IOWA SENATOR JONI ERNST WOULD LIKE TO PULL MONEY FROM CITIES WHERE SO-CALLED AUTONOMOUS ZONES HAVE BEEN SET UP BY PROTESTORS. IN A TWITTER POST ABOUT THE BILL YESTERDAY, ERNST SAID ANARCHY CANNOT CONTINUE ON OUR STREETS.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA FALL SEMESTER SCHEDULE WILL START AND END EARLIER. CLASSES BEGIN AUGUST 17TH AND WILL BE DONE BEFORE THANKSGIVING. UNI PRESIDENT MARK NOOK RECENTLY TALKED ABOUT THE ALTERATIONS WHEN HE WAS A GUEST DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. WHEN CLASSES DO START THIS FALL, SOME WILL BE HELD IN PERSON, WITH OTHERS ONLINE, AND SOME IN A HYBRID FORMAT WITH BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL SESSIONS.
BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL AT CEDAR FALLS HIGH SCHOOL ARE ON HOLD BECAUSE OF POSITIVE COVID-19 TESTS ON BOTH TEAMS. THE TIGER SQUADS ARE THE LATEST TO HAVE THEIR SEASONS INTERRUPTED BECAUSE OF THE VIRUS. IT WILL BE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE CEDAR FALLS TEAMS GET BACK ON THE FIELD. THEIR FIRST SUBSTATE BASEBALL GAME COULD FOR JULY 17TH, WHILE A 5A SOFTBALL REGIONAL BEGIN JULY 16TH.
A STATE AGENCY WITH POWER TO REMOVE PROBLEM LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS HAS DONE SO MORE OFTEN FOR OFF-THE-JOB PROBLEMS. THE IOWA LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY COUNCIL’S AUTHORITY WAS RECENTLY EXPANDED, BUT THE BODY HAS OFTEN TAKEN YEARS TO BAN THOSE WHO COMMIT SERIOUS CRIMES. THE COUNCIL HAS ATTEMPTED TO DECERTIFY 17 OFFICERS IN THE LAST TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS. A REVIEW FOUND THAT MOST OF THOSE OFFICERS HAD BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF FELONIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR OTHER CRIMES THAT AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFY THEM FROM WORKING IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. ONLY ONE OFFICER SINCE 2018 HAS BEEN DECERTIFIED FOR IMPROPER POLICE WORK.
JULY’S RAGBRAI EVENT WAS CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19. INSTEAD OF ROLLING FROM THE MISSOURI TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, RAGBRAI ORGANIZERS ARE PROMOTING A VIRUAL VERSION FOR THIS SUMMER. SOMETHING SIMILAR IS COMING TO WATERLOO, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THIS SUMMER’S OVERNIGHT RAGBRAI STOPS. THIS MORNING DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, TAVIS HALL OF EXPERIENCE WATERLOO TOLD LISTENERS ABOUT “WATERLOO’S ANNUAL GREAT RIDE AROUND WATERLOO” OR WAGRAW. HALL SAYS THAT THE RIDES ARE MEASURED IN MINUTES RATHER THAN MILES TO MAKE THE EVENT MORE ACCESSIBLE TO RIDERS OF ALL AGES. HEAR MORE DETAILS AT KXEL.COM.
PALO’S FUN DAYS CELEBRATION HAS BEEN CALLED OFF AS A RESULT OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. ORGANIZERS SAY FINDING SPONSORS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT IN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT. THE EVENT WAS SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 18TH AND 19TH. AFTER A YEAR OFF, PALO FUN DAYS IS EXPECTED TO RETURN IN 2021.
TAKING CLASSES REMOTELY IS DIFFERENT THAN BEING IN THE SAME ROOM WITH AN INSTRUCTOR AND FELLOW STUDENTS. RECENTLY DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA PRESIDENT MARK NOOK TALKED ABOUT HAVING TO CALL OFF THE LAST TWO MONTH OF IN-PERSON CLASSES THIS SPRING, AND STUDENTS MISSING OUT ON OTHER PARTS OF THE CAMPUS EXPERIENCE. UNI WAS ON SPRING BREAK WHEN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BEGAN PROMPTING WIDE-SPREAD CLOSURES OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FACILITIES. THE SCHOOL SPENT THE LAST TWO MONTHS OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR WORKING THROUGH A VIRTUAL LEARNING PLAN.
A PORTION OR NORTH LINN STREET IN IOWA CITY IS CLOSED SO THAT RESTAURANTS IN THE AREA CAN BE OPEN WITH MORE OUTDOOR DINING SPACE. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 TALKED WITH HAMBURG INN GENERAL MANAGER SETH DUDLEY. IOWA CITY HAS SET UP PICNIC TABLES IN THE BLOCKED-OFF ROADWAY. DUDLEY SAYS PEOPLE CAN MAKE A HYBRID MEAL WITH STOPS AT SEVERAL RESTAURANTS OFFERING CARRYOUT SERVICE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE CITY OF EVANSDALE HAS AN EXTRA YEAR TO SORT OUT A LONG-TERM SEWER PLAN. THE DEADLINE WAS MOVED BACK TO NOVEMBER OF 2023 BY THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES. EVANSDALE CURRENTLY HAS ITS OWN SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM BUT HAS BEEN CONSIDERING TYING INTO A REGIONAL FACILITY WITH WATERLOO AND CEDAR FALLS.
