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KXEL Midday News for Fri. Aug. 07, 2020

By Tim Martin Aug 7, 2020 | 11:46 AM

THE IOWA COVID-19 WEBSITE HAS NEW INFORMATION OF INTEREST TO SCHOOL LEADERS. GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS EXPLAINED THE RECENT CHANGE TO CORONAVIRUS. A FIFTEEN PERCENT POSITIVE TWO WEEK COVID-19 TEST AVERAGE IS PART OF A STATE FORMULA FOR GIVING SCHOOLS THE OPTION TO GO EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE. AS OF THIS MORNING, SEVEN COUNTIES MET THAT THRESHOLD, LED BY WEBSTER COUNTY AT 23%.

CRAIG BERTE IS LIKELY TO BECOME THE NEXT CEDAR FALLS POLICE CHIEF. THE CEDAR FALLS CITY COUNCIL WILL VOTE ON BERTE’S NOMINATION ON AUGUST 17TH. ON THURSDAY, MAYOR ROB GREEN ANNOUNCED HE HAD MADE THE NOMINATION; THE PROCESS WAS SLOWED BY A SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL ELECTION. GREEN SAID IN A STATEMENT THAT HE WANTED TO WAIT FOR AN AT-LARGE COUNCIL SEAT TO BE FILLED BY AN ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE. BERTE FIRST JOINED THE CEDAR FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT IN 1992 AND HAS SERVED RECENTLY AS THE CITY’S ASSISTANT CHIEF.

SPEAKING OF NOMINATIONS, QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT HOW DONALD TRUMP AND JOE BIDEN WILL OFFICIALLY ACCEPT THEIR RESPECTIVE PARTIES’ PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS. SENATOR JONI ERNST WOULD LIKE TRUMP TO MAKE HIS ANNOUNCEMENT IN IOWA. SHE SAID YESTERDAY THAT IF THE PRESIDENT COMES TO DES MOINES FOR HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH, THERE WILL BE A PLACE FOR HIM TO DO IT.

TWO CEDAR RAPIDS MEN WERE WOUNDED BY GUNFIRE LATE THURSDAY. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AROUND 11 O’CLOCK, A FEW BLOCKS FROM REDMOND PARK IN THE SOUTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE CITY. AN UNIDENTIFIED 39-YEAR-OLD MAN HAD ONLY MINOR INJURIES, WHILE A 26-YEAR-OLD VISITED A LOCAL HOSPITAL AFTER THE INCIDENT. HIS INJURIES WERE NOT LIFE-THREATENING. AFTER COLLECTING EVIDENCE, CEDAR RAPIDS POLICE CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE.

A BIKE ACCIDENT IS BELIEVED TO BE THE CAUSE OF DEATH FOR A CEDAR RAPIDS MAN LAST WEEK. THE FAMILY OF 20-YEAR-OLD BLAKE CORPORON SAYS THEY BELIEVE HE WAS RIDING IN NORTHEAST CEDAR RAPIDS AND. CORPORON’S BODY WAS FOUND LAST THURSDAY. OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE THE INCIDENT AND HAVE NOT RELEASED AN OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED, OR EVEN NAMED CORPORON AS THE VICTIM.

IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS SAYS SCHOOLS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO OPEN THIS FALL, WITH INNOVATIVE WAYS TO KEEP STUDENTS INVOLVED IN REGULAR ACTIVITIES, DESPITE COVID-19. MEANWHILE SEVERAL PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS, INCLUDING THOSE IN IOWA CITY AND CEDAR RAPIDS HAVE SOUGHT TO EITHER DELAY THE START OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR OR BEGIN WITH ONLINE-ONLY CLASS SESSIONS. STATE EDUCATION OFFICIALS WILL ONLY ALLOW THOSE STEPS WHERE POSITIVE CORONAVIRUS TEST RATES ARE OVER A 15 PERCENT AVERAGE FOR TWO WEEKS, AMONG OTHER FACTORS.

IOWA IS ONE OF A SMALL NUMBER OF STATES WHICH HAS NOT IMPLEMENTED A BROAD MASK REQUIREMENT DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS TALKED ABOUT THAT APPROACH DURING A THURSDAY NEWS CONFERENCE. WHEN IT COMES TO COVID-19 TESTING, REYNOLDS SAYS THAT FEWER TESTS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED IN RECENT WEEKS AFTER AN EARLIER INCREASE THAT SHE ATTRIBUTES TO INDEPENDENCE DAY TRAVEL. REYNOLDS EMPHASIZED IOWA IS READY AND ABLE TO PROCESS MORE TESTS WHENEVER DEMAND INCREASES.

LINN COUNTY AUTHORITIES ALLEGE THAT A MAN ON A MOTORCYCLE WAS CARRYING METHAMPHETAMINE WHEN DEPUTIES TRIED TO STOP HIM EARLY THIS MORNING. 48-YEAR-OLD SCOTT CURLEY WAS ARRESTED AFTER A SHORT CHASE EAST OF MARION. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AROUND 3 O’CLOCK. CURLEY WAS EVENTUALLY STOPPED WHEN HIS MOTORCYCLE WENT OVER ON ITS SIDE ON MARTELLE ROAD, BUT THE LINN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS HE WAS NOT INJURED. DEPUTIES DID NOT RELEASE HOW MUCH METHAMPHETAMINE CURLEY WAS ALLEGEDLY CARRYING, BUT HE IS CHARGED FOR POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DELIVER.

A NATIONWIDE ONION RECALL MEANS ONE VARIETY OF AMANA HAM SHOULD NOT BE EATEN. THERE IS A SALMONELLA RISK FROM ONIONS DISTRIBUTED BY THOMPSON INTERNATIONAL, AND THAT COULD HAVE TAINTED ONE-AND-ONE-QUARTER POUND JARS OF AMANA MEAT SHOP PICKLED HAM. ANYONE WHO BOUGHT THE PRODUCT AFTER MAY 15TH IS ASKED TO RETURN IT.