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KXEL Midday News for Wed. Oct. 14, 2020

By Tim Martin Oct 14, 2020 | 12:27 PM

SEVERAL TYPES OF MUNICIPAL REVENUE ARE EXPECTED TO BE DOWN THIS YEAR, DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS. WATERLOO MAYOR QUENTIN HART RECENTLY LOOKED AT SOME OF THE INCOME THAT IS LIKELY TO BE REDUCED. HART DID NOTE THAT PROPERTY VALUES ARE UP IN WATERLOO. HIS COMMENTS CAME DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH KXEL’S JEFF STEIN. HEAR MORE AT KXEL.COM.

MEANWHILE, RESTAURANTS AND BARS ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO STABILIZE THEIR REVENUES AS OUTDOOR SEATING BECOMES LESS ATTRACTIVE IN COOLER AUTUMN WEATHER. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED WITH JUDE VILLAFANA OF POPOLI RESTAURANT IN CEDAR RAPIDS. PAPOLI AND OTHER RESTAURANTS ARE TRYING TO KEEP OUTDOOR TABLES ACTIVE BY INSTALLING HEATERS. INDOOR DINING WITH LIMITED SEATING CAPACITY IS EXPECTED TO SQUEEZE RESTAURANTS AND BARS DURING COLDER WEATHER.

THIS WEEK’S CROP REPORT CAME OUT TUESDAY, A DAY LATER THAN USUAL BECAUSE OF THE COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY. IOWA FARMERS CONTINUE TO MOVE QUICKLY THROUGH HARVEST SEASON. MORE THAN THREE-QUARTERS OF SOYBEANS AND ALMOST HALF OF THE STATE’S CORN HAS BEEN HARVESTED. EACH CROP IS ABOUT TWO WEEKS AHEAD OF THE AVERAGE, THANKS TO RELATIVELY WARM AND GENERALLY DRY WEATHER DURING MUCH OF EARLY OCTOBER.

FORMER IOWA GOVERNOR TERRY BRANSTAD IS INVOLVED IN DOMESTIC POLITICS ONCE AGAIN. AFTER LEAVING HIS ROLE AS THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA, YESTERDAY BRANSTAD SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IN CEDAR RAPIDS. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 GATHERED BRANSTAD’S TAKE ON EFFORTS TO PROTECT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND OTHER CHALLENGES WITH THE U.S.-CHINA RELATIONSHIP. CURRENT IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS AND FIRST DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE ASHLEY HINSON ALSO APPEARED WITH BRANSTAD. THE CAMPAIGN SWING ALSO INCLUDED APPEARANCES IN MARSHALLTOWN AND THE QUAD CITIES.

CEDAR RAPIDS MAYOR BRAD HART HAS CONFIRMED THAT HE WAS INFECTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS LATE LAST MONTH. BOTH HART AND HIS WIFE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19. HART SAYS HE IS NOT AWARE OF THE VIRUS SPREADING TO ANY OTHER CITY EMPLOYEES BEFORE HIS POSITIVE TEST. MUCH OF CEDAR RAPIDS’ CITY BUSINESS – INCLUDING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS – HAS BEEN CONDUCTED ONLINE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC.

WATERLOO FIRST RESPONDER TRAVIS IHNEN HAS BEEN NAMED FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR. IHNEN PROVIDES EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE THROUGH THE WATERLOO FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE FORMER MARINE WAS NOMINATED BY HIS COLLEAGUES. THE FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR AWARD IS PRESENTED BY WATERLOO’S EXCHANGE CLUB.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WILL BE MAKING A CAMPAIGN APPEARANCE IN DES MOINES THIS EVENING. THE RALLY IS EXPECTED TO INCLUDE GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER TRUMP SUPPORTERS AT A DES MOINES AIRPORT CARGO HANGER. AIRPORT OFFICIALS ARE EXPECTING UP TO 10,000 PEOPLE. SINCE BEING SIDELINED BRIEFLY BY COVID-19, TRUMP HAS BEEN MAKING CAMPAIGN STOPS IN STATES HE WON DURING THE 2016 ELECTION. HE HAS ALREADY VISITED PENNSYLVANIA AND FLORIDA AND IS ALSO SEEKING TO SHORE UP SUPPORT IN NORTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA THIS WEEK, AS WELL AS IOWA.

AUTHORITIES IN CEDAR RAPIDS ARE LOOKING FOR A WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN MISSING SINCE THE EARLY HOURS OF SUNDAY MORNING. SHARON HANGARTNER IS 54. ANYONE WHO MIGHT HAVE CAMERAS ON THEIR PROPERTY IN THE 6200 BLOCK OF WINDY MEADOW LANE NORTHEAST OR THE SURROUNDING AREA IS ASKED TO SHARE THEIR VIDEO WITH POLICE. HANGARTNER WAS BELIEVED TO BE WALKING IN THAT AREA BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 7 A.M. SUNDAY.

TOTAL PROPERTY VALUE IS UP IN WATERLOO. MAYOR QUENTIN HART TALKED ABOUT THAT THIS MORNING WHEN HE WAS A GUEST DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. SEVERAL NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN WATERLOO CONTINUED THIS SUMMER DESPITE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. HOWEVER SOME FORMS OF MUNICIPAL REVENUE ARE DOWN. WE’LL HAVE MORE ON THAT WITH ADDITIONAL AUDIO FROM HART COMING UP DURING NEXT HOUR’S NEWSCAST.