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KXEL Midday News for Thu. May 28, 2020

By Tim Martin May 28, 2020 | 12:41 PM

WITH SLOW-MOVING SHOWERS AND SOMETIMES LOCALLY-HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS PUSHING THROUGH EASTERN IOWA TODAY, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH. SOIL IS ALREADY WET FROM RECENT RAINS. LOW-LYING AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS ARE PARTICULARLY AT RISK IN THE EVENT OF A LOCAL DOWNPOUR. THE WEATHER SERVICE ALSO INDICATED THAT STREAMS AND RIVERS COULD SEE LEVELS RISE SIGNIFICANTLY.

IOWA HAS REACHED 500 COVID-19 FATALITIES. STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS HOPE TO GUARD AGAINST THE FAST SPREAD OF THE VIRUS IN SEVERAL TYPES OF WORK ENVIRONMENTS. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH DEPUTY DIRECTOR SARAH REISETTER TALKED ABOUT HOW IDPH IS DEFINING AND MONITORING THAT RISK. ON WEDNESDAY, STATE OFFICIALS WOULD NOT CONFIRM A CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK AT A TYSON FOODS FACILITY IN STORM LAKE WHILE AWAITING MORE DATA.

THE RENEWABLE FUELS INDUSTRY IS WARNING THAT LEGISLATION WHICH GIVES PREFERENTIAL PRICING TO ETHANOL AND BIODIESEL BLENDS IN IOWA IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE. THE SUNSET DATE IS AT THE END OF JUNE WHEN THE STATE’S CURRENT FISCAL YEAR CONCLUDES. THE IOWA RENEWABLE FUELS ASSOCIATION SAYS FUEL TAX DIFFERENTIAL POLICY HELPS BOTH DRIVERS AND PRODUCERS. 86 PERCENT OF GAS AND 57 PERCENT OF DIESEL FUEL SOLD IN THE STATE INCLUDES SOME MEASURE OF RENEWABLE INGREDIENTS.

A CEDAR RAPIDS FIREFIGHTER RECEVIED MINOR INJURIES DURING A WEDNESDAY HOME FIRE ON THE CITY’S NORTHWEST SIDE. THE FIRE MAY HAVE BEEN STARTED WHEN A FALLING TREE BRANCH HIT A UTILITY LINE. SMOKE AND FLAMES WERE VISIBLE OUTSIDE WHEN CREWS ARRIVED SHORTLY BEFORE NOON. ONE PERSON INSIDE WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT OUT, UNINJURED. THE FIREFIGHTER WHO WAS HURT WAS TREATED AND RELEASED FROM UNITYPOINT-ST. LUKE’S.

A POWER GRID PROJECT IN NORTHEAST IOWA HAS TAKEN A STEP FORWARD. THE IOWA UTILITIES BOARD HAS APPROVED A TRANSMISSION LINE BETWEEN SUBSTATIONS IN DUBUQUE AND CLAYTON COUNTIES, GRANTING EMINENT DOMAIN RIGHTS. SOME PROPERTY OWNERS HAD OBJECTED TO THE 500 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT. ITC MIDWEST LLC OWNS THE HONEY CREEK AND TURKEY RIVER SUBSTATIONS BEING CONNECTED BY THE TRANSMISSION LINES.

MORE HOMES ARE LIKELY TO BE BUILT IN CEDAR FALLS WEST OF THE UNIDOME. CITY OFFICIALS GAVE PRELIMINARY APPROVAL FOR ZONING CHANGES WHICH COULD LEAD TO AS MANY AS 500 HOUSES ON OVER 170 ACRES NEAR THE FUTURE SITE OF CEDAR FALLS NEW HIGH SCHOOL. DEVELOPERS WOULD ADD NEW RESIDENTIAL STREETS WHILE BUILDING THE NEIGHBORHOOD

THE WATERLOO BUCKS HAD HOPED THEIR SEASON WOULD START THIS WEEK. GENERAL MANAGER DAN CORBIN PROVIDED AN UPDATE DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL; PODCAST AT KXEL.COM. BEFORE COVID-19, THE BUCKS’ OPENING NIGHT HAD BEEN SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY.

A CONFRONTATION IN IOWA CITY ON WEDNESDAY LED TO A BYSTANDER BEING WOUNDED WHEN AN ERRANT SHOT ENTERED THE PERSONS HOME. IOWA CITY POLICE SAY THOSE INVOLVED IN THE INITIAL DISPUTE HAD SCATTERED BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVED IN THE 2200 BLOCK OF TAYLOR DRIVE. THE INJURY FROM THE INCIDENT WAS DESCRIBED AS MINOR AND DID NOT REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION. SEVERAL OTHER INCIDENTS OF GUNFIRE IN THE SAME IOWA CITY NEIGHBORHOOD WERE REPORTED EARLIER THIS YEAR.

TESTING FOR COVID-19 HAS EXPANDED CONSIDERABLY OVER THE LAST TWO-AND-A-HALF MONTHS. NONETHELESS, GETTING TESTS QUICKLY TO AREAS THAT NEED THEM AND HAVING THE RESULTS IN TIME TO LIMIT COMMUNITY SPREAD HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PARTS OF THE PANDEMIC FOR HEALTH OFFICIALS EVERYWHERE. IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS TALKED ABOUT HER HOPES FOR ADDITIONAL PROGRESS WHEN IT COMES TO TESTING. APPROXIMATELY ONE OUT OF EVERY 22 IOWANS HAS RECEIVED SOME TYPE OF CORONAVIRUS TEST ACCORDING TO STATE STATISTICS AVAILABLE THIS MORNING.

UNITY POINT HEALTH SAYS TWO CEDAR VALLEY LOCATIONS WHICH HAD BEEN CONVERTED TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON RESPATORY ILLNESSES WILL BE RETURNING TO STANDARD URGENT CARE SERVICES. THE CLINICS ARE IN WATERLOO ON RIDGEWAY AND LOGAN AVENUES. UNITY POINT ALTERED THEIR OPERATIONS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CORONAVIRUS TREATMENT CAPACITY IN MARCH AND APRIL. THE MEDICAL GROUP SAYS ANYONE WITH SYMPTOMS OF RESPIRATORY ILLNESS SHOULD CALL THEIR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER SO THEY KNOW WHICH FACILITY WILL BE BEST EQUIPPED TO TREAT THEM.