THE AIRPORT IN KABUL. DURING AN APPEARANCE ON FOX NEWS, ERNST CALLED FOR CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OF THE AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL. THURSDAY’S ATTACK BY MILITANTS KILLED MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 13 MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY SERVING IN EITHER THE MARINE CORPS OR NAVY. PRESIDENT BIDEN PROMISED TO PUNISH THOSE RESPONSIBLE, AND SAID THE WITHDRAWAL EFFORT WOULD CONTINUE.
THE BLACK HAWK COUNTY COURT HOUSE HAS A NEW JUDGE. FORMER ASSISTANT COUNTY ATTORNEY MICHELLE WAGNER HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR THE POSITION. WAGNER REPLACES JEFFREY HARRIS, WHO HAD SERVED IN THE ROLE FOR 24 YEARS BEFORE HE PASSED AWAY OF NATURAL CAUSES IN HIS CHAMBERS EARLIER THIS YEAR. WAGNER BEGAN HER CAREER AS A PROSECUTOR IN BLACK HAWK COUNY IN 2006. SHE WILL HEAR HER FIRST CASES BEGINNING NEXT MONTH.
FLAGS IN IOWA WILL BE LOWERED TO HALF STAFF THROUGH MONDAY. IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS ORDERED THE CHANGE TO COMMEMORATE THE LIVES OF THE AMERICAN PERSONNEL KILLED IN A BOMB BLAST OUTSIDE THE KABUL AIRPORT ON THURSDAY. A GROUP OF 13 MARINES AND SAILORS DIED WHEN A PAIR OF SUICIDE ATTACKS HAPPENED NEAR ONE OF THE AIRPORT GATES. IN A STATEMENT, REYNOLDS NOTED HER PRAYERS FOR FAMILIES OF THOSE KILLED, AS WELL AS PEOPLE WHO WERE INJURED. SHE ALSO THANKED THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO SERVE IN THE REGION.
STATE SENATOR ZACH NUNN OF BONDURANT IS PART OF AN EFFORT TO BRING AMERICANS HOME AND HELP ALLIES ESCAPE FROM MILITANTS SWEEPING AFGHANISTAN. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 REPORTED ON NUNN’S FUNDRAISING AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFORTS, WHICH HE DESCRIBED. NUNN PREVIOUSLY SERVED IN THE AIR FORCE. HE IS WORKING ON THE RESCUE EFFORT FROM IOWA IN COORDINATION WITH OTHER FORMER SERVICE PERSONNEL AND EXPERTS WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE REGION.
THE UNI PANTHER VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE BEGINS TODAY. THE PANTHERS ARE PARTICIPATING AT A TOURNAMENT IN GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, WITH A MATCH AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA STATE THIS AFTERNOON. NEWS/TALK 1540 KXEL’S FIRST BROADCASTS OF PANTHER VOLLEYBALL THIS FALL WILL BE TOMORROW. COVERAGE OF UNI AGAINST BALL STATE BEGINS AT 10:45 SATURDAY MORNING, WITH A SECOND MATCH AGAINST GREEN BAY STARTING AT 6:15 TOMORROW EVENING.
