(Radio Iowa) – Alcohol sales have been up during the pandemic and this holiday season is typically a busy time for the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division as people go to holiday parties or buy alcohol as gifts. I-A-B-D spokesman, Jake Holmes, says tastes haven’t changed much.  “Iowans seem to be pretty consistent with the types of alcohol they like. There’s been some movement with different brands — but American vodka, Canadian whiskies, and spiced rum continue to be the top three categories,” he says.

Black Velvet Canadian whiskey was the top seller in the last fiscal year. “It’s held that top spot for a number of years. Tito’s Vodka was number two and Captain Morgan was number three. And then the number one Iowa-made product was Blue Ox vodka,” according to Holmes.

Sales increased eight-percent in the fiscal year that ended in June. Holmes says it hasn’t let up since then. “So far sales are trending even high than they were. They are up a little over 14 percent at this point,” Holmes says. Iowa and the rest of the country have seen alcohol sales increase during the pandemic.

(Radio Iowa) – A C-P-A who is an economic advisor to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says Reynolds is developing proposals to boost broadband access and expand housing in Iowa. Joel Anderson, who is a member of the governor’s paid staff, spoke earlier this month to an online gathering of the Iowa Chamber Alliance.  “We are not like other states where we are having to talk about revenue increases such as the state to the north of us and a state to the east of us,” Anderson said. “We can actually, are going to probably be one of the few states that will be able to talk about tax reform again.”

Anderson helped crafted the “Invest in Iowa” plan Reynolds unveiled last February. It called for lowering Iowa individual income taxes by 10 percent and raising the state sales tax by one percent to finance water quality and mental health programs. Anderson has shifted from his role as tax policy advisor to work on economic issues during the pandemic, as Reynolds and her staff have discussed how to spend over a billion dollars in federal aid. “This governor is very committed to making sure that we can grow businesses, recover from this and get on the other side of 2020 as fast as possible,” Anderson said.

Anderson worked with an economic advisory board the governor appointed earlier this year. The group’s final meeting was in October and its top recommendation was for the state to make child care more accessible and affordable.

(Radio Iowa) – Two of the pardons President Trump has granted involve a criminal case connected to the 2012 Iowa Caucuses.  Four men connected to Ron Paul’s presidential campaign were convicted of concealing payments to a state senator who changed his endorsement from Michele Bachmann to Ron Paul just before the 2012 Iowa Caucuses. Former state Senator Kent Sorenson of Indianola pleaded guilty and a judge sentenced him to 15 months in prison.

The president did not pardon Sorenson, but Trump did pardon two others who were found guilty by a jury. They are John Tate, Ron Paul’s campaign manager, and Jesse Benton, the 2012 campaign’s chairman who is also married to the candidate’s granddaughter.

(Radio Iowa) – University of Northern Iowa president Mark Nook says the university will unveil a new logo as the culmination of an update to its marketing program. As Iowa businesses struggle to find enough qualified workers, Nook say the goal is to enroll more out-of-state students who will end up staying in Iowa after graduation. “Spent a lot of time looking at our brand and what it is in Iowa and across the Midwest, in particular,” Nook says, ” but also throughout the United States and around the world.” In addition to updated marketing, Nook says it’s time for a comprehensive, long-term plan for the institution. “We’re approaching our 150th anniversary in 2026,” Nook says, “and the time between between now and then we’re really using to look holistically at our university and take a long view.”

UNI President Mark Nook

Nook says the last long-term plan for the institution was developed around the time its name changed to The University of Northern Iowa in 1967. “It really is time for us to take that big look,” Nook says. “There have been many changes to the higher education landscape in the last several years and there are many, many more in front of us.” Nook says part of the effort will include development of a “purpose statement” for the university and he is appointing a permanent planning committee for the campus.

“To move from simply putting together a plan every five years and following it and making it happen to having a guiding committee that is our strategic planning coordinating committee that will continue to collect data and watch the metrics and report our regularly,” Nook says, “and provide consistency and continuity from one plan to the next and really institutionalize strategic planning at the University of Northern Iowa.”

In 1876, a teacher training institution known as the Iowa State Normal School was started in Cedar Falls. Today, the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls covers more than 900 acres. Just over 95-hundred students enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa this past August. The fall semester ended just before Thanksgiving due to the pandemic.

(Radio Iowa) – Along with Thanksgiving, today (Thursday) and Friday are the top three days of the year for cooking fires in Iowa and nationwide. Andrea Vaspis (VAS-pis), public education director for the National Fire Protection Association, says even in this pandemic year, December 24th and 25th will mean families and friends are gathering for a big meal — and they’ll usually congregate in the kitchen. “There’s a lot more of the cooking going on, there’s a lot more people to distract you,” Vaspis says. “There is usually more alcohol use going on as well. That’s a recipe for a home fire when somebody thinks someone else is paying attention to something that’s on the stove.”

Local fire (file photo)

As guests arrive, there’s frequently chaos as people set down food they’ve brought to share, perhaps a little too close to the open flames. Watch for plastic containers that might melt or towels that could burst into flame. “The person who’s by the stove needs to stay by the stove. Stand by your pan, watch what you fry,” Vaspis says. “Keep a heavy lid nearby when you’re cooking on the stove. In case there is a flare-up, you can slide that lid right over the pan, turn off the ignition and avert a fire.”

While a big part of the joy of the holidays is seeing kids and grandkids, she reminds safety should be your first priority while the cooking is underway. “Keep kids and pets three feet away from where you’re cooking as it’s much too easy for someone to bump into something, spill something, knock something over, get burned,” Vaspis says. “You want to cook on those back burners while you can and turn your pan handles in.”

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires year-round, accounting for 49-percent all home fires reported to fire departments.

(Radio Iowa) – The number of homes sold in November was down a bit from those sold in October. But Iowa Association of Realtors president, Jen Burkamper says sales were up by double digits compared to last November. “Fifteen and a half percent for November over last year — and last year was a great year. So, we’re pretty excited about that,” Burkamper says. With one month remaining in 2020, it looks like the numbers are going to beat 2019. “For the year-to-date, we are up eight-point-three percent, which given the climate of the pandemic, we are pretty excited about that as well,” she says.

Three-thousand-727 (3,727) homes sold in November — nearly 500 more than November of 2019. Burkamper says loan rates and lock-downs seem to be behind the positive numbers. “The interest rate being under three percent really does help drive the market,” according to Burkamper. “And then also, with the pandemic, everybody being copped up in their homes, maybe working from home, home schooling — people are realizing that maybe they need a little more space, maybe they need a home office. I think that is really driving the demand for buyers.

The “for sale” signs didn’t stay up very long for most of the homes that sold. “For November, the days on the market were down to 48. We haven’t seen that since 2018, homes selling that quickly,” Burkamper says. The quick turnaround is good for those with homes on the market — but it makes it tough for those wanting to buy a home — and realtors looking for homes for their clients. “With the inventory being low, realtors have to do a lot of extra work as far as finding potential properties that maybe aren’t on the market,” Burkamper says. “And then for buyers — they’ve got to be really ready to go. They’ve have to have a pre-approval on hand – and it really helps for them to work with a professional realtor to make sure they have someone looking out for their best interests.”

The median sales price of 180-thousand dollars was up nine-point-four (9.4) percent when compared to November 2019 ($164,500 ).