Seventeen more Iowans have died of complications of COVID-19 and more than 1,000 tested positive in 24-hours, including more than 90 new cases in Woodbury County.
The 14-day positivity rate for Woodbury County is just under 15%. Half of the dozen counties in the state above the 15% threshold are located in northwest Iowa. Lyon has the top positivity rate in the state at 31%. Fifteen percent is the level set by the state to allow a school district to apply for on-line learning only, among other criteria.
University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld has announced plans to retire after the school’s board finds his successor. Harreld, a former corporate executive and Harvard Business School instructor, has led the Big Ten university since 2015. His tenure has been difficult in recent months as the school has faced a coronavirus outbreak, deep budget cuts and heavy turnover in key administrative positions. Harreld said that he has asked the Iowa Board of Regents to begin the search for his replacement, saying he believes it could take longer than usual given the pandemic. He says he'll stay on until his successor begins.
The number of Iowans filing initial unemployment claims dropped over the last week.
Iowa Workforce Development reported more than 5,000 filed last week. That’s down by more than 1,000.
There are still almost 59,000 receiving weekly unemployment for payments totally more than $17 million dollars.
A new monthly survey of business leaders suggests the economy continues to improve in nine Midwest and Plains states, but business remains slower than before the coronavirus pandemic began. The overall index for the region improved to 65.1 in September from August’s already strong 60. Any score above 50 on the survey's indexes suggests growth. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said even with the positive growth in the economy, manufacturing output remains well below the level it was at before states began imposing restrictions because of the coronavirus. The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Relatives of four Siouxlanders killed in a plane crash in central Iowa in 2018 allege in new lawsuits a maintenance error caused carbon monoxide to enter the plane’s cabin, causing the crash. The lawsuits, announced Thursday, name Ultra Flight LLC, an aviation maintenance facility in Le Mars, and its owner, Tomas Mullally. The single-engine Piper took off from the airport in Le Mars and crashed into a cow pasture near Guthrie Center, about 115 miles away. Autopsies determined that all four victims suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Two top Nebraska officials are urging voters not to give their ballot to an unfamiliar third party who promises to turn it in on their behalf. Gov. Pete Ricketts and Secretary of State Bob Evnen warn that state law doesn’t protect people who surrender their ballot to a third party, even if the recipient throws it away. Ricketts and Evnen, both Republicans, say they don’t know of any cases of abuse in Nebraska, but they pointed to recent claims of ballot harvesting in a U.S. House race in Minnesota.
South Dakota lawmakers are working to finalize their plan on how to spend more than $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds ahead of a special legislative session tentatively scheduled for next week. Lawmakers have been holding public input sessions in recent weeks as they discuss the best way to address the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic. The state is looking to spend the bulk of the $1.25 billion in federal funds it received in the spring. Gov. Kristi Noem and some lawmakers have tussled over spending the money.
Nebraska’s oldest resident is celebrating a birthday today. Thelma Sutcliffe was born on this date back in 1906. If you do the math, that makes her 114-years old. She is the 4th oldest America, 11th oldest on the planet and the oldest in Nebraska. She lives in an assisted living facility in Omaha and is doing fine and enjoys phone visits with family and friends.
The Holiday Tour of Homes has been a Sioux City tradition for 4 decades and a big event to support Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
But, how do you still hold such an gathering with the COVID-19 crisis?
“We really had to get creative and think out of the box. I had a melt down because I was thinking how are we going to do this because what homeowner wants thousands of people to go through their house during a pandemic?
That’s Executive Director of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Kristie Arlt.
This year the Tour of Homes will take place at the newly renovated Warrior Hotel in downtown Sioux City November 19th through the 21st.
The number of people attending a tour will be reduce to provide social distancing and everyone must wear a mask.
You can hear more from Kristie Arlt coming up tonight and Friday night during World Café. She’ll join local host Sheila Brummer during local segment from 6 to 8 p.m.
