Waterloo’s new police chief Joel Fitzgerald started his job officially this past Monday, and was faced with leading his department with demonstrations and marches downtown each night so far. In his first extended media interview since taking the job, Chief Fitzgerald told me yesterday that he did *not* find a department that needed to be totally revamped. You can hear the full interview from KXEL Live & Local by going to the podcast section of kxel-dot-com.
Republican Sen. Charles Grassley says he is blocking two Trump administration nominees until the White House provides adequate reasons for the recent termination of two inspectors general. Grassley is a longtime advocate for the watchdog role of inspectors general. He pledged to block Senate consideration of Christopher Miller to be director of the National Counterterrorism Center and Marshall Billingslea to be undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. The New Hartford Republican has been seeking answers on President Donald Trump’s recent firings of several inspectors general, including Michael Atkinson, inspector general for the intelligence community, and State Department Inspector General Steve Linick.
Iowa Democrats and black leaders are calling for urgent action by state lawmakers to end racial injustice and have proposed several bills during the shortened legislative session which resumed Wednesday. One bill would make it illegal for police in Iowa to use a chokehold or neck restraint unless a person poses an imminent threat. Another would make it illegal for Iowa police departments to hire officers who were fired or resigned while being investigated for serious misconduct or excessive force. Gov. Kim Reynolds and House Speaker Pat Grassley, both Republicans, wouldn’t commit to the ideas but said they’re willing to talk.
The number of people filing initial unemployment claims in Iowa continued to fall as the state began reopening after taking steps intended to slow spread of the coronavirus. Iowa Workforce Development reported Thursday that 6,920 people filed initial claims in last week. That’s a drop of nearly 50% from the previous week. There were 165,195 continuing weekly unemployment claims last week, a decline of 13,000 from the previous week. The largest number of claims came from people employed in manufacturing. Nationally, nearly 1.9 million people applied for unemployment benefits last week and the total number of people receiving jobless aid increased to 21.5 million. That’s down from a peak of 25 million two weeks ago.
Governor Reynolds said yesterday that as the state continues to grow testing and monitoring capabilities, guidelines will be released today detailing how long-term care facilities can resume having visitors. Dr. Caitlin Pedati with the Iowa Department of Public Health said the guidelines will include visits, dining practices and ways residents can make trips outside the facilities to meet their needs. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there have been 41 COVID-19 outbreaks at different facilities across the state.
The JCPenney department store chain has announced another 154 store closures following what it called “a comprehensive review of our retail footprint.” Stores in Carroll and Marshalltown are confirmed to be closing. JCPenney closed its stores in Waterloo and Mason City within this decade.
More than 16-hundred households were without power after a late afternoon storm in Black Hawk County yesterday. Some customers did not have power restored until after sunset.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill Thursday that will allow convicted felons to get their voting rights back only after they have paid full restitution to victims. The bill becomes effective if the legislature passes a proposed constitutional amendment automatically restoring voting rights for convicted felons. Reynolds, who has pushed for restoration of felon voting rights, initially opposed Republican lawmakers’ efforts to pass the restitution requirement. However, she changed her position once GOP senators said they would not pass the constitutional amendment unless she agreed to the repayment requirement. It’s unclear if the bill will withstand a court challenge since a similar measure in Florida was struck down as unconstitutional.
While Waterloo’s police department has successfully worked to reduce crime in the city, new Waterloo police chief Joel Fitzgerald said on KXEL Live & Local yesterday that the role of a police department today is more than just solving crimes. To hear my interview with the chief, the first extended interview he’s given since starting his job here this month, go to the podcast page of kxel-dot-com.
The Iowa Board of Regents voted Thursday to freeze tuition rates at all three state universities at least through the fall semester. Under the plan students at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa would pay the same tuition rate as provided last year for the fall semester. The regents said a decision on spring tuition rates would be made later this year once the regents have more information on the financial impact of COVID-19, but UNI issued a news release saying the Board approved its request for a second consecutive full year of no tuition increases. UNI also announced it will return to in-person classes this fall, which will be kept as small as possible, as well as some hybrid experiences that allow flexibility in scheduling.
