THOUSANDS OF EASTERN IOWA COLLINS AEROSPACE WORKERS ARE WONDERING ABOUT THEIR FUTURES WITH THE COMPANY. COLLINS’ PARENT, RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES, PLANS TO ELIMINATE MORE THAN 15,000 JOBS THIS YEAR ACROSS ITS VARIOUS DIVISIONS. THE CUTS ARE NEARLY DOUBLE WHAT RAYTHEON DISCLOSED IN JULY, DUE TO A DOWNTURN IN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. SIX DOZEN COLLINS AEROSPACE EMPLOYEES IN IOWA WERE LAID OFF EARLIER THIS MONTH. WITH THE NEWS ABOUT BROADER JOB CUTS, THE COMPANY ALSO SAID IT IS LIKELY TO BE HIRING FOR ITS DIVISIONS INVOLVED WITH DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS.
IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS ANNOUNCED CHANGES TO THE STATE’S PANDEMIC RESPONSE ON WEDNESDAY, INCLUDING LIFTING RESTRICTIONS ON BARS IN FOUR COUNTIES. REYNOLDS ALSO SPOKE ABOUT THE BALANCING ACT REQUIRED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. TIGHTER RESTRICTIONS ON BARS REMAIN IN PLACE FOR JOHNSON AND STORY COUNTIES.
CEDAR RAPIDS AUTHORITIES SAY A STABBING NEAR A BUS STOP WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON IS BELIEVED TO BE RELATED TO A DOMESTIC INCIDENT. 33-YEAR-OLD JAYCE BASKERVILLE WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AND FACES CHARGES FOR VIOLATING A NO-CONTACT ORDER, IN ADDITION TO WEAPON AND ASSAULT COUNTS. THE VICTIM OF THE STABBING SUFFERED SEVERAL WOUNDS AND IS BEING TREATED FOR HER INJURIES.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT IS STARING AT A MORE-THAN TWO-AND-A-HALF MILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT CAUSED BY COVID-19 CHANGES. THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DAVID HARRIS TALKED ABOUT THE BUDGET SITUATION EVEN AFTER GAMES BEGIN AND FANS RETURN. UNI REPORTS THAT A NEW UNI FIGHT INITIATIVE HAS RAISED OVER 300 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM DONORS.
THE IOWA HAWKEYE FOOTBALL TEAM WILL BE PLAYING IN OCTOBER. DURING A NEWS CONFERENCE IN CENTRAL IOWA WEDNESDAY, IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS TALKED ABOUT THE CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES FOR BIG TEN SCHOOLS. AS FOR PLAYERS, COACHES, AND SUPPORT PERSONNEL, THE BIG TEN SAYS THEY WILL ALL BE TESTED FOR COVID-19 EVERY DAY.
A WOMAN WHO HAD BEEN LIVING IN RURAL BLACK HAWK COUNTY IS FACING A SECOND ROUND OF ANIMAL NEGLECT CHARGES. EARLIER THIS MONTH, ALICIA SWANSON WAS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY LEAVING A DOG TO DIE AFTER SHE WAS EVICTED FROM A HOME WHERE SHE HAD BEEN LIVING WEST OF JESUP. NOW THE REMAINS OF A SECOND DOG HAVE BEEN FOUND AT THAT SAME LOCATION. OVER THE WEEKEND, SWANSON WAS ARRESTED FOR A SECOND TIME ON THE NEW CHARGES.
STATE OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO SPAR WITH LEADERS OF THE DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM OVER BRINGING KIDS BACK TO THE CLASSROOM DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. IOWA EDUCATION DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR ANN LEBO TALKED ABOUT THE STANDOFF. DES MOINES SCHOOLS WANTED TO IMPLEMENT ONLINE-ONLY LEARNING DUE TO COVID-19. THE DISTRICT SUED THE STATE WHEN IT WAS NOT GIVEN A WAIVER FROM IN-PERSON CLASSES; EARLIER THIS MONTH, A DES MOINES COURT DENIED THE DISTRICT’S REQUEST FOR AN INJUNCTION.
A COURT IN CEDAR RAPIDS IS REVIEWING A MOTION TO RELOCATE A HIGH-PROFILE MURDER TRIAL. DREW BLAHNIK IS ACCUSED OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER IN THE 2018 KILLING OF CHRIS BAGLEY. BLAHNIK’S LEGAL TEAM ASKED FOR THE TRIAL TO BE MOVED DUE TO WIDE-SPEAD MEDIA COVERAGE. NO DECISION ON THE MOTION HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED. THE TRIAL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN EARLY 2021.
MARSHALLTOWN WILL RECEIVE NEARLY 3 MILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL MONEY FOR AN OPPORTUNITY ZONE. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCED THE AWARD TO BOOST INFRASTRUCTURE AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. ANOTHER TWO MILLION DOLLARS IN STATE AND LOCAL FUNDS HAS BEEN RAISED TO SUPPORT NEW BUSINESS AS PART OF THE SAME OPPORTUNITY ZONE EFFORT. MARSHALLTOWN IS STILL RECOVERING FROM A 2018 TORNADO AND ALSO SUFFERED DAMAGE DURING LAST MONTH’S DERECHO.
