IOWA HOUSE DISTRICT 60 COVERS SOUTHWESTERN BLACK HAWK COUNTY AND HAS BEEN REPRESENTED BY DEMOCRAT DAVE WILLIAMS SINCE HE WAS ELECTED IN 2018. RYAN HOWARD IS ONE OF THE REPUBLICANS WHO WOULD LIKE TO CHALLENGE WILLIAMS LATER THIS YEAR. HOWARD RECENTLY SPOKE ABOUT WHAT HE SEES AS THE CORE ISSUES. HOWARD WAS A GUEST WEDNESDAY DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL; HEAR MORE AT KXEL.COM.
ANOTHER LARGE AGRICULTURAL PLANT IN EASTERN IOWA HAS HAD TO MAKE CHANGES DUE TO EMPLOYEES TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19. FOUR POSITIVE TESTS AT THE ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND CORN PROCESSING FACILITY IN CLINTON HAVE LED OTHER WORKERS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SELFQUARANTINE AT HOME. EARLIER THIS WEEK A TYSON PORK FACILITY IN COLUMBUS JUNCTION WAS CLOSED FOR THE WEEK DUE TO CORONAVIRUS CASES.
IN WATERLOO, THERE WILL BE NO CURBSIDE MEAL PICKUP FOR LOCAL STUDENTS THIS FRIDAY. INSTEAD, SCHOOL MEAL PICKUP AND DROP-OFF BY WATERLOO COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT TODAY WILL INCLUDE FOOD FOR AN EXTRA DAY. STARTING NEXT WEEK, WATERLOO MEAL PICKUPS WILL SHIFT TO MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY INSTEAD OF DAILY.
EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS TODAY. ALMOST ALL OF IOWA IS UNDER A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 P-M THIS EVENING. WINDS OUT OF THE NORTHWEST COULD GUST AS HIGH AS 55 MILES PER HOUR AT TIMES. THE WEATHER SERVICE ADVISES SECURING OUTDOOR ITEMS AS WELL AS TAKING EXTRA CAUTION WHILE DRIVING… PARTICULARLY HIGHPROFILE VEHICLES.
THE STATE OF IOWA RECEIVED OVER 14 THOUSAND APPLICATIONS FOR ITS SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF PROGRAM. IOWA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY DIRECTOR DEBBIE DURHAM SAYS THE FIRST GRANTS HAVE BEEN APPROVED FROM THOSE APPLICATIONS [AUDIO :08]. DURHAM SAYS THE GOOD NEWS FOR QUALIFYING BUSINESSES IS BEING DELIVERED ELECTRONICALLY [AUDIO :17]. DURHAM SAYS BUSINESSES WHICH DO NOT RECEIVE A GRANT FROM THIS ROUND OF FUNDING WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE GRANTS BUT DO NOT NEED TO FILE ANOTHER APPLICATION.
GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS HAS DECLARED TODAY A STATEWIDE “DAY OF PRAYER.” UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES, THE STATE’S ANNUAL PRAYER BREAKFAST WOULD HAVE BEEN HELD IN DES MOINES THIS MORNING. INSTEAD, THE EVENT WAS HELD ONLINE. GOVERNOR REYNOLDS’ PROCLAMATION NOTED THE BIBLICAL PASSAGE “BE PATIENT IN TROUBLE, AND KEEP ON PRAYING.” THE ANNUAL IOWA PRAYER BREAKFAST IS IN ITS 59TH YEAR.
HIGH WINDS, CHILLY TEMPERATURES, AND A THREAT OF PRECIPITATION IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE DONE IT, BUT COVID-19 DID INSTEAD. THE CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS WERE SUPPOSED TO OPEN THEIR SEASON ON THE ROAD THIS AFTERNOON AGAINST THE KANE COUNTY COUGARS. OF COURSE IT WASN’T WEATHER THAT POSTPONED THE GAME…IT WAS THE CORONAVIRUS. THE SCHEDULED HOME OPENER MONDAY WILL ALSO BE A CASUALTY OF THE PANDEMIC. IT’S UNCLEAR WHEN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL WILL BEGIN AT ANY LEVEL IN 2020.
TIMES ARE TOUGH FOR THE BIOFUELS INDUSTRY. THERE’S MORE THAN ONE PROBLEM, BUT THE GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC CERTAINLY ISN’T HELPING, ACCORDING TO EMILY SKOR OF GROWTH ENERGY. GROWTH ENERGY SAYS FUEL DEMAND HAS BEEN CUT IN HALF. THAT COULD MEAN TWO-AND-A-HALF BILLION BUSHELS OF CORN WILL NOT BE PUT INTO ETHANOL. ETHANOL PLANTS HAVE GONE OFFLINE IN IOWA, AMONG A DOZEN OTHER STATES.
WHILE FUEL DEMAND HAS DRIED UP, SO HAVE FUNDS FOR COMMUNITY PROJECTS GENERATED BY GAMBLING DOLLARS. THE BLACK HAWK COUNTY GAMING ASSOCIATION WILL NOT ACCEPT NEW GRANTS…LIKELY UNTIL THE STATE’S CASINO’S ARE BACK UP AND RUNNING. MORE THAN 5 PERCENT OF DOLLARS COLLECTED BY THE ISLE CASINO ON IT GAMING FLOOR GO TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS OR CHARITABLY CAUSES IN A SEVEN-COUNTY AREA. IOWA CASINOS HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN SINCE THE MIDDLE OF LAST MONTH.
THE GALLAGHER BLUEDORN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IS CALLING OFF A SERIES OF ONLINE CONCERTS. GBPAC OFFICIALS SAY THE DECISION WAS MADE TO SUSPEND THE “LOCAL LEGENDS” SERIES BASED ON THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA’S INTERPRETATION OF GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS’ PROCLAMATION THIS WEEK CLOSING THEATERS THAT HOST LIVE PERFORMANCES. THE ONLINE ONLY CONCERTS HAD BEEN SCHEDULED TO INCLUDE FIVE PERFORMANCES FROM TONIGHT THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY.
CHRISTIAN AND JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN EASTERN IOWA ARE EACH COMMEMORATING SOME OF THE HOLIEST DAYS ON THEIR RESPECTIVE CALENDAR. THIS IS MAUNDY THURSDAY, A REMEMBRANCE OF THE LAST SUPPER. MEANWHILE PASSOVER BEGAN AT SUNSET WEDNESDAY. THE TWO HOLY WEEKS DO NOT ALWAYS OVERLAP AND CAN SOMETIMES BE SEVERAL WEEKS APART.
