WASHINGTON, D.C. President-elect Joe Biden officially announced Tom Vilsack as his Secretary of Agriculture on Thursday. The former Iowa governor served as the Secretary of Agriculture for all eight years of the Obama-Biden administration. Senator Chuck Grassley approved of the selection saying, “I felt he did a good job the eight years that he was Secretary of Agriculture under Obama, and I would look forward to four more years of working with him.”

EARTH (IRN) – Facebook is facing a new challenge to its decade-long dominance of social media. 45 state attorneys general, including Iowa’s Tom Miller, are filing an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook, accusing the Silicon Valley giant of illegally acquiring competing companies and taking other anti-competitive actions against smaller rivals.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Hy-Vee announced Wednesday that it will offer rapid antigen COVID-19 testing at 47 stores in the Midwest. Starting today, rapid antigen testing will be provided at 18 drive-thru pharmacy locations, including Des Moines, Urbandale, Mount Pleasant and Iowa City. Additional locations will begin testing later in the month. Results will be received in as little as one to two hours.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – The Cedar Falls City Council voted to put a hold on paid parking fees in municipal parking lots until April 1st, 2021 during a special meeting Wednesday night. The suspension of fees came at the request of business owners who have been financially hurt by the pandemic.

SIOUX FALLS, SD (IRN) – An important non-conference college basketball matchup between Iowa and Gonzaga in mid-December will be played without fans. It features the nation’s top ranked team, Gonzaga, with #3 Iowa. The game is taking place on a neutral court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on December 19 and will be televised.