From tornado deaths and now a school shooting.

Iowa is having a difficult week. My understanding is that the alert system for mobile phones was delayed in delivering messages to people facing a tornado warning. The sirens still work, but, the problem is people turn to their mobile phones more often than listening for alert sirens.

Iowa needs to run tornado siren drills to keep everyone listening. I have to wonder if the delay is a cyber attack.

March 5, 2022
By John Murphy

Officials said at least seven people (click here) were killed in Iowa over the weekend due to an outbreak of severe weather that unleashed more than two dozen tornadoes, including one EF3 twister. By Monday morning, the weather pattern had shifted to a wintry one and residents in several of the hard-hit areas were dealing with fresh snowfall....

Sincerest sympahies for all the people that face the loss of loved ones and friends in both these tragic episodes.

March 7, 2022

Authorities (click here) say one person has been killed and two others were critically wounded in a shooting outside an Iowa school....

...“It is a punch in the gut that we have three kids in the hospital," he said, “but we are hoping for the best for them.”

He said calls started pouring in around 2:50 p.m., shortly before classes were scheduled to dismiss for the day. The district said in a series of tweets that the school was initially locked down but later it announced that students were being allowed to go home.

Police said they do not believe there is a continued threat to the public.

“It is sad but we do train for this. We do have to be prepared for it and this is why."

The motive wasn't immediately released and he had no details on the potential suspects....

Oddly, Senator Grassley, proposed a bill to attempt to end school shootings. 

February 15, 2022

On the fourth anniversary of the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history, (click here) Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley pushed for passage of his bipartisan bill called the EAGLES Act.

Grassley, a Republican, says the bill would expand the role of the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center to identify and manage threats from teenagers before they result in more tragedies.

Grassley says, “We would, by amending that assessment center, give it responsibility not only to do what the Secret Service already does there but to prevent school violence.”...

I appreciate the effort, but, it seems a little removed from local issues with gun violence. The Secret Service is supposed to understand that a teenager has access to weapons that kill and act on that information to prevent the tragedy ahead of it happening. 

It would be great if it worked, but, that seems like a tall order for the Secret Service. 

Senator Jodi Ernst has distanced herself from gun issues. She hasn't really discussed guns for nearly two years. She seems to have bowed to the gun lobby.