FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020 | IN THIS ISSUE

• CID hears no objections to passenger health screening proposal
• MOXIE names Eichelberger president
• Especially for You race to hold virtual event for first time
• Iowa's unemployment rate falls to 8% in June
• NCSML, John’s Grocery collaborate for virtual beer tour
• Corridor events, KCRG-TV9 headlines and First Alert Forecast
CID hears no objections to health screening proposal
A proposal to institute what would become one of the nation’s first mandatory health screening requirements for airport passengers and employees at the Eastern Iowa Airport drew no public opposition at a public hearing Thursday night.
 
Comments on the airport’s proposed Travel Well program ranged from words of appreciation for demonstrating leadership in the travel industry from Think Iowa City President Josh Schamberger, to questions regarding whether airline crews will be screened, and how to report airport employees or others who don’t comply with a requirement to wear masks in the airport terminal.
 
“I know it will be seen by some as an intrusion on their rights,” Mr. Schamberger, a former airport commissioner, said. “I hope commission members realize they will be a minority.”
 
Plans call for a temporary enclosure to be set up just before the TSA security screening area where all passengers planning to enter will be required to receive a temperature check and answer health screening questions from Mercy Medical Center employees. The process is expected to take 10-15 seconds per passenger, with enough capacity to move passengers through more quickly than through the TSA screening.
 
Individuals who have possible COVID-19 symptoms by virtue of their temperature or answers will be sent to a secondary screening in a more private room where Mercy Medical staff will attempt to determine health or other reasons than COVID-19 that might account for their symptoms. That process, taking about 15 minutes, could result in no action or alerting the airline on which they are booked to health concerns. The airline itself would decide whether they could fly.
 
About 99% of all passengers are expected to pass the primary screening without having to go through secondary screening, according to Dr. Timothy Sagers, COVID-19 clinical director for Mercy Medical Center. He said screening protocols could change as more is learned about the coronavirus. Mercy Medical personnel will be able to set up telehealth visits for passengers who exhibit symptoms during the screening process with local health practitioners.
 
Airport Director Marty Lenss said the airport commission is separately discussing a mask requirement for all who work at the airport. Employees who work for the airport directly are already required to wear masks. He said the airport is conferring with airlines about whether their own aircraft crews should go through the airport’s health screening.
 
A vote on Travel Well is scheduled for the airport commission’s July 27 meeting. Comments on the proposal can be emailed to [email protected] or sent to Airport Director, RE: CID Travel Well, Eastern Iowa Airport - CID, 2515 Arthur Collins Parkway SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404.
MOXIE names Eichelberger president
MOXIE - America’s Solar Company, a full-service solar energy contractor for homes, farms and businesses based in North Liberty, announces that Travis Eichelberger has been promoted to president.

Mr. Eichelberger, who has held many roles during his nearly four-year tenure with MOXIE, is the first president in the company’s 12-year history. In 2017, he began contributing to the company’s growth as operations manager for its Eastern Iowa territory, and was later promoted to director of operations and vice president of sales.
 
“I've had the honor of working with Travis on and off over the past 12 years,” said Jason Hall, MOXIE founder and CEO, in a release. “Travis is an extremely intelligent guy who has a willingness to not just ‘accept’ more work and responsibility but to go looking for it. And when he runs into challenges he's never faced before, he doesn't shy away. He attacks and finds his own answers to problems.”
 
In the past month alone, MOXIE has expanded its turnkey solar installation service to six new states including Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin, and recorded its largest sales month in company history, all amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
“It’s been an honor watching this company evolve from 15 employees when I first started, working just in Iowa, to over 150 team members in 14 states,” Mr. Eichelberger stated. “The strength and passion of everyone on this team makes it all worth it, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
 
Mr. Eichelberger received his MBA from the University of Iowa. Before MOXIE, he worked as director of implementation at a telecommunications company in Iowa City.

IMAGE: Travis Eichelberger.
Especially for You race to hold virtual event for first time
Organizers with the Especially for You (EFY) Race Against Breast Cancer in Cedar Rapids have announced they plan to hold the 30th-annual event virtually this year, as a precaution against COVID-19.

Registration is open now at www.especiallyforyourace.org . Additional information on the virtual format will be coming soon to the EFY website.

“The safety of our participants and our community is our top priority,” said Jeff Decker, EFY race director, in a release. “As a health care provider, Mercy [Cedar Rapids] has been closely monitoring the virus and following CDC guidelines to continue to limit its spread. This has been a guiding consideration as we put race plans in place. Most important, we will still be keeping true to our mission to help local individuals in need get the services they need.”

Race registration proceeds provide financial assistance for breast-care and gynecological cancer services. The EFY Fund covers breast, ovarian, uterine, cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancer services at participating local medical providers. Throughout the years, the fund has helped more than 10,000 individuals in need access more than 23,000 services.
 
“These are challenging times and individuals in our community need help now more than ever,” Dr. Vincent Reid, medical director at the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, stated. “We look forward to supporting and honoring those who have fought the disease, as well as those individuals currently battling breast cancer. As we navigate this new normal, our goal is to celebrate the amazing sense of community that our race represents, while we continue to raise funds for breast-care and gynecological cancer services.”
 
Team registration is open through Sept. 15. Additional online registration is available through race day. Reduced pricing is offered for those who register early. For more information, visit www.especiallyforyourace.org or call the EFY race line at (319) 398-6582. 
Iowa's unemployment rate falls to 8% in June
Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 8% in June, according to Iowa Workforce Development, returning to single-digits after May's mark of 10%.

The state’s jobless rate was 2.7% one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 11.1% in June from 13.3% in May.

“The decline in the unemployment rate by 2 percentage points in June is welcome news after several months of historically high rates of unemployment. Moving out of double-digit unemployment is a tremendously positive good sign for our economic recovery as businesses reopen and Iowans return to work,” IWD Director Beth Townsend stated in a press release. “Iowa employers are hiring and we have over 50,000 job postings at www.IowaWORKS.gov ."

Total nonfarm employment grew by 50,200 jobs in June, helping erase some of layoffs caused by efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Private industries added 43,500 jobs, led by the service sector, while government added 6,700 jobs at the state level.

Overall, Iowa trails last June’s mark by 117,700 jobs (-7.4%), with almost a third of those losses stemming from the leisure and hospitality sector.
NCSML, John’s Grocery collaborate for virtual beer tour
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library has joined forces with Iowa City mainstay John’s Grocery to present a two-day program celebrating beer.

The NCSML’s first-ever socially distant book signing will be held from 6-8 p.m. July 23 at Circle Drive on front of the building. Author S.C. Sherman will be there to sign copies of his book, “Beer Money: A Tale of the Iowa City Beer Mafia.”

By purchasing one of the book packages from the NCSML Museum Store, guests will be able to take part in a “Virtual Tour Presentation of the History of Beer in Iowa City” with Doug Alberhasky of John’s Grocery in Iowa City from 7-8 p.m. July 22. It will include images and stories highlighted in Sherman’s book. Guests will also receive a $10 John’s Grocery gift card.

“The NCSML has worked with John’s Grocery for years on our annual fundraiser, BrewNost, and are so excited to join together with this iconic institution to offer this one of a kind experience,” Teresa Stenstrup, NCSML’s director of programs, stated in a release.

Three available pre-purchase packages may be purchased on the NCSML’s Calendar of Events page online at www.ncsml.org or by calling the museum at (319) 362-8500. In order to attend the virtual beer tour, all pre-purchase packages must be ordered by 4 p.m. July 22.

IMAGE: A selection of beer at John's Grocery in Iowa City. CREDIT PINTREST
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Short Term Event Planner
 
July 20 
Apple Creek Kennel Ribbon Cutting , by Marion Chamber of Commerce, 9 a.m., Apple Creek Kennel, 650 51st St., Marion. Celebrate the completion of a new addition at Apple Creek Kennel. Free. For more information, visit  bit.ly/38Bltsb .
 
July 21
Innovation Dojo , by NewBoCo, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., online. Learn how to create an innovative culture by exploring two tools: the iceberg and mental models. Free. To register, visit  bit.ly/2ZQkpwi .
 
Innovation in Education Awards , by Iowa City Area Business Partnership and Iowa City Area Development Group, noon-2 p.m., online. This awards ceremony will honor exceptional students, volunteers, educators and business partners in Johnson County. Free. Watch live at  facebook.com/icareachamber . 
 
Innovation Roundtable , by the Technology Association of Iowa, 4-5:30 p.m., online. This session will feature a virtual tour of Generate at UnityPoint Health, Cedar Rapids, led by Rose Hedges, nursing research and innovation coordinator, and Clayton Skousen, fabrication fellow. Free. To register, visit  bit.ly/2WjudxW . 
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Headlines from KCRG-TV9
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9  
 
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a new proclamation during her press conference this morning to address concerns about students and staff returning to schools this fall. First, it directs all state agencies, school districts and local governments to focus on being able to safely welcome back students and teachers to school in-person this fall. Second, it permits remote learning when parents select remote learning as the best option for their family. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Iowa Department of Public Health, must approve a temporary move to online learning for an entire building or district in response to public health conditions. A school, in consultation with the Iowa Department of Public Health and local public health officials, may determine that individual students or classrooms must move to online learning. Schools may also move to online learning due to severe weather rather than taking a snow day. Third, the proclamation addresses concerns from the teacher workforce. Those concerns include: Removing the limitations on how often and how long a substitute teacher can teach; and expanding the pool of Iowans eligible to serve as substitute teachers to include career and technical teachers already in the classroom, para-educators, and those with an associates degree of at least two years of college courses. Gov. Reynolds also said that Iowa schools still need to prioritize in-person learning and that more than half of learning can’t be remote.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting 879 more COVID-19 cases and five more deaths in Iowa over the last 24 hours. As of 10:30 a.m. today, the state’s data is showing a total of 37,616 COVID-19 cases and 782 COVID-19-related deaths since the pandemic began. A total of 9,315 tests were reported to have been conducted over the last 24 hours, making the total number of tests conducted 402,227 since the pandemic began. The state is also reporting that 198 Iowans have recovered over the last 24 hours. A total of 27,551 patients have recovered from COVID-19 in Iowa. There are a total of 210 patients hospitalized, with 27 having been admitted in the last 24 hours; 70 of those patients are in the ICU and 32 are on ventilators.

These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast
Summer's heat is back, but only for a couple of days. You'll notice that the mugginess is quite a bit higher today, and it'll be warmer, too. Highs hit the upper 80s with heat indices in the mid-90s. The heat peaks tomorrow with highs in the lower 90s with an afternoon heat index of 100 to 105, which is in the danger category. There's a small chance of a storm late tonight or early tomorrow, but most of that should stay to our north. A somewhat better chance of scattered storms comes early Sunday as a cold front slips through. That'll drop temperatures into the lower 80s most of next week.