WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2020 | IN THIS ISSUE

• 'Painful' weeks ahead as models point to rising death toll

• Grassley calls for price fixing investigation into meatpackers

• Pandemic fallout begins to hit Iowa newsrooms

• Walmart institutes new temperature-taking policy

• Sesame Street takes on COVID-19 as kids' TV steps up

• Your day ahead: events & weather

President Donald Trump predicted a “very, very painful two weeks ahead” Tuesday afternoon as the federal government released its first official models of the course of the coronavirus, suggesting it could kill between 100,000-240,000 Americans despite social distancing efforts. According to the New York Times, the newly released data marks the Trump administration’s first estimate of the virus’ potential human toll. Though no state-by-state numbers were released, a model created by the University of Washington projects 777 COVID-19-related Iowa deaths through Aug. 4 , with a peak impact date of April 17. The model predicts Iowa will face a shortage of 108 intensive care unit beds on that date.

The grim projection comes as Linn County has rapidly taken the lead in cases-per-county, the Gazette reports, with 90 of a total 497 cases statewide - 30 of which are attributed to a cluster at Heritage Specialty Care in Cedar Rapids. Linn is followed by Polk County with 76 cases and Johnson County with 73.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is calling for a federal investigation into whether the nation’s largest meatpackers are using the COVID-19 pandemic to “gouge” Iowa cattle farmers . The Iowa Republican told the Register Tuesday that despite a 77% increase in demand for beef in March, prices have fallen 3.5% over the past several weeks; he went on to tweet that “[Four] companies control the market and they’re taking advantage.” Mr. Grassley is asking the U.S. Justice and Agriculture departments to look into Tyson, National Beef, JBS and Cargill, who deny any price fixing, arguing that even as supermarket sales have surged, orders from food service customers have plummeted.

Beef processors' margins surged to more than $600 per head of cattle last week due to temporary hoarding, Reuters notes. But that hasn’t translated into higher prices for farmers, leading Mr. Grassley and senators from South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana to ask for federal scrutiny.

Lee Enterprises, the parent company of 10 Iowa newspapers, will furlough employees or reduce compensation as it struggles to cut costs in response to a COVID-19-related drop in advertising revenue. The company told employees Tuesday they had a choice between a two-week furlough or an equivalent 4% pay cut, the Quad-City Times reports, while executives will take a 20% cut. Lee also owns the Dispatch-Argus, the Muscatine Journal and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in Eastern Iowa. The announcement comes one day after Gannett, the owner of the Register and the Press-Citizen, said it was also planning across-the-board furloughs and pay cuts , including a 25% reduction for its executive team.

Walmart, the nation’s largest employer, will begin taking employees’ temperatures at the beginning of every shift and offering masks to those who want to wear them. The company said Tuesday it was shipping infrared thermometers to all its U.S. locations, the Wall Street Journal reports, sending employees with high temperatures home with pay and asking them to stay home until they are fever-free for three days. The company has already closed locations overnight for extra cleaning, installed sneeze guards and reminded customers to practice social distancing with signage. Walmart's new "6-20-100" rule also asks employees to stay six feet away from others, spend 20 seconds washing their hands and stay home if their temperature is over 100 degrees.

Elmo, Cookie Monster and other Sesame Street characters are taking steps to teach kids safe hygiene in the coronavirus era. The AP reports that the beloved muppets will appear in four new public service spots, teaching kids how to properly wash hands and sneeze, even updating Elmo’s signature “Brushy Brush” to “Washy Wash.” Nickelodeon and Disney are also taking steps to educate its young viewership, Variety reports, with Nickelodeon airing the hour-long “#KidsTogether: The Nickelodeon Town Hall” on Monday and Disney Channel releasing a series of child-friendly informational messages on coping strategies from its most popular actors between shows.

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