(Radio Iowa) – Airports are among the many economic victims of the pandemic and while federal relief is helping, changes may come to smaller cities. After falling to just five-percent of normal passenger traffic in April, the Des Moines airport has seen a steady increase, though the numbers remain low. Executive director Kevin Foley says the airport and airlines are working to ensure safety from the coronavirus, but many people are still uncomfortable flying and some vacation spots remain closed.

Foley says, “I had hoped, and still hope, that maybe we could end the year at 50-percent of normal traffic.” Foley says federal CARES Act money is helping keep the airport afloat and fully functional. “Des Moines received $23 million that we can draw against, and we are,” Foley says, “and that’s going to get us through the first quarter of 2021.” At the moment, he says no airlines are pulling out of Des Moines, but other airports are facing steeper challenges.

American Airlines wants to stop flights to Sioux City, though United may fill that void. American also plans to stop flying to Dubuque during October and it’s not clear whether those flights will resume.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds criticized the Des Moines school district for not abandoning its online learning program and returning its more than 33,000 students to classrooms. Reynolds said Wednesday that other districts have managed to meet her requirement for in-person learning even as the state remains a national hotspot for coronavirus infections. Education Department Director Ann Lebo said officials would begin a process to potentially punish the district for not being in compliance. Lebo also affirmed the possibility Des Moines students could be required to take additional classes after school usually ends next spring. Des Moines officials argue it’s too risky for students and staff to return to classrooms under Reynolds’ order.

(Radio Iowa) – The president of the Iowa Brewers Guild says the impact of the pandemic closings could put as many as one-third of the state’s independent breweries out of business for good. Scott Selix gave an update during the Iowa Wine and Beer Promotion Board meeting. He says it’s hard to get an exact handle on the impact. “From the best that I can glean, brewery sales are down 40 to 50 percent across the board,” Selix says.

The governor shut down all breweries for a time during the pandemic and then shut them down in six counties after COVID-19 cases spiked. Facilities in Polk, Dallas, Linn and Black Hawk Counties can re-open at 5 p-m today (Wednesday). Selix says the impact on breweries depends on how diversified they are. “That tends to be worst for smaller breweries. Larger breweries that have cans in stores and have distribution models have seen sales somewhat shift from taproom sales to stores,” according to Selix.

He says those breweries that were just getting started when the pandemic hit appear to have suffered the biggest hit. “Newer breweries have seen their sales drop by….. some of them as much as 80 percent,” he says. Selix says some won’t be able to survive the drop in sales. “I believe based on information I’ve had talking to all of our members — we are going to see at least three Iowa breweries close in the next 30 to 60 days. And I fear that we may lose 30 breweries over the course of this winter,” Selix says.

He says the warm weather did give a boost to breweries. “Summer has helped with outdoor sales and patio sales,” he says, “but unless there is, I would say significant permanent intervention, we could see as much as a third of our breweries close.” He says breweries may be able to work out some agreements with their landlords that would help, but they will need other help. Selix operates a brewery in Des Moines.

A crash in eastern Iowa this (Wednesday) morning, resulted the death of one person and injuries to four juveniles. The accident happened on County Road V-44 southeast of Keystone in Benton County, at around 7:37-a.m. The Iowa State Patrol says a northbound 2004 Dodge Caravan dropped off the shoulder of a county road numerous times prior to the driver over-correcting and causing the vehicle to cross into the path of a southbound 2019 Bluebird Bus, which struck the van on the driver’s side. The accident happened about one-half mile north of Highway 30.

The driver of the van died at the scene. The bus driver was not hurt, but the juveniles on the bus suffered minor injuries. No names have been released at this time.