Podcasts about Cedar River

The Cardboard Boat Race IS BACK!! The Morning Scramble gets one shot…one opportunity…to show you exactly what they did over their weekends. Check out their weekend photos on the Z102.9 Facebook page, hear the stories of their adventures, and share what you did! The Morning Scramble had a great time cruising the Cedar River in a boat last ... Read more

The Morning Scramble Birthday Boat! Morning Scramble “know-it-all” Tony Milan comes aboard to teach us Boat Life Producer Ben will test his sea legs as he steps foot on a pontoon for the first time ever and broadcasts completely on water and untethered on the Cedar River. If you were limited to a 3-song playlist ... Read more

Join The Cozy Mystery Book Club for All Sorts of Sleuthing Fun

In this episode of the Industrial Advisors podcast, the hosts dive into the flex market, discussing what constitutes a flex property, typical characteristics, and how these properties have evolved over the decades. They highlight the historical development and current state of the flex market, noting key projects from the 1980s to the early 2000s, such as Walker Business Plaza and Cedar River. The conversation covers the challenges and opportunities within the flex market, including the impact of economic downturns, vacancy rates, and the specific needs of small credit tenants. The hosts also mention successful strategies by owners and the potential for future developments despite high construction costs. Chapters: 00:58 - 5MF: What is Flex 04:35 - When to Build Flex 07:04 – Outro You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, For more, visit industrialadvisors.com

The redhead was found recently at the mouth of the Cedar River in southern Lake Washington. Stay tuned to SPACE 101.1 FM for more spotlight bird action, and come back soon to the Seattle Bird Podcast for more interviews with local bird experts!

This is the Michigan Golf Live Radio July 20th edition featuring Shanty Creek Resort. We're exploring all facets of golf and fun at Shanty Creek Resort in Bellaire, MI - home of The Legend, Cedar River, Hawk's Eye, and 90 holes of golf. You'll also have a chance to win FREE GOLF so listen closely for entry details! ---------------- MGL 24/7 Listener Hotline - (989) 272-2383 - we want to hear from you! Subscribe to the MGL/FGN Podcast Watch our videos on YouTube  

Along the Cedar River southeast of Renton, the remains of a coal mining operation – and the ghost town that was once a bustling home to the miners who worked the slope mine there – might contain the clues necessary to help solve a mystery directly related to one of the “Boys in the Boat.”

This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I'm here with your update for Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024.According to the National Weather Service, today's weather will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Tonight will remain mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.Shootout with Cedar Rapids police leaves suspect deadCedar Rapids police officers responding to reports of a drive-by shooting Monday morning were fired on repeatedly by the driver of the fleeing suspected vehicle — until five officers returned fire and killed the driver, state investigators said.The names of the officers involved and the person killed were not released Monday by the state Division of Criminal Investigation, which is investigating the shooting. None of the officers was injured.According to the DCI, the episode unfolded during a police chase that went on for miles on the city's east side as the driver fired at pursuing officers on at least three occasions.Iowa outdoor enthusiasts went on the year's first hikeIt was a good day for long-haired dogs, children with puffy coats and Eastern Iowa friends from different cities who met to enjoy nature on the first day of 2024.Hikers of all ages met at the lodge at noon and took off along the Cedar Cliff trail, which winds along the bluff of the Cedar River. Some people strode the full 2-mile, hilly trail, while others stopped at the gazebo to chat with Ranger Luke Wagner. A couple families with small children spent an hour on the riverbank sandbar, digging with sticks and watching the ducks huddled in the frigid water.They all met back at the lodge for cocoa, hot dogs and s'mores roasted over a fire in the massive stone hearth of the 1930s building.Iowa Republicans look to broaden religious freedomIowa's Republican leaders say they are not planning to expand on the list of laws passed last year addressing conservative social issues and regulating gender and sexuality issues in schools, but lawmakers may revive a push for religious liberty protections.State Sen. Dennis Guth, a Republican from Klemme, said Republicans are going to pursue a bill to strengthen religious liberty protections, mirroring the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.The law, signed in 1993 by Democratic President Bill Clinton, requires that courts apply strict scrutiny, the highest level of judicial review, when considering cases where a person's religious liberty is burdened. It was passed as a reaction to a 1990 U.S. Supreme Court case that was seen as narrowing religious freedoms.

Welcome to the last weekend of 2023!This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I'm here with your update for Saturday, December 30th, and Sunday, December 31st, 2023.According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will have some patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, it'll be partly sunny, with a high near 40. Saturday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.Sunday will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Sunday night will be partly cloudy, with a low around 22.Judge temporarily halts new Iowa law on school books, gender identity teachingCalling it “incredibly broad” and “wildly overbroad,” a federal judge Friday temporarily halted the implementation of most of a new Iowa state law that bans school books and curriculum with depictions of sex acts and prohibits the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation through sixth grade.The ruling means most of the new law cannot be enforced while the federal courts continue to hear legal challenges to its constitutionality.Judge Stephen H. Locher, of the U.S. District Court in Iowa's Southern District, in a ruling Friday halted parts of the law that prohibit books and curriculum with depictions of sex acts, as well as the prohibition on teaching gender identity or sexual orientation through sixth grade.Locher left in place the portion of the law that requires educators to notify parents when a student asks to be called by different pronouns. Locher said the plaintiffs in the case lacked legal standing: Because the plaintiffs involved are already publicly LGBTQ, that portion of the law does not apply to them, Locher ruled.‘Sleeping giant' being razed to clear way for pedestrian-bike bridge in Cedar RapidsThe railway bridge over the Cedar River that has been an eyesore for years is being removed to clear the way for a new pedestrian-bike bridge that's part of the $20 million ConnectCR project.A demolition crew was on the river this week to remove the old CRANDIC Bridge. Demolition is expected to be completed in the spring, with construction of the new bridge scheduled to begin in late 2024.The new Alliant Energy LightLine pedestrian-bike bridge will be built across the river near Mount Trashmore, connecting the NewBo District on the east side of the river and the Czech Village District on the west.Iowa City charter review could include revamping voting districtsIowa City next month will begin the process of reviewing its city charter, which happens every 10 years.At least one council member says there should be changes to what now is a “broken” system in which some council candidates represent geographic districts but all citizens may vote for all district seats.The Iowa Constitution gives cities the power to choose among several forms of municipal government, among them the option of establishing a home rule charter to outline how city government is structured.Most cities in Iowa use a mayor-council form of government in which the mayor and five council members are elected at large, Kemp said.In Cedar Rapids, also a charter city, the mayor and three council members are elected at large, while the remaining five members are elected by voters who live in their districts.Iowa City's 19-page charter defines how the council is elected and sets the group's responsibilities, which include appointing a city manager, city clerk, city attorney and city boards. The charter also describes the duties of the city manager and how citizens may petition for a referendum.Have a good weekend, and Happy New Year!

David shares his ESH and the principles of recovery.

Thursday's First Hour: Clean Water in Iowa starts in Palo, IA today and Bob is at the farm of Dan Voss! He is joined to start the show by Voss talking about his bioreactor, the decision to install it, and about the waterways he is working to keep clean because of it. Sean McMahon from the Iowa Ag Water Alliance tells us about the success of the "Batch and Build" model in Iowa. Justin Schroeder, Environmental Manager for the City of Cedar Rapids, tells us why it's such a big deal to them as they break ground on the batch and build project in the Cedar River watershed. And Allison Bishop from Hertz Farm Management discusses how they work with landowners in adding water quality projects on their farm. To end the hour, we send it to Indianapolis with Lydia Johnson as she covers the National FFA Convention & Expo for us courtesy of Sinclair Tractor! She chats with Lincoln Electric's Rachel Blankenship about the technology training they are showing students at the Expo.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I'm here with your update for September 25, 2023.According to the National Weather Service there will be a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. on Monday in the Cedar Rapids area. There may also be some patchy fog before 9 a.m. But besides that, it should be another mostly sunny day, with a high near 80 degrees.There may be a better chance for some rain on Tuesday.Drought conditions have continued to worsen across Eastern Iowa this summer. Exceptional drought — the most severe drought ranking — covers about 5 percent of the state, the greatest extent Iowa has seen since the start of the U.S. Drought Monitor in 2000. Almost three quarters of the state is experiencing severe drought or worse.Overall, 2023 ranks in the top 10 driest years for Northeast and East-Central Iowa. Linn and Benton counties each have received less than 50 percent of normal rainfall throughout the summer, marking their record-driest summers. About 80 percent of the state's topsoil moisture levels ranked below adequate, according to the recently released U.S. Department of Agriculture Crop Progress and Condition report.“The current drought, which is approaching 170 consecutive weeks of at least moderate drought conditions somewhere in the state, has been the longest in the U.S. Drought Monitor's nearly 24-year period of record," said Justin Glisan, the state drought coordinator and climatologist, in a statement.Those conditions have taken their toll on crops and livestock in Eastern Iowa, particularly into the northeast corner of the state. Harvest is just getting started — but many farmers aren't optimistic about this year's yields.At this point, rain won't make a difference to this year's crops and grazing conditions. So far, 5 percent of the state's corn has been harvested, along with 3 percent of its soybeans. Only time will tell how yields may turn out.Traffic into and out of downtown Cedar Rapids on the First Avenue Bridge will be affected Tuesday during floodgate testing.The First Avenue Bridge over the Cedar River is set to be closed from Third Street West to First Street East from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday. Detour signs will be in place.The city is testing the roller gate that was installed near First Street East outside City Hall to ensure that the wet seal is watertight in the event of a flood. The gate is 12 feet tall, 82 feet long and 6 feet thick.Besides doing floodgate testing, crews are scheduled to re-stripe the road.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I'm here with your update for September 1, 2023.According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny in the Cedar Rapids area on Friday with a high near 87 degrees. On Friday evening there will be clear skies, with a low of around 59 degrees.No one was injured in a Thursday afternoon fire at the University of Iowa's Iowa Advanced Technology Lab.The fire at the lab, 205 N. Madison St., was quickly extinguished and the damage to the building is not expected to impact day-to-day operations, according to a UI news release.The fire was reported at 1:07 p.m.When University of Iowa police, UI Fire Safety and the Iowa City Fire Department arrived, people were evacuating the building and pointed the public safety officials to the southwest side of the building, where smoke was coming out of stainless-steel wall panels.An estimate of the damage is not yet available, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.A body pulled last week from the Cedar River has been identified as Kevin Finch, 53, who authorities said died of natural causes.A city public safety news release said the last known address for Finch was in Ankeny, but did not say why his body was discovered here.An autopsy performed by the state medical examiner showed no foul play was suspected in Finch's death, according to the news release.All ramps of the Interstate 80 and Interstate 380 interchange opened Wednesday afternoon for the first time in years as the major road project nears completion.The Iowa Department of Transportation announced the good news for drivers on electronic signs leading up to the interchange.The $387 million interchange project, which began in 2018, replaced the cloverleaf loops with directional ramps. Iowa DOT widened I-80 on both sides of the interchange, I-380 north of I-80 and Highway 218 south of I-80.The department expects the makeover to reduce crashes and traffic delays on highways that will see increasing car and semi traffic, officials said last week at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.Crews still are working on median barriers and installing permanent striping and rumble strips. But the Iowa DOT — and Johnson County officials — wanted to get all the ramps open before Friday's FRYfest in Coralville and before Saturday's Hawkeye football season opener. NewBo City Market is preparing to undergo a $2.5 million project that would provide more space for businesses, a grocery store, a stage and a mezzanine that would become a stronger incubator for local entrepreneurs, artists and farmers.The planned work at the market — a central community gathering space that developed after the devastating 2008 flood — still is in the early stages, according to Julie Parisi, the market's executive director.But the vision has been over a year in the making to make improvements that fuel tourism and enhance the market's role as a community hub.The new mezzanine would be built over about one-third of the north end of the market space, where seating is now located. Seating and event space will be moved onto the...

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I'm here with your update for August 21, 2023.It'll be hot again Monday. According to the National Weather Service it will be mostly sunny on Monday with a high near 94 degrees. On Monday night it will be partly cloudy, with a low of around 73 degrees.Cedar Rapids police and fire personnel recovered a body from the Cedar River on Sunday afternoon.According to a city news release, police and firefighters received a report of a body floating in the river around 2:30 p.m.Responding officers found a man's body floating along the west bank of the river between the Ellis boat ramp and I Avenue boat ramp. Firefighters used a boat to recover the body just before 3:30 p.m.Officials don't yet know the identity of the dead man. An investigation is underway.A section of sidewalk on Third Avenue in downtown Cedar Rapids was closed Saturday morning after bricks fell from the facade of a four-story building and landed on the sidewalk.The falling bricks landed adjacent to the Granby building, 218 2nd St. SE, according to a news release from the city of Cedar Rapids. The incident was reported at approximately 7:25 a.m. Saturday, shortly before the Downtown Cedar Rapids Farmers Market opened. No injuries were reported, according to the city.Using a Cedar Rapids Fire Department ladder truck, crews inspected the building's exterior and removed other loose materials. The city's Buildings Services Department was notified. A preliminary inspection indicated the bricks fell from the facade.A Cedar Rapids man was sentenced Friday to 30 months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.Leo Christopher Kelly, 37, was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on seven offenses, including obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, and six misdemeanors.According to court documents and evidence presented during Kelly's May trial, Kelly was one of the few rioters who breached the Senate Chamber. While there, Kelly ascended the Senate Dais, leafed through sensitive documents and took photos of them, the DOJ reported.Kelly's video showed him joining other rioters in challenging police, the news release states.Judge Royce C. Lamberth sentenced Kelly to 30 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Kelly must pay $7,000 in restitution and fines.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I'm here with your update for August 14, 2023.According to the National Weather Service there will likely be showers and thunderstorms before 7 a.m. in the Cedar Rapids area. There will be a chance for rain after that, but it will grow progressively less likely as the day goes on. It will also feel quite cool for what we've recently been used to, with a high of 72 degrees.The Linn County Sheriff's Office and the FBI are investigating a shots-fired incident reported north of Center Point on Friday evening.At roughly 4:20 p.m. on Friday a group of children were playing near the intersection of North Center Point and Fee roads, according to a media release.A silver four-door pickup truck was driving nearby, occupied by at least two males, according to the release. A white male in the truck fired a shot from the vehicle in “the vicinity of the children playing” and then sped off.No one was injured in the incident. An investigation is ongoing.The FBI is asking for anyone who may have information about this incident, or video of this area during this time frame, to call the FBI at (402) 493-8688.The city of Cedar Rapids is trying again to seek a massive grant — $56.4 million — from the federal government to reconstruct the Eighth Avenue “Arc of Justice” Bridge over the Cedar River.A key segment of the city's permanent flood control system, the estimated $76 million bridge project would provide a lifeline connection for residents and emergency services when Cedar River waters rise to extreme levels like during the 2008 flood.The Cedar Rapids City Council last week signed off on the application for a Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Costsaving Transportation Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The PROTECT discretionary grant program is a new program created through the federal bipartisan infrastructure law.“The newly constructed bridge will be raised in elevation to allow a critical transportation corridor in the event of another major Cedar River flood condition,” Public Works Director Bob Hammond said in a statement. “With this project completed, it would be one of three north/south transportation routes to mitigate flooding impacts: those three being (Interstate) 380, Arc of Justice Bridge and State Route 100 bridge.”Hammond said the city's executive leadership team recognized the project's importance for diversity, equity and inclusion and chose the “Arc of Justice” as a fitting name. City officials have said the new bridge will limit the need to evacuate areas behind the completed flood control system, improve trail access and expand connectivity across the river.

Cedar River clean up is near, sign up by going to the eventbrite and typing in Cedar River Cleanup. Reach out to Ellensburg angler to book a Yakima trip and the evening hatch has a amazing selection of flies to get you in the right direction!

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I'm here with your update for Friday, July 14.There will be another day with a chance for rain, although a lot is uncertain. According to the National Weather Service it will be partly sunny in the Cedar Rapids area on Friday. There will be a 50 percent chance of showers all day. The amount of predicted rain will be less than a quarter inch in total, except in areas where thunderstorms develop.The city of Cedar Rapids will soon launch its process of refreshing the master plan guiding development of the approximately 130-acre greenway along the west side of the Cedar River — providing a vision for enhancements and recreational amenities alongside flood protection.The Cedar Rapids City Council this week signed off on a contract with Brooklyn, New York-based Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc. to update the greenway parks plan for $262,800.The greenway plan will cover three areas: the Time Check neighborhood running north; the central riverfront in Kingston Village; and Czech Village in the south.The greenway project will be coordinated to work with other city renovation and flood control projects as the city seeks to continue to improve the spaces that were heavily hit by flooding 15 years ago and by a derecho in 2020.There will be some new local flight options available to Florida, just as the temperatures start to get colder here.American Airlines on Thursday announced it will add a direct flight to Miami from Cedar Rapids, starting in November,The Saturday-only seasonal service will run November through March.The announcement came the same week that Allegiant announced that, also starting in November, it will offer nonstop flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport — marking the airline's ninth nonstop flight route out of the Cedar Rapids airport.The new flight will fly twice a week. Allegiant announced introductory fares would start at $60, for one-way flights. Initial plans called for the new Cedar Rapids flight to be offered year-round, but Allegiant considers all of its routes to be seasonal because its business model is built on offering low-cost airfare during vacation seasons.Mike and the late Esther Wilson of Cedar Rapids have given $1 million toward the renovation of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch.The Hoover Presidential Foundation said the gift has pushed the “Timeless Values | Modern Experience” fundraising campaign to roughly 65 percent of its $20 million goal.Esther Wilson, who died in July 2022, was an active volunteer with RSVP, assisting Erskine Elementary students with mathematics and providing bookkeeping support to older women.Mike Wilson, now 97, was an engineer at Rockwell Collins, who had limited time for other activities while working but embraced volunteer work after he retired, assisting student robotics teams and serving on his church's board of trustees.An area in the museum dedicated to standards and regulations, a topic in which Hoover, an engineer, played a pivotal role while U.S. secretary of commerce, will be named in Wilson's honor.

You are listening to The Gazette's Daily News Podcast on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. I'm your host, Bailey Cichon filling in for Stephen Schmidt.The future of the 'fetal heartbeat' law is up to the Iowa Supreme Court. On Tuesday, attorneys representing Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds argued in front of the Iowa Supreme Court over Gov. Reynolds' request that the court lift an injunction on the 2018 state law that would ban abortions once a fetus's heartbeat can be detected. Right now, abortion is legal in Iowa until 20 weeks of pregnancy. But if the Iowa Supreme Court grants Reynolds's request, a vast majority of abortions in Iowa will become illegal. Some major medical organizations argued that an actual heartbeat doesn't occur until about 17 to 20 weeks of pregnancy. What is detected at six weeks is not a heartbeat, but actually electrical impulses. There isn't a timeline for the Iowa Supreme Court's decision but most decisions are published by the end of the court's term June 30. Iowa Supreme Court is currently made up of five justices appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds and two by previous Governor Terry Branstad, who is also a Republican. For more details: https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/fetal-heartbeat-law-argued-in-iowa-supreme-court/$306 million. That is how much the Army Corps of Engineers will contribute to constructing Cedar Rapids' flood control system on the east side of the Cedar River. Previously, the Army Corps had committed $117 million toward the project. Tuesday they announced the additional contribution. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. For a closer look: read Marissa Payne's story "Army Corps boosts C.R. flood control commitment to $306M on river's east side". Next, Barrel House is expanding to Coralville. This edition is the local franchise brand's third location in the Corridor. The Coralville location will be located at 3230 Redhawk Street, Suite 300. It's set to open around May.Finally, a look at today's weather. Today will be cloudy with a high of 84 and low of 53. Thank you for listening. For all the latest stories coming out of Eastern Iowa, visit thegazette.com. For The Gazette, I'm Bailey Cichon. Have a great day.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Wednesday, February 22.Slushy, rainy mess coming on Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, rain or freezing rain is likely in the Cedar Rapids area before 10 a.m., with rain likely after. A high of near 37 degrees will be reached at some point during the day. The chance of precipitation is 100 percent. It will continue to rain Wednesday night, potentially turning into snow Thursday morning.Be careful driving in the morning and evening especially. Some of the most dangerous times to drive are when it hovers above and below freezing. There will be a winter storm advisory from the National Weather Service from 9 a.m. Wednesday until 6 p.m. Thursday for much of Eastern Iowa. North of Cedar Rapids is expected to see significant snowfall.A Linn County jury Tuesday convicted a Chicago man of 10 charges — which could result in up to 107 years in prison — for robbing a Casey's store in Coggon on June 20, 2021 and shooting a Linn County deputy seven times.Stanley L. Donahue, 38, laughed when the 10 guilty verdicts were read. As he left the courtroom in handcuffs he looked at Linn County Sheriff's Deputy William Halverson and said, “It should've been worse than it was,” and cursed at him.Halverson told reporters after the verdict that he wasn't going to lose sleep over Donahue's comments.As a result responding to the robbery, Halverson was shot seven times in his hip and leg, beared the painful recovery period of over a year and underwent surgery to insert a rod in his leg and screws in his left knee. Despite this, deputy Halverson has returned to full duty for the Linn County Sheriff's Department.The city of Cedar Rapids is moving forward with plans to shut down the storage quarry across from Ellis Harbor by Dec. 31 — an operational change that some residents fear will create logistical hurdles to accessing the space along the Cedar River.Cedar Rapids residents and nonresidents may lease space for a fee to keep their trailers and house boats in the quarry at 2550 Ellis Blvd. NW. Harbor stakeholders say it's vital to the harbor's operation, as it allows houseboats to be transported to the water with ease.City officials say the quarry is separate from the harbor and that they have no plans to shut down the unique neighborhood where people spend summers.But harbor stakeholders said the logistical challenges of moving their large trailers and house boats will, in effect, force a segment of users out of the harbor, adversely affecting the nostalgic beauty of the semipermanent neighborhood.John Hansen, the Harbor Association's city liaison, said those with house boats on the harbor likely will opt not to return if their house boats can't be moved with ease.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Friday, January 6.We'll get a bit of a break from snow on Friday. According to the National Weather Service there will be a high near 31 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area with partly sunny skies. On Friday night it will be partly cloudy, with a low of around 18 degrees.The weather should be similar for the next few days, with the temperature rising again.Owners of a Marengo workshop that exploded last month, injuring half its workforce and leaving an environmental mess, now may face thousands of dollars in fines on top of cleanup costs.The Iowa Department of Natural Resources referred C6-Zero to the Attorney General's Office for legal action this week after the company said it could not meet deadlines for cleaning up the site.The DNR ordered C6-Zero to complete an environmental site assessment plan by Dec. 31, but that date passed without a filing. EcoSource, LLC, a Des Moines-area environmental consulting firm, submitted a plan on C6-Zero's behalf Jan. 3, DNR Spokeswoman Tammie Krausman said.The Gazette asked the DNR for a copy of the plan, but the agency did not immediately respond.The DNR has the authority to pursue administrative penalties of up to $10,000, but the Attorney General can seek higher penalties. Iowa law allows for fines of $5,000 a day for water quality violations, $5,000 a day for solid waste violations and $10,000 a day for air quality violations.Human remains that were found in the Cedar River last week have been identified as Erik Spaw, a Cedar Rapids employee who went missing last summer, according to a news release from the Cedar Rapids Police Department.Spaw, 54, was reported missing on May 7. He'd been working the night before at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant at 7807 Ellis Rd. NW, and was reported missing by his co-workers, who noticed he never returned to the J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, where his personal car was parked.Spaw's city-owned pickup truck was found submerged in the Cedar River just upriver from the Edgewood Road bridge with no one inside. His mother, Karen Spaw, told The Gazette at the time that he had diabetes and he'd been having trouble regulating his insulin intake, so she believed he may have passed out from low-blood sugar and driven into the river.Cedar Rapids search crews spent several days on the river looking for Spaw, and periodically returned throughout the summer to continue searching.Residents in the Solon Community School District have indicated strong support for a $

Welcome to the last weekend of 2022.This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Saturday, December 31, and Sunday, January 1.There could be a little bit of rain and fog on Saturday before things settle down on Sunday. According to the National Weather Service, there could be areas of dense fog overnight until around 10 a.m. in the morning on Saturday in the Cedar Rapids area. There will be a 30 percent chance of rain, mainly between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Otherwise it will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 39 degrees. On New Year's Day it will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 43 degrees and a calm wind.Iowa City's iconic Hamburg Inn No. 2 is set to close indefinitely Jan. 8 in part due to strained communications between local management and the owner.Assistant Manager Katy Wells confirmed plans to close, saying staff and local management made the decision among themselves, unsure if the closure would be temporary or permanent.She said management, including General Manager Ajax Lasko, came to the decision a few days ago after being unable to make substantial contact with owner Micheal Lee, who is in Taiwan.Michael Lee, a native of China and University of Iowa graduate, purchased the restaurant from Dave Panther in 2016. Panther's family had owned the Linn Street restaurant since 1948. The restaurant first opened in 1935.Substantial building maintenance needs all mounted at once at the Hamburg Inn building after the blizzard earlier in December, and local management doesn't have the resources to make necessary repairs. Wells said the location's building was built around 1947.Cedar Rapids officials were dispatched Friday after hunters found human remains in the Cedar River.Police and fire department staff were dispatched in the early afternoon after the hunters reported seeing the remains in the river, just below the water treatment facility near Bertram.Positive identification of who the person was will still take some time, according to the release.A Marengo company whose workshop exploded and caught fire Dec. 8 failed to meet a state deadline Friday for filing a report about how owners plan to clean up the area, which state regulators called a “clear threat to public health and the environment.”An emergency order Dec. 15 gave C6-Zero until 5 p.m. Friday to submit the written report explaining sources of contamination and plan for cleanup. The order also stipulated that C6-Zero must implement all requirements of the plan within 45 days of the order.The order notes regulators may impose civil penalties of up to $5,000 per day for solid waste violations and water quality violations and up to $10,000 per day for air quality violations.The Marengo plant, which opened in 2020 and had about 30 employees, still was in a pilot phase Dec. 8 when liquid solvent in a tank exploded and started a fire. Between 10 and 15 people were treated for injuries at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and neighbors living near the facility were briefly evacuated.Have a great weekend everyone. We'll see you again in 2023.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Wednesday, December 7.There may be some fog to start the day, but otherwise it will be sunny and calm on Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny with a high near 43 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area on Wednesday. Morning commuters should be wary of the possibility of dense fog before 11 a.m.On Wednesday night it will be mostly clear, with a low of around 25 degrees.The Iowa chapter of the Humane Society of the United States is working with the Cedar County Sheriff's Office to offer a $5,000 reward for anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of the person who shot a cat with a crossbow in October.Atticus, one of eight cats belonging to Molly Garrett and her family, went missing between Oct. 20 and 21. Garrett and her family take in a lot of stray cats, and Atticus, a red tabby, has been living with them for about a year.They live out in the country, outside of Wilton, and their cats roam freely during the day, but they usually all return at night to avoid dangers like coyotes.Luckily for Atticus, he walked away from the encounter with all nine lives intact. The arrow managed to go cleanly through his body without hitting any organs.He's almost completely healed now, after receiving a lot of pampering over the last monthThe sheriff's department has been investigating the incident, but hasn't found any leads. They discovered the arrow was a bolt from a crossbow, which requires a special license to hunt with in Iowa, but searching for registered crossbows in the area hasn't turned anything up so far.“We appreciate any help in this case and we do not tolerate any type of animal cruelty or abuse in Cedar County and we will do everything possible to fully investigate this case,” Chief Deputy Kevin Knoche of the Cedar County Sheriff's Office said in a news release issued by the Humane Society of the United States.The city of Cedar Rapids is negotiating a deal to purchase land at up to $10 million from Rick and Marsha Stickle to build a flood control levee around Cedar Lake, with additional land providing for a flood plain.The Cedar Rapids City Council voted Tuesday to OK the city's purchase of the property at and around 550 Stickle Dr. NE and Cedar Lake, as well as easement rights around Union Pacific's north rail yard and the lake, for a segment of the $750 million permanent flood control system in the city.Under the city's flood control system master plan, which was approved after the devastating flood of 2008 to protect the city from rising Cedar River waters, the north end of the system ties into high ground around Interstate 380 and J Avenue NE.The approximately 30 acres owned by the Stickles at 550 Stickle Dr. NE, and the vacant land between there and the lake, is north of Quaker Oats.Two Cedar Rapids multi-unit buildings, Geneva Tower and Hawthorne Hills, have been sold to a Denver-based development company, the Affordable Housing Network said Tuesday.Geneva Tower, whose apartments at 310 Fifth Ave. SE are rented to mostly low-income seniors and adults with disabilities, and Hawthorne Hills, an income-based housing facility at 2283 C St. SW, were sold to Edgemark Communities, the affordable housing division of Edgemark Development, the network said in a news release.Financial terms of the sale, finalized Dec. 2, were not released.Edgemark Development, founded 22 years ago, counts shopping centers, self-storage facilities, senior housing, retail and medical office buildings among its properties. Edgemark Communities is its affordable housing division.

Featuring: Ken Workman (Duwamish), 5th generation Great-Grandson of Chief Seattle.Warren King George (Muckleshoot), historian, Muckleshoot Indian TribeOwen Oliver (Quinault / Isleta Pueblo) https://owenloliver.com/Lydia Sigo (Suquamish), geoduck diver

Stories in this episode: Day in History: 1972: North Star Bar opens with win in state tournament What'll you have, Rochester? Is this a bar town or brewery town? Olmsted County throwing in $90,000 to fill Channel One shelves MPCA invests $185K into Rochester, Cedar River extreme weather preparation projects 5 returners who can power the Rochester Grizzlies' repeat run to a Fraser Cup The Post Bulletin is proud to be a part of the Trust Project. Learn more at thetrustproject.org.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Friday, July 29. The great weather continues! According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny with a high near 82 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area on Friday. On Friday night it will be mostly clear, with a low of around 59 degrees Thanks but no thanks. This appears to be the answer from the Cedar Rapids School Board after the City of Cedar Rapids offered to pay for two officers that the board voted to remove from the district's  middle schools in a recent approval of the contract. Cedar Rapids school board president David Tominsky said Thursday the board is not considering changing its decision on a contract for school resource officers in schools after the mayor offered for the city to pay for two of the officers to work in middle schools. “The board has examined the School Resource Officer program comprehensively, made a data-driven decision, and voted earlier this month on a path forward,” Tominsky said in an email to The Gazette. “After review of the mayor's letter, no board member will be changing their vote.” Board members said the decision was not based on funding, but rather on a racial disparity in student arrests. This said, there will still be officers in other schools in the district. The city of Cedar Rapids hopes to receive a $50 million boost for flood protection under a bill that passed the U.S. Senate Thursday. Senators voted 93-1 to pass the 2022 Water Resources Development Act. The biannual packages authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out water resources projects and includes key measures secured by Iowa Republican U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley to update Cedar Rapids' flood system and a levee in the Des Moines area. The bill could unlock federal dollars for flood protection on the east side of the Cedar River — which would allow the city to accelerate work on other segments of the system. A year after Mercy Iowa City announced plans to exit its four-year affiliation with the statewide MercyOne health network and integrate into a larger health care system, the only community hospital in Iowa City is ending its unsuccessful search and sticking with MercyOne after all. In an email to Mercy Iowa City employees Thursday, Acting President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Trachta acknowledged “significant changes that could not have been anticipated” during the search for a partner that would help put the hospital on a better financial path. In the email, Trachta also announced Dawna Miller, Mercy Iowa City's executive vice president and chief financial officer, and Judy Andronowitz, vice president and chief operating officer, are leaving. While Mercy Iowa City is focusing internally on improving performance and staffing, the hospital has engaged consultant Insight Health Partners to assess its financial and strategic operations, Trachta said Thursday. An assessment of the 194-bed hospital will take about 60 days and engage leaders, colleagues and providers in meetings and evaluation activities to give feedback for the campus' future. Mercy Iowa City has been struggling to find financial footing for years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, which ravaged the healthcare industry. Numbers show that Mercy Iowa City did not bounce back as well as other local hospitals as pandemic conditions improved.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Friday, July 15. There will be a chance for rain early and a chance for rain at the end of the day Friday.  According to the National Weather Service there will be a 40 to 50 percent chance for rain in the Cedar Rapids area Friday morning, with the chance decreasing by 1 p.m. The chance for rain will spike up to around 30 percent Friday night. Otherwise it will be cloudy, with a high of 88 degrees and a low of 70 degrees. Emergency responders are continuing to search the Cedar River near Palisades-Kepler State Park for an 11-year-old girl, identified Thursday by the Linn County Sheriff's Office as Zyah Thomas of Cedar Rapids. Crews were called to the state park Wednesday afternoon when the girl reportedly went into the water and began to struggle, according to a new release.The search continued throughout the rest of Wednesday. In a tweet Thursday, the Sheriff's Office identified the girl by name and called the incident a drowning. Sheriff Brian Gardner said Thomas was visiting the beach area Wednesday with her family. Progress on a 640-acre solar farm near Coggon — approved by the Linn County Board of Supervisors after contentious public meetings — is on hold while a court resolves a case brought against the supervisors by a family who lives near the planned project. On Wednesday, the Iowa Utilities Board denied Coggon Solar LLC's request for a certificate of public convenience, use and necessity until the court acts. The certificate is the permit that authorizes Coggon Solar LLC to operate a public facility within the area and is typically for public utilities or similar entities. https://www.thegazette.com/local-government/linn-county-supervisors-vote-2-1-to-approve-coggon-solar-project/ (In January, the supervisors voted 2-1) to approve rezoning in the area to allow for the project. The approval meant that about 750 acres would be rezoned from agricultural to agricultural with a renewable energy overlay that expires after 35 years. In February, Martin Robinson, Paula Robinson, Tom Robinson and Laura Robinson filed an appeal and initiated a proceeding in Linn County District Court to challenge the zoning decision. The Robinsons had been present at several of the meetings about the solar project and had expressed concerns about the effect it might have on property values, among other criticisms. The Vinton Public Library, which has been closed this week afterhttps://www.thegazette.com/news/with-another-leader-leaving-vinton-public-library-closes-for-now/ ( losing its interim director )— and, before that, two directors in two years — will reopen for limited hours beginning Monday. The two directors left for other jobs amid https://www.thegazette.com/news/two-directors-quit-vinton-library-after-complaints-about-hirings-lgbtq-and-biden-books/ (city resident complaints about the library's display of LGBTQ books and books about Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris). The library will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Board members and the library's one part-time employee will take shifts to check out books and provide access to the library's computers, copier and fax machines. The board said they are also moving ahead on interviewing three candidates for the new director position. 

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Tuesday, June 28. We'll get another sub 90s day Tuesday before it warms back up in the middle of the week. According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny for much of the day in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 87 degrees. On Tuesday night after 4 p.m. there will be a 20 percent chance of showers up until around 7 p.m. Then Tuesday night it will be mostly clear, with a low around 63 degrees. The Iowa City Church on American Legion Road is searching for a place to hold services after an early Saturday morning fire “fully engulfed” the building “in flames and smoke”  before it was declared a total loss. The cause of the fire is unknown, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office said Monday. “It is standard practice for the (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) to investigate a fire involving a church and the primary focus at this point is to determine the cause.” The Johnson County Joint Emergency Communications Center received a call at 4:22 a.m. Saturday about a structure fire at 4643 American Legion Road. West Branch Fire Department and https://www.facebook.com/IowaCityPublicSafety/posts/pfbid02ChAVQWk6wR3xoktc8GD1BmmudFZbU87JrLo8twrTo3QsyuZ2GTfgGb5ixQF2XH2el (Iowa City Fire Department) responded to the fire on the east side near Iowa City, as did the Iowa City Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. The fire was in West Branch's jurisdiction. Fire crews extinguished the fire after several hours due to the size of the building and bad weather in the area, the Sheriff's Office said. The state of Iowa will invest in the development of a “Field of Dreams” television series, new trail construction and new Des Moines lakefront amenities with a tourism development program funded by federal dollars. Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority on Monday announced $16.5 million in grant money awarded to four projects in the first round of funding through Destination Iowa, a $100 million program supported by the federal American Rescue Plan act. The two biggest allotments of this chunk of funding were $6 million to Universal Television for the development of a “Field of Dreams” television series, and $7 million to the Siouxland Regional Trail System to develop 100 miles of continuous trail projects connecting Sioux City, Le Mars, Hinton, Merrill and Sergeant Bluff.  In May the city of Cedar Rapids decided they would seek $27 million in funds from the program for a project to transform the greenway along the Cedar River and to boost outdoor recreational amenities. Meanwhile, Marion is seeking over $3.5 million in funding toward two major projects that will contribute to the city's goal of making Marion a regional destination. Marion is seeking funding for the Uptown Central Plaza project as well as the final phase of the long-awaited CeMar Trail through the Destination Iowa Grant process. The total cost of the two projects is just over $9 million.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Wednesday, June 22. It will be a little bit cooler on Wednesday, but the real cooldown will have to wait until the weekend. According to the National Weather Service it will be mostly sunny in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 88 degrees. On Wednesday night it will be mostly clear, with a low of around 63 degrees. The city of Cedar Rapids is hoping for a $50 million boost to its construction of a $750 million permanent flood control system — if proposed federal legislation is signed into law. Several steps and likely multiple years remain before any funding comes to fruition, but draft language in the 2022 https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/e/1/e1a5557f-de89-442f-9571-26396db7c476/46ECE692C73686EE7C22437E0D735361.wrda-2022-4292022.pdf (Water Resources Development Act )would unlock the funds for flood protection on the east side of the Cedar River — which would allow the city to accelerate work on other segments of the system. The Water Resources Development Act is renewed every several years and includes projects such as the city's flood control system. It's the first step in the appropriations process for any Army Corps of Engineers project Although Congress authorized construction of the city's east-side flood control system in 2014, it wasn't until 2018 — 10 years after the big flood — that federal lawmakers actually allocated the money. So the city may have to wait a bit until they see whether this money can be shifted in another direction. Four months after https://www.thegazette.com/higher-education/iowa-board-of-regents-member-milt-dakovich-dies/ (Milt Dakovich, a longtime member of the Iowa Board of Regents, died) of cancer, Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday named Seneca Companies President and COO James “JC” Risewick to fill the regent vacancy. Risewick will begin serving immediately on the nine-member board that governs Iowa's three public universities and two special schools, though his appointment must be confirmed by the Iowa Senate when it is next in session. The regents' next meeting is July 27, when they'll consider raising tuition rates for the fall. If confirmed, Risewick will serve out the remainder of Dakovich's six-year term — set to expire in April 2025. Risewick serves as president and chief operating officer of Seneca Companies in Des Moines, which touts itself as “an established leader in the petroleum industry.” A University of Iowa Health Care researcher is among 21 nationally to receive an American Lung Association award worth hundreds of thousands for “COVID-19 and respiratory virus research” – his looking specifically at “long-haul” COVID. https://medicine.uiowa.edu/radiology/profile/sean-fain (Sean Fain), a radiology professor in the UI Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Imaging, received the Lung Association's award – which includes up to $100,000 annually for up to two years – for his project titled, https://www.lung.org/research/about-our-research/meet-the-researchers/sean-fain (“Understanding ‘Long Haul' COVID-19.”) The research – https://clinicaltrials.uihealthcare.org/search/studies?studies%5Bquery%5D=COVID (among at least 10 ongoing) UI-based COVID-related clinical studies and trials – aims to investigate blood vessel injury in COVID patients and methods for improving lung-inflammation treatments. In severe cases, according to Fain's project pitch, COVID triggers an immune response when it enters a body, causing inflammation and injury to blood vessels. Blood vessel injuries in the lungs can create scarring known as “interstitial lung disease,” a condition that remains even after any COVID infection resolves.

This is John McGlothlen with The Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Monday, June 6th. According to the National Weather Service, showers and thunderstorms are likely today, mainly before 2 p.m. Expect mostly cloudy skies, with a high near 76. Winds from the south, 5 to 10 mph coming from the north in the afternoon. Our chance of precipitation is 70%, and rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, generally. Then tonight, we have a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m., and a low around 56. Iowa City police say they are reviewing an arrest made Friday, partially caught on a bystander's video, of a woman accused of biting a deputy and attempting to disarm an officer. The video shows several officers placing the woman in the back seat of a marked police vehicle while she attempts to get back out. The video is unclear whether she is handcuffed, but it briefly shows her hands are behind her back. It shows the back of an officer as he punches her several times before the squad car's door is closed with her inside. The city said in its news release that a police foot patrol saw the woman hitting the windows of a downtown bar after being denied entry. The woman, 22-year-old Daria Brown of Iowa City, was arrested on a count of public intoxication. But then Brown resisted arrest, the city said, by assaulting three Iowa City police officers. While being placed in a patrol vehicle, Brown grabbed an officer's Taser and attempted to disarm the officer, the city said. Brown then was taken to the Johnson County Jail, where the city said she bit a Johnson County sheriff's deputy. Crews rescued a man spotted Saturday evening clinging to a concrete wall in the Cedar River downtown. Shortly after 5:30 p.m., firefighters were called to the Second Avenue Bridge near May's Island where witnesses pointed to the man in the water, authorities said. Crews deployed rescue ropes over the sides of the bridge to initially capture him. A swift water boat crew was launched with firefighters and police officers on board. The boat crew rescued the man, bringing him into the inflatable boat, and he was taken to an awaiting ambulance crew. The fire department did not release the man's name or age or say how he came to be in the river. In criminal complaints, however, the man was identified as 33-year-old Christian J.R. Murphy. He was taken into police custody on city charges of swimming in the river and carrying a concealed folding knife with a blade longer than three inches, both simple misdemeanors. –

This is John McGlothlen with The Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Tuesday, May 31st. Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend. Today we have a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. It will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Winds from the southwest, 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Then tonight, partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Local casino backers have unveiled plans for a $250 million, 160,000 square-foot entertainment and cultural arts complex near downtown Cedar Rapids at the site of now-demolished Cooper's Mill. The Cedar Crossing casino proposal calls for bars, restaurants, a 1,500-capacity entertainment center and other venues along the west side of the Cedar River, between Kingston Village and Time Check Park. Gaming interests believe the complex would set a new bar for Iowa casinos. The project also would incorporate flood control to protect the structure from rising waters. The Cedar Rapids Development Group, an entity of mostly local investors, and Linn County Gaming Association, the nonprofit that would allocate a slice of revenue to local nonprofits, will jointly apply for a gaming license with the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission after the proposed state moratorium on new licenses ends in June 2024. The moratorium takes effect June 1, pending a signature from Gov. Kim Reynolds, who said Friday she was reviewing recently passed legislation with her staff. Over the next 24 years, if nothing changes, Kirkwood Community College is on track to spend nearly $40 million maintaining its 97,094-square-foot Iowa City campus — which has a current classroom-use rate under 40 percent and saw a 75 percent enrollment decline between 2016 and 2021. Given that makes little budgetary sense — especially in a post-pandemic age when many campuses are facing enrollment losses and fiscal challenges — Kirkwood earlier this year initiated a trio of consultants to study the Iowa City site. The goal was to better understand the needs of students, employers and the broader community in making “informed decisions about the future of Kirkwood facilities in Iowa City.” And the consultants have made their recommendation — Kirkwood should find another Iowa City site, downsize by more than two-thirds and recalibrate its course offerings. The appropriate size of a “New Iowa City Kirkwood Center,” according to the consultant's analysis, would be about 30,000 square feet. That would shave 67,094 square feet off Kirkwood's current Iowa City footprint, which is spread out across three buildings — a main credit center, annex and learning center. –

Rev Dr. Furrer shares the particulars of his personal meditation practice, walking the length and contours of his watershed, in this case Madsen Creek. As water rolls off Steve and Carol's roof, it follows a gravity-drawn course from their yard to the Cedar River and thence to the Sound. Notes on Henry David Thoreau, Wendell Barry, Annie Dillard, and the spirituality of place: this place.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Tuesday, May 10. It is going to be warm again Tuesday, with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. According to the National Weather Service it will be partly sunny with a high near 87 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. There will be a 20 percent chance for showers after 1 p.m. and continuing through Wednesday. The low should be around 68 degrees. With no news Monday on the disappearance of city employee Erik Spaw, his mother offered a possible explanation of what might have happened, and why his assigned waterworks fleet pickup was found submerged in the Cedar River on Saturday. Karen Spaw, 88, of Cedar Rapids, told The Gazette on Monday that her 54-year-old son has Type 1 diabetes and may have passed out from low blood sugar and driven into the river. Her son, she said, had been having a hard time regulating his blood sugar and insulin intake recently and that his blood sugar had dropped dangerously low several times. Crews continued searching the river for Spaw on Monday, using boats and a K-9 officer. They reported having no updates on day 3 of the search.  Spaw, who has worked for the city for more than 20 years according to his mother, worked a Friday evening shift at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant. The unoccupied water department fleet pickup assigned to Spaw was later found in the river near Ellis Road NW on Saturday. A Navy seaman from Independence who was killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor will finally be laid to rest in Iowa this Saturday. David F. Tidball, 20, a seaman first class, was on the USS Oklahoma, which sustained multiple torpedo hits, causing it to capsize. His body was recently identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and he will be buried at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Independence. The graveside service will be open to the public. When Tidball died, he was survived by his parents and three siblings. Only nieces and nephews remain to commemorate him, according to hhttps://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/wcfcourier/name/david-tidball-obituary?id=34614995 (is obituary.) Tidball was one of 429 USS Oklahoma crewmen who died, all of whom were buried in the Halawa and Nu'uanu cemeteries, according to a news release from the https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2663096/uss-oklahoma-sailor-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-tidball-d/ (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency). The remains of the seamen were disinterred in 1947, when the American Graves Registration Service was assigned to recover and identify fallen U.S. military personnel in the Pacific Theater. The bodies were brought to the Central Identification Laboratory, where 35 men from the USS Oklahoma were identified. The rest, including Tidball, were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Their remains were classified as non-recoverable. The Biden administration announced on Monday that 20 internet companies including Mediacom, have agreed to provide discounted service to low-income Americans, a program that could effectively make tens of millions of households eligible for free service through an already existing federal subsidy. According to the Associated Press, thttps://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144 (he $1 trillion infrastructure package) passed by Congress last year included $14.2 billion funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides $30 monthly subsidies ($75 in tribal areas) on internet service for millions of lower-income households. With the new commitment from the internet providers, some 48 million households will be eligible for $30 monthly plans for 100 megabits per second, or higher speed, service — making internet service fully paid for with the government subsidy if they sign up with one of the providers...

This is John McGlothlen with The Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Monday, May 9th. Today, expect partly sunny skies, with a high near 85, according to the National Weather Service. Breezy, with a southeast wind around 25 mph, and gusts as high as 40 mph. Then tonight, a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Winds from the south, 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms. Crews continued searching Sunday for a city of Cedar Rapids Water Division employee whose fleet truck was found submerged a day earlier in the Cedar River not far from where he was working. Authorities said that 54-year-old Erik Spaw of Cedar Rapids was working a Friday evening shift at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant, at 7807 Ellis Rd. Early Saturday, water division staff reported he had not returned to the J Avenue Water Treatment Plant after working most of his shift at the northwest plant. His own vehicle was found in the parking lot at the J Avenue plant, but the Utilities and Fleet Departments determined the last known location of Spaw's assigned fleet vehicle was near Ellis Road NW. Crews found the city truck submerged in several feet of water about a mile upstream from the Edgewood River bridge. When the truck was brought to shore, though, there were no occupants found inside. Teams were using sonar-equipped boats and draglines Sunday to search the site and downstream in the river. Differences over a hard line on when to send U.S. troops to Ukraine and over ethanol policy were among the few contrasts to emerge during a televised debate Saturday night between the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in Iowa. Mike Franken, a retired three-star admiral in the U.S. Navy from Sioux City, was the only candidate to establish a scenario under which he would send U.S. troops to Ukraine to assist in the country's defense against Russia's military invasion, which is in its third month. Abby Finkenauer, a former congresswoman and state legislator from Cedar Rapids, and Glenn Hurst, a physician from Minden, both said the United States should support economic sanctions on Russia and provide assistance like weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but should not devote U.S. troops. Finkenauer, Franken and Hurst are vying for the Democratic Party's nomination in Iowa's 2022 U.S. Senate campaign. The incumbent is Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is running for an eighth six-year term. He also faces a primary challenge, from Sioux City lawyer and state legislator Jim Carlin. —

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Wednesday, May 4. Wednesday will be a day mostly free of rain for a change, although it will start off with some frost. According to the National Weather Service there will be patchy frost in the Cedar Rapids area before 7 a.m. Otherwise it will be mostly sunny with a high near 61 degrees. There will be a slight chance of rain Wednesday night but Thursday morning is looking more likely as when showers will return. With persistent rain and lingering cool temperatures, corn planting in Iowa is 11 days later than last year and nine days behind the five-year average. Soybeans are nine days behind 2021 and five days behind the five-year average, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship https://iowaagriculture.gov/news/weekly-crop-progress-report-5222 (reported Monday.) On a positive note, April showers have helped ease drought conditions in Eastern Iowa. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows 15 Eastern Iowa counties, including Linn and Johnson, still are “abnormally dry,” but that dry area shrunk in the https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?IA (most recent weekly report.) Abortion — for now — likely would remain legal in Iowa up to the 20th week of pregnancy, even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed a woman's right to an abortion, as was reported Monday night. But the timing of both U.S. and Iowa Supreme Court rulings could complicate matters. An overturn of Roe v. Wade would return the authority over abortion regulations to the states, and the Iowa Supreme Court has issued multiple recent rulings striking down attempted abortion restrictions by Iowa Republicans including a three-day waiting period and a ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The latter ruling stated that a woman's right to an abortion is a protected, fundamental right in Iowa. Which means the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, on its own, would not change Iowa's state abortion regulations. However, the Iowa Supreme Court is currently considering another recently passed abortion restriction, requiring a one-day waiting period. And Iowa Republicans earlier this year filed legal briefs asking the court to overturn its 2019 order striking down the ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. If the Iowa Supreme Court overturns its previous ruling, and the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, then Iowa Republicans would be legally clear to pass abortion restrictions. Both rulings could come this summer. A teenager moving “very fast” under downtown bridges spanning the Cedar River was rescued Monday night near the 12th Avenue Bridge. First responders were called at 8:50 p.m. to the Third Avenue Bridge where they spotted the male teen “moving downstream very fast past bridges over the river,” according to news release from the Cedar Rapids fire department. Firefighters hung ropes over the side of a bridge for the teen grab onto, and he was able to hang on for a while until his grip gave out. Meanwhile, other firefighters were getting into position to catch the teen downstream, with more ropes hung from bridges and a swift water boat crew launched from Valor Way. The boat crew was able to reach the teen just before 12th Avenue Bridge, where more ropes were waiting to catch him if needed. The boat crew brought the young man back up stream to awaiting ambulance personnel. He was taken to Mercy Medical Center for medical evaluation. The fire department did not state how the teen ended up in the water.

This is John McGlothlen with The Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Monday, April 25th. Today in the Cedar Rapids area we can expect it to be partly sunny, with a high near 48, according to the National Weather Service. Winds from the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Then tonight, it should be mostly clear, with a low around 28. A man in the Cedar River, clinging to a concrete wall, was rescued Saturday afternoon by fire crews. Authorities said the man, who they did not identify, was spotted before 1 p.m. on the river's west bank near First Avenue and First Street W. They did not say how he came to be in the water. Rescuers threw ropes over the wall to the man, who was growing weak holding on, and lowered a firefighter down to secure him. A boat was launched and crews plucked the man — and the firefighter — to safety. He was evaluated by an Area Ambulance crew, but the Fire Department said it does not know if the man was taken to a hospital. Former Vice President Mike Pence dropped by the Cedar Rapids Kernels game against the Peoria Chiefs Saturday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium, along with U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson. Pence was also in western Iowa Saturday to join U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra in serving breakfast to delegates at Iowa's Republican 4th Congressional District convention in Carroll at the high school. —

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Wednesday, March 23. Another rainy day is coming Wednesday, and likely another one the day after. According to the National Weather Service there will be a 70 percent chance of rain in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 48 degrees. The rain is not expected to be particularly heavy. Wednesday night there will be a 50 percent chance of rain with a low around 33 degrees.  An Iowa City couple this week received a nearly $98 million civil verdict after suing Mercy Hospital in Iowa City after their newborn suffered permanent brain damage when health care providers “improperly used forceps and a vacuum, crushing the baby's head” during delivery. The infant's parents, Andrew and Kathleen Kromphardt, brought the medical malpractice lawsuit against Mercy Hospital, Dr. Jill Goodman and OB-GYN Associates for negligence throughout her pregnancy, labor and birth in 2018. The Johnson County jury's verdict found the hospital and clinic were equally negligent and equally responsible for damages — future medical and custodial care, loss of future earning capacity, past and future pain and suffering, past loss and future loss of function of the mind and body. The jury awarded $97.4 million to the Kromphardts. Geoffrey Fieger, a nationally known personal injury lawyer in Southfield, Mich., who represented the Kromphardts, said in a statement the ruling represents the “largest verdict” ever made in the state for a birth trauma case. The city of Cedar Rapids is once again trying to secure $22 million through a federal grant program for the reconstruction of the Eighth Avenue bridge over the Cedar River — a key component of the permanent flood control system that would provide a lifeline connection for residents and emergency services during extreme flooding. The city is submitting a RAISE, or “Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity,“ grant application to the U.S. Department of Transportation to cover about 40 percent of the $50 to $55 million cost of replace the bridge with a cable-stayed, higher-elevation structure that stays open as rivers rise. The bridge would tie together Cedar Rapids' permanent $750 million Flood Control System — the river's east side work with the Army Corps of Engineers and the west side, which is not eligible for federal funding under the Corps' cost-benefit formula. This week is https://www.thegazette.com/crime-courts/being-prepared-for-severe-weather-in-iowa-more-than-listening-for-sirens/ (Severe Weather Awareness Week) in Iowa, and that includes a statewide tornado drill at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Some counties are participating and some are not. Linn County Emergency Management said in https://linncounty-ema.org/vertical/sites/%7BF92E742E-E56A-4BEB-A418-D1CFA9D3A67F%7D/uploads/Media_Release-_NO_SIRENS_-_Tornado_Drill_03162022.pdf (a news release) that schools, businesses and individuals are strongly encouraged to participate in the drill, but the county won't activate its outdoor warning sirens. The county wants to avoid confusing the public by activating the sirens outside the normal monthly tests, according to Emergency Management Coordinator Steve O'Konek. Johnson County will activate its sirens for the statewide drill Wednesday, according to a https://www.icgov.org/news/march-21-25-severe-weather-awareness-week-iowa (news release from Iowa City). Support for this news update was provided by New Pioneer Food Co-op. Celebrating 50 years as Eastern Iowa's destination for locally and responsibly sourced groceries with stores in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids; and online through Co-op Cart athttp://www.newpi.coop/ ( newpi.coop).

On September 23rd, 1997, a 52-year-old woman named Alice and her golden retriever vanished from the Cedar River trail outside Kent, Washington. Alice's husband and daughter retraced her steps and searched for her… later learning that they may have encountered her killer on the trail. Soon after, authorities realize the attacker is not only a registered sex offender, but could be connected to other violent crimes in the surrounding area. In episode 187, Jac, Alexis, and Billy deconstruct the curious case of Gary Wayne Puckett, and the trail of errors that set him free.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Friday, Feb. 11. Friday's weather will be a good example of when you're about to make a seasonal transition and the weather can't quite make up its mind. According to the National Weather Service the day will start relatively warm, but windy, with a high near 40 mph and wind speeds of up to 35 mph. There will also be a chance of rain or maybe snow depending on the temperature around noon. Then Friday night the cold air will return, dropping the low to 7 degrees, with wind chill values as low as -10. This will lead into a colder weekend, with the 40s returning next week. In some good weather news, the risk of spring flooding on the Mississippi River, as well as its tributaries, including the Cedar and Iowa rivers, is near to being below normal, the National Weather Service reported Thursday. The Cedar River at Cedar Rapids has a 5 percent likelihood of reaching major flood stage of 16 feet this spring, compared with the 7 percent historical average, the National Weather Service reported., The river is 15 percent likely to reach minor flood stage of 12 feet at Cedar Rapids, which is below the historical risk of 25 percent. The Iowa River at Iowa City historically has a less than 5 percent chance of reaching its major flood stage of 26 feet and its minor flood stage of 23.5 feet.  It was a busy day in the Iowa Capitol. A proposed ban on transgender girls competing in girls athletics in Iowa passed out of an education subcommittee for consideration of the education committee. House File 2309 says sports teams either have to be for biological males, females or co-ed The Iowa House also approved a 2.5 percent increase in state aid to K-12 schools Thursday, a number which educators and Democrats called “woefully inadequate.” Democrats had proposed a funding increase of twice that much, saying that if Iowa can afford a $300 million corporate tax cut, which is being proposed in tax plans by the governor and Republicans in the Senate, then they should be able to afford $300 million for increased school funding.  The 2.5 percent was passed by House Republicans, anyway, in a 57-39 vote. Majority Republicans also added $19.2 million in one-time funds to help schools with inflationary pressures. In the Iowa Senate, a hearing was held on a bill that would enable parents to start legal proceedings against schools or educators who distribute books or materials the parents deem obscene. Sen. Jake Chapman, from Adel, said the intent of the bill is to empower parents to remove content from schools that they find objectionable when their requests to school boards and school districts fall on deaf ears. In its current form, which will come up for consideration in a Senate Judiciary Committee, a fine of up to $500 per day could be assessed against an instructor if a judge found that the material in question was obscene or pornographic. The fate of the bill, however, remains unclear, as Republican leaders in both the House and Senate have expressed reservations about criminal penalties being levied against educators. Finally, another longtime theater group has fallen victim to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the curtain fell on the final show for the Cedar Rapids Follies on March 31, 2019, it never went back up due to COVID-19 and rising production costs for the volunteer-driven production. Beginning in 1980, it was an annual effort that took more than 100 volunteers onstage and many more behind the scenes who typically spent their winters rehearsing, sewing and creating the scenery needed to create an original show from a new script every year. Support for this news update was provided by New Pioneer Food Co-op. Celebrating 50 years as Eastern Iowa's destination for locally and responsibly sourced groceries with stores in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids; and online through Co-op Cart at...

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Friday, February 4. Friday's weather will thankfully be the last day in the teens before some warmer weather  this weekend and into next week. According to the National Weather Service it will be mostly sunny in the Cedar Rapids area for the last day of the week, with wind chill values as low as -10. On Friday night it will be mostly clear, with a low around -2. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Thursday that she will end Iowa's COVID-19 public health disaster emergency  with a proclamation later this month. As a result, the state public health department is changing how it publicly reports COVID-19 data. The emergency proclamation will go into effect at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 15, and with it the state's ongoing pandemic response will shift to managing the coronavirus “as part of normal daily business.” On Feb. 16, the state will be decommissioning its two state-run websites that provided key information for Iowans on COVID-19. One is https://vaccinate.iowa.gov/ (vaccinate.iowa.gov), which has a COVID-19 vaccine appointment finder tool for users. The other is https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/ (coronavirus.iowa.gov), the state's public COVID-19 data hub for regular reports on new cases, hospitalizations, deaths, vaccinations and other metrics used to measure the virus' impact on Iowa. The state will also change requirements for hospitals and long term care facilities reporting COVID-19 statistics. The Iowa Department of Public Health pledged to still monitor the disease and facilitate testing, but the goal is to move COVID-19 into a place where it is treated like other diseases, such as the flu. In other words, the disease isn't gone. They just don't want people to talk about it as much. The trial for a Cedar Rapids teen charged with killing his parents with a knife and an ax has been reset to Oct. 18. Lawyers for https://www.thegazette.com/crime-courts/cedar-rapids-police-teen-stabbed-parents-to-death-to-take-charge-of-his-life/ (Ethan Alexander Orton, 17,) charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree murder, said they needed more time to prepare for that case and hadn't received all the discovery evidence at this time. The trial was set to start Tuesday. Orton waived his right to a speedy trial, and Assistant Linn County Attorney Mike Harris didn't resist resetting the trial. Sixth Judicial District Judge Ian Thornhill granted the change. Orton's attorneys have indicated that they are likely working toward an insanity plea. The teen remains in jail under a $2 million cash-only bail. First-degree murder is a life sentence without parole, but because he is a juvenile, he would have the opportunity for parole if convicted. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is asking for the public's help to identify the person who shot a bald eagle in southeast Cedar Rapids Jan. 9. The DNR responded to a report of an injured bald eagle along the Cedar River near the https://linncountytrails.org/trails/find-a-trail/sac-fox-trail/ (Sac and Fox Tra)il. The raptor was captured and taken to a local wildlife rehabilitator where the gunshot wound was discovered during examination. Due to the severity of the eagle's injuries, it had to be euthanized. Anyone with information is urged to call or email State Conservation Officer Travis Graves at (319) 350-2863 or Travis.Graves@DNR.Iowa.gov, or call the Turn In Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-532-2020. Callers may remain anonymous. Support for this news update was provided by New Pioneer Food Co-op. Celebrating 50 years as Eastern Iowa's destination for locally and responsibly sourced groceries with stores in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids; and online through Co-op Cart at http://www.newpi.coop/ (newpi.coop).

In this podcast episode we share the tragic news in the Brendon Santo case

Duck Duck Goose is a radio play written by the students of The New World Children's Theatre.  Hank and Iris Amore, Aaron Gardener, Annie Fridy, Eleanor and Nick Amodio. Writing Coach:  Jexo aka Jeff Ingram The play begins in a park in Cedar City along the banks of the Cedar River.  The Ducks and The Geese are playing an innocent game of Duck Duck Goose, when a mean goose named King Steve decides to break the rules. Suddenly, the war between the ducks and the geese begins!  The ducks are determined to open up the blockade of the Cedar River so they can travel freely to the ocean to go fishing. The geese are determined to prevent the ducks from fishing in the ocean and they want to eliminate them if possible.  There are double agents, mac and cheese cannons, and a green bean energy drink that gives the soldiers superpowers.  And just when the outcome seems inevitable, Jorge, a character with a blue mohawk and no eyebrows, and who may, or may not, have legs, escapes from Area 51, and flies into the battle scene! Will Jorge save the day?  Will Jorge begin a new era of domination by aliens on planet earth.  Will Rico the blind rat, save the ducks from extinction?  Tune into Duck Duck Goose and prepare yourselves for a most wild ride...  

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Wednesday, December 1. A light rain will end early Wednesday morning, leading to a partly cloudy and warm day to start off our December. According to a forecast from the National Weather Service, there will be a slight chance for rain before 7 a.m. in the Cedar Rapids area. Then it will be mostly cloudy through morning, before becoming sunny, with a high of 60 degrees. The low will settle in around 44 degrees Wednesday night. Cedar Rapids has itself a new mayor. Tiffany O'Donnell defeated Amara Andrews Tuesday night in a runoff election, emerging with 68 percent of the ballots cast, or 13,479 votes. O'Donnell also had the most votes on election night weeks earlier, but did not secure enough votes to win outright, leading to the runoff. O'Donnell campaigned on finishing derecho cleanup, fixing city streets and accelerating flood recovery on both sides of the Cedar River. She also has centered leaning on the city's entrepreneurial ecosystem for the recruitment and retention of workers and businesses, as well as creating a more vibrant urban center surrounded by unique neighborhoods. Currently the chief executive officer of the Women Lead Change organization, O'Donnell is likely a familiar face for many in Cedar Rapids, as she previously was a news anchor for CBS2/FOX 28. The Iowa City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved the first consideration of the latest iteration for a senior living facility near Hickory Hill Park. The vote brings the project two votes away from approval after suffering multiple delays and defeats after resistance from neighbors and fans of the park. Council member John Thomas, who https://www.thegazette.com/local-government/iowa-city-council-to-vote-again-on-contentious-development-near-hickory-hill-park/ (did not support the previous plan) when it was before council, said “designing with nature”in mind was achieved and the updated proposal is a “huge win for Iowa City” in the long term. The updated proposal for rezoning the 48.75-acre plot northeast of the park is scaled back from previous plans, and devotes nearly three times more land to the city park. Hickory Trail Estates, a senior living facility, would be built on 8.85 acres at the southeast corner of the plot. The facility would have 120 continuing care retirement community units with a total of 134 beds. To prove that there is a silver lining for every cloud, the rise of a new COVID-19 omicron variant and a subsequent economic slowdown might just mean lower gas prices. The drop in oil prices, triggered by fears that the new variant will throttle economic activity around the globe over the coming months, could shave 20 to 25 cents a gallon off the current $3.34 per-gallon average price of unleaded regular, according to AAA spokesman, Mark Jenkins. Jenkins told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that consumers shouldn't expect any big drops right away. “Gas prices normally rise like a rocket and fall like a feather,” Jenkins said. “So it could take a couple of weeks before prices at the pump fully reflect the downturn in the futures market.” Are you a fan of trying new restaurants? Get the latest restaurant openings & closings and more chewy tips from The Gazette's Chew On this newsletter. Sign up at http://thegazette.com/ (thegazette.com) slash chew  Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon Alexa enabled device to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what's the news? If you prefer podcasts, you can also find us on iTunes or wherever else you find your Podcasts. Support this podcast

This is John McGlothlen with The Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Monday, Sept. 20th. For our weather in the Cedar Rapids area today, according to the National Weather Service, we have a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Winds from the south, 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Then tonight, a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 7 and 1 a.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. The low should be around 55. According to the Linn County Sheriff's Office, an inmate being held at the jail in a federal drug case died Friday night despite lifesaving efforts after he complained of chest pains. Inmates in a dormitory-style cell notified authorities shortly before 9 p.m. Friday that another inmate needed medical attention. 39-year-old Marshall Mosby, of Dubuque, said he was having chest pains, but soon became unresponsive “and staff began lifesaving measures, including CPR, and applying a heart monitor equipped with defibrillation capabilities.” Other rescuers from Area Ambulance and a sheriff's crew performed advance lifesaving until Mosby was declared dead, about a half-hour after the incident began. Sheriff Gardner said jail staff had last checked on him just about 15 minutes before the emergency began. An autopsy will be conducted. The City of Cedar Rapids revealed the new, redesigned flag Saturday at the downtown public library. The “History and Progress” design option rose to the top of four options in a city survey asking residents to rank different blue, green and white choices. The city received 2,624 responses to the online survey, which ended in August. The blue backdrop represents the Cedar River flowing through the city and splitting at May's Island. On the left side, the green comes to a rounded point in the center, representing May's Island as well as the city's green space and recreational areas. The white symbolizes Cedar Rapids' homes, businesses and infrastructure. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a Marion man was killed Saturday in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Clayton County. About 12:30 p.m., 62-year-old Barry Woodson of Marion was traveling north on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, near the Mississippi River on Great River Road, when he lost control of his motorcycle. Woodson entered the ditch and crashed into an overhead tree branch, causing fatal injuries. The Iowa Hawkeyes are still ranked fifth in the Associated Press' Top 25, after their 30-7 win over Kent State. They host Colorado State on Saturday. And Iowa State remained at No. 14 following their 48-3 victory at UNLV Saturday night. Get hot takes, newsletter exclusives, weekly food reviews and more in our weekly Hawk Off The Press newsletter. Sign up today at thegazette.com/hawkoffthepress Support this podcast

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Wednesday, September 1. Wednesday will bring sunny and pleasant weather to the middle of your week. According to the National Weather Service there should be a high near 81 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area with sunny skies. Wind speeds will be 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Wednesday night it will be mostly clear and calm, with a low around 55 degrees. After hearing hours of ardent testimony about how a new $230 million University of Iowa Health Care facility in North Liberty would affect patients, community hospitals and UIHC's mission, a state council Tuesday reversed a prior decision and this time approved the project to proceed. Having narrowly denied the application in February — with three members voting against the 300,000-square-foot facility at Forevergreen Road and Highway 965 and two voting for it — the five-member State Health Facilities Council this time around, without discussion, voted 4-1 for the project. Representatives from other local hospitals, particularly Mercy Iowa City, again spoke fervently against the project at the meeting. The new addition, they argued, would be devastating to smaller hospitals like Mercy, and as a result, would lead to reduced choice.  With Tuesday's approval, UIHC has the state permission it needs to proceed in building a facility with capacity for 48 beds less than 10 miles from its main campus in Iowa City. The project, which will require additional regent approval, is scheduled to debut in 2025. Linn County will accept 144 emergency sirens from the Duane Arnold Energy Center and pay $175,200 a year to maintain them. Members of the county Emergency Management Commission approved the plan Tuesday night, despite a push from Linn County Supervisor Louis Zumbach for the cities to pay for their share of the sirens rather than the county covering the full cost. NextEra Energy Resources, owner of the now-retired Duane Arnold Energy Center, said earlier this year it would https://www.thegazette.com/news/nextera-planning-to-donate-warning-sirens-to-linn-county/ (donate 144 Whelen outdoor sirens and four control stations) — together worth more than $1 million — to the Linn County Emergency Management Agency. The sirens once were required in a 10-mile radius of the nuclear power plant, opened in 1974, to warn residents of a potential exposure to radioactive materials. But since the plant stopped production in August 2020, NextEra no longer needs the siren network. Officials said the sirens will now be put to use for less radioactive threats, such as storms. All that rain that moved northward over the last week is making its way toward Cedar Rapids, but, in this case, it is heading down river. The city of Cedar Rapids Public Works Department is taking steps to address minor flood stage river levels on the Cedar River. The Cedar River is projected to crest overnight between Thursday and Friday at under 11 feet, which is below minor flood stage and will have minimal impacts to the public, according to a news release. The National Weather Service reports that the river reached 6.2 feet at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Flood response measures include the closure of low-lying roads and parks, including Otis Road SE, Robbins Lake off of Ellis Road NW, and the Manhattan Park pavilion. Just a few days away until college football returns to Iowa. If you love all things Iowa Football, don't miss Leah Vann's Talkin Hawks Newsletter. In her weekly email you'll get exclusive Hawkeye coverage, trivia, food reviews, podcast highlights and more. Sign up today at the thegazette.com/hawks Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon https://www.thegazette.com/topic?eid=121774&ename=Alexa&lang=en (Alexa) enabled device to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what's the news? If you prefer... Support this podcast

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Tuesday, August 17. Tuesday's weather will feature the pleasant, yet rain free, trend of recent days. According to the National Weather Service it should be sunny in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 89 degrees. It should get hotter as the week goes on, with a chance for rain at the end of the week. Faculty across Iowa's three public universities are expressing disappointment that this fall's COVID-19 conditions aren't as improved as hoped and are urging administrators to make the tough call to backpedal on promises that this would be a more normal semester. Faculty at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa have written the Board of Regents, sent demands to administrators, and launched petitions advocating mask and vaccine mandates. They've also asked that high-risk employees be allowed to work from home — despite regent  rules. Additionally, University of Northern Iowa professors through their United Faculty union have filed a complaint against the Board of Regents with the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration for “failure to provide a safe work environment.” Following the governor's lead in barring K-12 schools from mandating masks, the board hasn't backtracked on its prohibition against mask and distancing mandates or vaccine requirements on campus; and it hasn't reimposed emergency waivers for staff such as those involving family care leave and catastrophic illness. Most students have already moved back onto campus. The school year starts on August 23. Linn County residents will have more opportunities to provide input regarding the county's allocation of $44 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. Two more forums are planned for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center and 6 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Lynn Dunn Memorial Building on the Linn County Fairgrounds. Funds provided through the American Rescue Plan Act are meant to support economic recovery from losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The forums aim to help explain the purpose of the American Rescue Plan and identify broad priorities to guide the use of these federal funds in Linn County.  The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is seeking information regarding a boating incident over the weekend on the Cedar River that left one man seriously injured. The Cedar Rapids Police Department identified the man as Isaac Allen Blazek, 41, of Cedar Rapids. Police said Blazek was thrown from an inflatable inner tube and struck the back of a docked pontoon boat, suffering a serious head wound. The DNR said the inner tube Blazek was riding was being pulled by a green and white personal watercraft on the Cedar River on Sunday afternoon near Mohawk Park in Cedar Rapids when the incident occurred. Blazek was transported by air ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. There is no available update on his condition, the DNR said. The DNR declined to give more details as to how or why the wreck occurred, citing the ongoing investigation. If you love all things Iowa Football, don't miss Leah Vann's Talkin Hawks Newsletter. In her weekly email you'll get exclusive Hawkeye coverage, trivia, food reviews, podcast highlights and more. Sign up today at the thegazette.com/hawks Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon https://www.thegazette.com/topic?eid=121774&ename=Alexa&lang=en (Alexa) enabled device to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what's the news? If you prefer podcasts, you can also find us on iTunes or wherever else you find your Podcasts. Support this podcast

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Thursday, August 5. We could get some much needed rain Thursday. According to the National Weather Service it should be partly sunny Thursday with a high near 82 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. There will be a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms Thursday morning that will increase as the day goes on. Rainfall totals are not expected to be significant, except in the areas where thunderstorms develop. Iowa added an average of 510 COVID-19 cases a day over the last week — the highest average since last April and even higher than the same time a year ago when vaccines were not yet available here, according to weekly figures released Wednesday by the state. The number of virus patients being treated in Iowa hospitals rose, too, from 157 to 201. It marked the first time since April 24 that hospitalizations exceeded 200. In some good news, the rate of vaccination seemed to have increased slightly as well. The number of fully vaccinated Iowans rose by 11,308 over the past seven days, for a total of 1,490,392. That marks 55.69 percent of Iowans over age 12 being fully vaccinated, or about 47.24 percent of Iowa's total population. It remains to be seen how the numbers will change as schools are set to reopen and the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 is the dominant strain in Iowa. There were two high profile departures in Iowa's health industry announced Wednesday. Sean Williams will resign as Mercy Iowa City's president and chief executive officer effective Sept. 30, the hospital said Wednesday. Mike Trachta, MercyOne System vice president of network affiliates and Mercy Iowa City chief operating officer, will serve as acting president of the hospital. Mercy Iowa City is seeking to leave the statewide MercyOne network in search of a larger partner. The move comes after years of financial struggles for the hospital. After three years as part of University of Iowa Health Care's new administrative team, Chief Financial Officer Bradley Haws on Friday is leaving UIHC for the same position at https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/index.html (Emory Healthcare) — which is part of Emory University in Atlanta. That has UIHC  relying again on interim leadership while a search committee launches a national hunt for Haws' successor. All this while UIHC attempts to navigate a complicated post pandemic financial world. A Cedar Rapids man https://www.thegazette.com/news/mans-body-found-in-cedar-river/ (who drowned in the Cedar River last month) while swimming has been identified as Clifford Deon Jones. A 911 call was placed just before 5:30 p.m. July 16 by the 44-year-old man's teenage son, who reported his father had been swimming in the river, but then went underwater and did not resurface. The son told emergency responders that he and his father had been walking their dogs near First Street and O Avenue NW and they both went into the water to cool off. Firefighters launched three boats, and after 30 minutes of searching, found the man's body in about 10 feet of water, 15 feet from the shore, the news release stated. Police have determined the death to be an accidental drowning. With the Iowa football season rapidly approaching, there will be more Hawkeye news to come soon. If you want to have the latest football insights emailed directly to you, sign up for Leah Vann's exclusive weekly Talkin' Hawks newsletter at thegazette.com/hawks Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon https://www.thegazette.com/topic?eid=121774&ename=Alexa&lang=en (Alexa) enabled device to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what's the news? If you prefer podcasts, you can also find us on iTunes or wherever else you find your Podcasts. Support this podcast

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18. Whether you are going to Latino Fest in Iowa City, the Bluegrass Festival in Kalona, or Solon Beef Days this weekend, the weather should be about as nice for getting out to do things we have seen in awhile. According to the National Weather Service Saturday should be sunny, with a high near 83 degrees. A northeast wind will blow at around 5 mph. Sunday it should also be sunny, with calm winds and a high of 86 degrees. In her opening statement as the Drew Blahnik murder trial began Friday, Assistant Linn County Attorney Jennifer Erger told a jury that a missing person case became a homicide case after Chris Bagley was killed in December 2018. Erger told the jury that an autopsy revealed that Bagley had been stabbed 17 times. Blahnik is accused of stabbing Bagley to death as he was held by another man because Bagley had stolen money and drugs from a local drug dealer. Drew Wagner, the man who was holding Bagley according to the prosecution, has already pleaded to a lesser crime and is cooperating against Blahnik. For his part, Blahnik admitted to the stabbing, but said it was done in self defense. The trial is expected to continue next week. A man died Friday evening in the Cedar River, where he had been swimming. Cedar Rapids firefighters were called to the river shortly before 5:30 p.m. near First Street and O Avenue NW. Witnesses told firefighters a man had entered the water to swim and had begun to struggle, “then went under the water and did not resurface.”  Firefighters launched three boats and, after 30 minutes of searching, found the man's body in approximately 10 feet of water, 15 feet from the shore, the news release stated. After nearly four years fighting certain religious student organizations on its campus over who can and can't be leaders, the University of Iowa on Friday lost again in federal court — with a panel of U.S. appellate judges blasting the institution for clear viewpoint discrimination. “What the university did here was clearly unconstitutional,” according to a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. “It targeted religious groups for differential treatment under the human rights policy — while carving out exemptions and ignoring other violative groups with missions they presumably supported.” The InterVarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship — at the center of Friday's opinion — sued the UI in 2018 on the heels of an earlier lawsuit from another UI student organization named Business Leaders in Christ, or BLinC. That first lawsuit stemmed from the university's decision in 2017 to deregister BLinC for barring an openly gay member from becoming a leader because he refused to affirm the group's belief that same-sex relationships are against the Bible. BLinC in its lawsuit accused the university of selectively applying its human rights policy, pointing out many other UI groups — including Muslim groups, ethnic groups, political groups, fraternities and sororities — restrict leadership and membership based on gender, ethnicity or ideology. Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon https://www.thegazette.com/topic?eid=121774&ename=Alexa&lang=en (Alexa) enabled device to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what's the news? If you prefer podcasts, you can also find us on iTunes or wherever else you find your Podcasts. Support this podcast

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Saturday, June 26, and Sunday, June 27. It rained a bit more this week. And this weekend has a good chance of keeping that trend going. According to the National Weather Service, showers will be likely before 3 p.m. Saturday, then a variety of scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible after that. Overall chance for precipitation for the Cedar Rapids area will be 60 percent. When rain is not falling, it is expected to be mostly cloudy, with a high near 82 degrees. On Sunday there will be a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, primarily before 1:00 in the afternoon. After that it is predicted to be partly sunny, with a high near 83 degrees. Cedar Rapids city officials said Friday they will press on with “transformational” downtown projects encompassed in a proposal they put forward for funding help from a competitive state program. They will do so despite only being awarded $9 million, $30.5 million short of its request. Six Iowa communities had vied for a share of $100 million through the competitive Reinvestment District program after seeking a combined $151.6 million from the board. Although Cedar Rapids requested the most of the group, they were not only awarded the least of all six cities, each of those cities were awarded more than they originally asked for, with the city of Ames receiving double its original proposal at more than $20 million. The work that the city is looking to do includes an entertainment complex at the site where the city wanted to build a casino before being told no by the state, a hotel renovation at an historic site, a downtown high rise building, and bypass and recreation opportunities added to the 5-in-1 dam on the Cedar River. Iowa on Friday reported 46 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, the lowest number reported since March 28, 2020, at the start of the pandemic. Of those hospitalized, 18 were in intensive care units, and 12 were on ventilators to help them breathe. Previous numbers have indicated that the vast majority of those being hospitalized for the disease were never vaccinated. On that note, Iowa's adult vaccination continues to stagnate, sticking at around 53 percent as of Friday. https://www.thegazette.com/nation-world/on-border-tour-vice-president-harris-cites-progress-in-tough-situation/ (Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to Texas) was a victory “for the people of this country who've been dealing with an unsafe and unsecure situation at the border,” Rep. Ashley Hinson said Friday. The Friday visit was long overdue, according to the 1st District congresswoman, who has been calling on the vice president to get a firsthand view of the situation created by the administration's immigration policies. Hinson has used repeated criticism of Harris to her profile nationally as she gears up for reelection next year. Given that the southern border has befuddled multiple administrations in a row, it is unlikely it will not be solved anytime soon, as Vice President Harris acknowledged during her visit to El Paso Friday. The Iowa Ideas 2021 virtual conference will be here before you know it, and we would like you to be our guest on the house. The Gazette is providing free access to this two-day gathering with more than 50 sessions- filled with thought-provoking local, and national speakers-- all ready to engage you on a variety of important and timely Iowa-issues. Join us October 14th and 15th for this can't miss, idea-exchange experience. Learn more and register for the event at iowaideas.com  Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon https://www.thegazette.com/topic?eid=121774&ename=Alexa&lang=en (Alexa) enabled device to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what's the news? If you prefer podcasts, you can also find us on iTunes. Support this podcast

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Saturday, May 15th and Sunday, May 16th. There will be a chance for showers pretty much all weekend, but it appears it will be spotty. According to the National Weather Service there will be a 60 percent of precipitation in the early morning hours Saturday, a 30 percent chance of showers in the mid afternoon, and a 10 percent chance of rain Saturday night. In between all that it will be mostly cloudy in the Cedar Rapids area, with a high near 65 degrees. Sunday it should be warmer, with a high near 73 degrees and partly sunny skies. There also will be sporadic showers, with a 30 percent chance of rain after 1 p.m. and a 40 percent chance Sunday night. Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart on Friday again eased the city's mask mandate, effectively repealing the order for fully vaccinated people based on recent changes to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on curbing the spread of COVID-19. The modified CDC guidelines and city mask mandate advise that fully vaccinated people may take off masks while indoors and resume most pre-pandemic activities without physically distancing themselves from others. Masks still should be worn on public transit and in certain other crowded indoor settings, the CDC recommends. Full vaccination is considered to be two weeks after a vaccine regimen is completed. These changes are in addition to other recent updated guidance that fully vaccinated people may gather or conduct activities outdoors without masks. Hart on May 3 https://www.thegazette.com/local-government/cedar-rapids-mayor-brad-hart-modifies-city-mask-mandate-in-line-with-new-cdc-guidance/ (modified the city's mask mandate) in line with those revisions. The Iowa Department of Public Health, as has been its custom, has stepped further along than what the CDC has recommended. On Friday it sent out a letter to educators suggesting that masking should not be required in schools, although it did urge schools to have masks on hand in case students decided they wanted to wear them. Also, the department loosened its quarantine requirements for students who test positive for COVID-19, saying that those who come into contact with them should not be required to quarantine, and also appeared to give some wiggle room for what parents should do when students are found to be positive with the virus. The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday unanimously rejected the appeal of a man who said the state should refund a $465 fine he paid for a speeding ticket on the heels of an earlier high court ruling that said commercial vehicle patrol officers could not issue such tickets. The high court's ruling likely means the state is off the hook for refunding millions of dollars in fines collected from tens of thousands of drivers wrongly ticketed over several years by Motor Vehicle Enforcement officers employed by the Iowa Department of Transportation. Finally,  I am happy to report that a 7-year-old orange tabby cat that was https://www.thegazette.com/news/mans-tale-of-how-his-cat-ended-up-in-the-cedar-river-is-all-wet-police-say-after-rescue/ (tossed into the Cedar River) on Monday from the Third Avenue Bridge is resting comfortably at Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control, according to the shelter's program manager, Ronnie Schlabs. The cat, named Julie Ann by her former owner who was arrested and charged with animal abuse, spent most of her first day in the animal shelter's care at a vet's office, where she was treated for hypothermia and checked for injuries, according to Schlabs. The cat spent several hours at the vet being warmed with a heating pad and snuggled in extra blankets until her temperature returned to normal.  The Iowa Ideas 2021 virtual conference will be here before you know it, and we would like you to be our guest on the house. The Gazette is providing free access to this two-day gathering with more than 50 sessions- filled with

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Thursday, May 13th. Thursday will be cloudy, but the rain appears to be waiting at least a day to arrive. According to the National Weather Service it will grow increasingly cloudy Thursday in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 66 degrees. The sky will clear a bit Thursday night with a low of around 45 degrees. Rain is predicted to become increasingly likely over the next three days. Will the third time be the charm for a casino in Cedar Rapids? Linn County voters should expect to face the question at the polls this November of whether to renew their permission to allow gambling, which would leave the door open for Cedar Rapids to try again to seek authorization from state regulators to build a casino. The Linn County Board of Supervisors agreed Wednesday to have county staff draft a resolution with language to place the referendum on Nov. 2 ballot — which, if voters approve this question a second time, would permanently authorize gambling in the county if licensed. Though voter permission is a key step in Cedar Rapids' casino prospects, the city would need to leap the tall hurdle of securing a license from regulators, who have rejected applications for casinos in the city in 2014 and 2017. A Cedar Rapids police officer was justified last February in shooting and killing a stabbing suspect captured on video charging at the officer with a knife, the Linn County Attorney's Office said Wednesday. In a report, Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden determined the police shooting of 39-year-old Arnell States was “justifiable homicide,” noting States had a knife, raised in his hand and was advancing toward Officer Kyzer Moore when Moore fired his gun. States was suspected of https://www.thegazette.com/crime-courts/authorities-identify-woman-who-was-fatally-stabbed-at-a-motel-in-southwest-cedar-rapids/ (stabbing his wife), who later died, and injuring another woman Feb. 20 at the Rodeway Inn, 4011 16th Ave. SW. The shooting occurred after officers confronted States after being called to the location for the report of a man assaulting his wife. It was later revealed that States had forced his way into the hotel room and stabbed his wife Katrina Brinson multiple times, also injuring Kendra White, who was able to escape to the lobby. An 86-year-old man was arrested this week and charged with animal abuse after police determined he had intentionally dumped his cat into the Cedar River. Police say they received a report Monday morning that a man had intentionally dumped a cat off the Third Avenue Bridge into the river. Responding city police and sheriff's deputies saw the soaked cat trying to climb out of the water on May's Island. They rescued the 7-year old spayed female from the river and transported her to Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control, where she was examined by a vet. Later that afternoon, police said, a man they identified as Lloyd Wallace Baird came to the lobby of the Cedar Rapids station and asked if officers had seen his cat. Baird total police that he had opened his pet carrier over the bridge because he wanted his cat to see the river and the cat had panicked and jumped out into the water below. However, when officers obtained video footage of the man, it revealed Baird had held the open carrier over the bridge, opened it, and had shaken the carrier until the cat fell out. Charged Wednesday with animal abuse, an aggravated misdemeanor, Baird was taken to the Linn County Jail and released after waiving a first court appearance. Meanwhile, the veterinarian said there were no broken bones for the cat, and they expect a full recovery.  The Iowa Ideas 2021 virtual conference will be here before you know it, and we would like you to be our guest on the house. The Gazette is providing free access to this two-day gathering with more than 50 sessions- filled with thought-provoking local, and national...

Led by the City of Cedar Rapids, downstream water users, upstream conservation groups and farmers came together and decided to expand what was already happening with smaller watershed projects and bridge their work to a larger area - the Middle Cedar Basin.  Mike Kuntz Utilities Environmental Manager for Cedar Rapids started asking questions.  How could the City of Cedar Rapids get engaged with ongoing watershed efforts and help? Clark Porter was a farmer/land owner receptive to the conversation and already actively involved in the smaller Black Hawk Creek Water & Soil Coalition. Today, major agribusinesses in the Cedar Rapid community are also taking interest and investing in farmer-led, land owner driven projects to improve water quality for their "community". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Thursday, April 15. It's going to be a little warmer Thursday. And by a little warmer, I mean two degrees warmer. But warmer has to start somewhere. According to the National Weather Service the high will be 51 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. The wind will also continue calming down compared to earlier in the week, settling at 10 mph. A COVID-19 vaccine clinic for Johnson County residents will be held Saturday in Iowa City to distribute 1,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. Hy-Vee announced it is hosting the clinic for county residents ages 16 and older. COVID-19 shots will be administered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside the former North Dodge Hy-Vee, 1201 N. Dodge St. in Iowa City. A second-dose clinic will be May 8 at the same location. To schedule an appointment for Saturday visit the Hy-Vee website. Johnson County residents attending Saturday's clinic should bring their insurance card and a photo ID. With health officials concerned that a nationwide https://www.thegazette.com/news/johnson-johnson-vaccine-put-on-pause-in-iowa-as-federal-officials-investigate-rare-but-serious-bl-2/ (pause on using the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine might cause the public to have second thoughts) on being inoculated with other brands, Gov. Kim Reynolds sought Wednesday to personally endorse the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in particular and getting vaccinated in general. Reynolds and interim Iowa Department of Public Health Director Kelly Garcia both received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in early March. Both said Wednesday that after receiving the shot they had mild side effects that have been common with all three vaccines, like a mild headache and soreness — but nothing more. “I'm glad that I did have the opportunity to have the (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine. I would do it again,” Reynolds said. “Vaccination is the best defense against the virus, and as you've heard the reward far outweighs the risk.” Less than three weeks before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn, lawmakers breathed new life into an attempt to change Iowa's four-decade-old law that requires nickel deposits on pop and beer cans. Under the current bottle bill, when a consumer returns a container, the retailer returns the nickel deposit to them. When distributors collect the containers from retailers and redemption centers, they pay a nickel plus a 1-cent handling fee. If enacted, HF 814 would allow retailers to choose not to accept containers if they have a contract with a redemption center, for example, that will accept the cans and bottles. However, that arrangement is only possible if the retailer is in a county of more than 30,000 people and within 10 miles of a redemption center or in a county of fewer than 30,000 and within 15 miles of a redemption center. Lawmakers conceded Wednesday that changing the law in the time left is unrealistic, but they are giving it a try anyway. Boaters, paddlers and spectators may eventually enjoy an ambitious slate of recreational amenities in the Cedar River through the 5-in-1 Dam below Interstate 380. The city of Cedar Rapids is exploring a $14.6 million project to modify the dam to offer white-water and flat-water features in separate channels, with complementary amenities such as zip lining and an island for spectators. As the city re-imagines what its relationship with the Cedar River could be, and makes it a hub for water-based recreation, officials are envisioning the potential to attract visitors and spur development. The consultants that the city has contracted to investigate projects on the river suggested in its report that the city might be able to pull visitors from the 29 million person market area that includes Chicago and Minneapolis. But this will  require more planning, a clear strategy and additional help from the private sector. The report said that those taking a river trip...

On episode twenty-four, I'm sitting down with Kristen Daley-Mosier to discuss baptism and her research on the subject! About Kristen: Kristen Daley Mosier completed her M.Div. at Fuller Seminary Northwest (Seattle) in 2012, and holds a B.A. in Art History from Western Washington University. Based in the Pacific Northwest, her research interests explore intersections of creation, spirit, materiality, and place. She is particularly interested in developing a theology of water that connects persons, places, and the experience of baptism through the life of the Holy Spirit. Kristen lives in the Seattle area with her spouse, with whom she serves the community of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, located on Duwamish land in the Cedar River watershed. Recommended Resources: "Eco-Reformation: Grace and Hope for a Planet in Peril," edited by Lisa E. Dahill & Jim B. Martin-Schramm (https://amzn.to/39pMcte) "Sacred Longings: The Ecological Spirit and Global Culture," by Mary C. Grey (https://amzn.to/2QQ1Qrt) "Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of God for a Planet in Peril," by Elizabeth A. Johnson (https://amzn.to/39q57nT) "God for Us: The Trinity and Christian Life," by Catherine Mowry LaCugna (https://amzn.to/3wkzxBM) "Watershed Discipleship: Reinhabiting Bioregional Faith and Practice," by Ched Myers (https://amzn.to/3rBHEWO)

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Friday, February 12. Friday's weather may end up being the coldest in an already frigid week. Also, there could be a significant amount of new snow. The one piece of good news? It is going to get warmer next week, so hang in there.  According to the National Weather Service, the high on Friday will be 0 degrees. Wind chill values will continue to be in the negatives, with wind speeds of 10 to 15 mph gusting as high as 20 mph. On Friday morning into the afternoon hours, the light snow from the night before could continue, with a half inch of snow accumulation or less predicted. On Friday night, with a low of around -4 degrees, the real snow will arrive, with overnight accumulation of up to 3 inches possible. Please plan accordingly, as travel will only become more difficult as the day goes on, and the conditions outside will be lethal with extended exposure. I'll leave you with a positive thought: multiple 10-day forecast models I have looked at indicate it will be at least 30 degrees warmer in just a week's time. One day after an Iowa House education committee advanced a bill to eliminate tenure at Iowa's public universities, an Iowa Senate subcommittee did the same — questioning the authenticity of tenure review and linking tenure with concerns about the suppression of conservative views politicization in higher education. Whatever flaws the tenure system may have, Republican lawmakers made clear in their remarks that the main thing they are trying to fight for is right for conservative ideas, and conservative people, to flourish on campus. Democrats, and lobbyists for the universities, argued that eliminating tenure would hurt the ability of universities to attract professors, particularly in research fields. Both the University of Iowa and Iowa State University are research universities.  Whether this is just posturing to threaten universities against suppressing conservative ideas, or if it is actual legislation that Republicans want to pass, will be determined when the vote comes before the whole bodies in the Senate and House. A huge part of the University of Iowa's research mission is its research hospital, but several hospitals on Thursday objected to a plan for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to expand its footprint into North Liberty. The reason, in this case, is not strictly ideological. Mercy Hospital in Iowa City argued that the $230 million expansion proposal was using public funds to expand for commercial, rather than academic purposes, and area hospitals will be forced to compete. UIHC administrators, plus other small hospitals, argued that the mammoth research hospital needs to get even bigger because it takes referrals from all 99 counties, and increasing its capacity increases its capacity to help Iowans all over the state. UIHC administrators also told that the construction of the project will not use taxpayer dollars. The State Health Facilities Board — the government body that oversees the regulatory Certificate of Need process required to move forward with a development of this scale — is https://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/50/Apps%20on%20File%202021-02-04.pdf (expected to review UIHC's application) Wednesday. The goal of the process is to help prevent duplication of expensive medical services and to keep overall health care costs down. Although Eastern Iowa is sitting under a layer of snow ranging from 8 to 20 inches — well above normal — that doesn't necessarily translate to flood risks. The risk of flooding on the Cedar and Iowa rivers this spring is at or below normal, according to the National Weather Service's https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=DVN&issuedby=DVN&product=ESF (first prediction of the season). The Cedar River at Cedar Rapids has a 5 percent likelihood of reaching major flood stage of 16 feet this spring, compared with the 7 percent...

Today, Tom is virtually sitting down with Trace Pickering, the Executive Director of Iowa BIG — one of Getting Smart’s favorite learning programs in the country! Trace has a background in community building, has served as the Associate Superintendent of Cedar Rapids Community School District, and has also served as the Associate Director of Education Reimagined. Trace has a legacy of empowering people to pursue interesting and important projects while bringing together an entire community. In this conversation, Tom and Trace discuss the power of community-connected projects, how to scale a program like Iowa BIG, and how to create a culture of project-based learning. Trace also shares about the genesis of Iowa BIG, some incredible student-led projects that have come out of Iowa BIG, and his thoughts on why community-centered learning is more important than ever.   Key Takeaways: [:09] About today’s episode with Trace Pickering. [:55] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Trace to the podcast! [1:05] Did Trace grow up in Iowa? [1:16] Trace and Tom go into the “Way-back Machine” to 12 years ago after the Cedar River covered Cedar Rapids in a flood. Trace shares his reflections from what he learned in the process of a local newspaper inviting him to host a series of community conversations about what was next for Cedar Rapids. He also shares how this series of community conversations led to the creation of Iowa BIG. [6:54] Trace explains what Iowa BIG is, what its mission is, and how long it has been running. [8:46] How does this work for students? How many high schools do they work with? [9:23] Trace shares about how Iowa BIG is learner-centered and how the projects work around this. [11:54] Do many or all of the student projects at Iowa BIG revolve around the concept of “community as classroom”? [12:22] The idea that students should do work that matters to them and their community is really central to every project that’s co-constructed at Iowa BIG. [12:42] Trace shares a recent example of an incredible student project that helped out the community in the midst of the pandemic. [17:05] Trace shares how they incorporated communication expectations into that project and how the organizing students developed and demonstrated communication standards as part of the project. [19:07] Trace shares how they incorporate science and math learning into these community projects and shares a specific example of an amazing student project. [21:50] Trace gives advice to those who want to start up a similar program and become more learner-centered. [23:48] Tom offers further suggestions on how you could begin to implement a similar program. [24:11] What would an Iowa BIG ecosystem look like? What if all high schools were learner-centered? [26:57] Does Trace feel that this sort of work is more important than ever in this current landscape? [29:09] Where to learn more about Iowa BIG and the work that Trace Pickering is doing. [30:01] Tom thanks Trace for joining the podcast!   Mentioned in This Episode: Iowa BIG @IowaBIG Twitter The Iowa BIG Podcast on Spotify @IowaBIG Facebook @IowaBIG Instagram Trace Pickering’s LinkedIn XQ | Iowa BIG The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education, by Tom Vander Ark, Emily Liebtag, and Nate McClennen Difference Making at the Heart of Learning: Students, Schools, and Communities Alive With Possibility, by Tom Vander Ark and Emily Liebtag LimoLink Getting Smart Podcast Ep. 265: “Jenny Pieratt on Powerful PBL”   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include “Podcast” in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

Little Forks Conservancy is working with a chapter of Trout Unlimited to improve and protect fish habitat in the Cedar River. The Michigan Office of the Great Lakes released its annual State of the Great Lakes report. A website will help you identify invasive woody plants.

This pre-recorded episode features Paul E. Nelson's interview for our summer issue, conducted in March, bookended by a more recent reading of some of his poems. As such, there is no opportunity for audience questions or an open mic, but we hope you still enjoy watching this episode together. The full transcript of his interview appears in Rattle #68: https://www.rattle.com/i68/ Paul E. Nelson is the founder of SPLAB (Seattle Poetics LAB) and the Cascadia Poetry Festival. Since 1993, SPLAB has produced hundreds of poetry events and 600 hours of interview programming with legendary poets and whole systems activists including Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Joanne Kyger, and many others. Paul’s books include American Prophets: Interviews 1994–2012 (2018), American Sentences (2015), A Time Before Slaughter (2009) and Organic in Cascadia: A Sequence of Energies (2013). He has had work translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Portuguese, and writes an American sentence every day. Winner of the 2014 Robin Blaser Award from The Capilano Review, he is engaged in a twenty-year bioregional cultural investigation of Cascadia and lives in Rainier Beach, in the Cascadia bioregion’s Cedar River watershed. For more information, visit: https://paulenelson.com/ Next Week's Prompt (for 8/25): Write a poem this is entirely dialogue. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, and Periscope.

On this episode of The Ellensburg Angler Podcast, Kyle and Keegan sit down to chat about their past week and to announce a GIVEAWAY. Make sure to listen carefully during this episode to learn how you can win one of three OnX Memberships that we are giving away this week.

On this episode of Bobbertalk, Keegan and Kyle sit down with friend Keaton (look at all those K's!) to talk about fishing this week. They also talk turkey hunting and the state of the Cedar River.

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy is holding a 24-hour birding derby on June 4 and a virtual Conservation on Tap on May 21. The Gladwin Conservation District will be cleaning up the Cedar River.

On this episode of The Ellensburg Angler Podcast, Keegan and Kyle interview fellow guide Alex Kuyper about his experiences on the Cedar River. The guys talk to Alex about fishing access on the Cedar, euro nymphing and how to avoid getting your car broken into. You can find show notes to the episode at https://ellensburgangler.com/blog. Make sure to let us know how we are doing by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Send us your questions on our social media to be answered in future episodes.

In 1969, the city of Renton was still just a small town, home to about 20,000 people. Their crowning achievement was the single-story library that had just been completed.  It was the first, and is still the only library to be built over a river. The building literally hovers over the water, held up by 12 giant columns in the middle and the riverbanks on either side.With walls of windows opening up to the natural beauty of the river, it was a popular study spot for students of nearby Renton Technical College, like 19-year-old Culinary student Carol Erickson.In December of 1969, Carol had gone to the library to work on an assignment. She was designing a menu for an elaborate dinner.By 7 o’clock, the winter darkness had set in. But, Carol was used to it. It was her routine to walk home from the library along a dirt road that parallels the Cedar River. It was less than a half mile back to her condo, but Carol never made it.  Her body was found naked and violated on the banks of the Cedar River.Carol’s case had been all but forgotten less than two years later, in the Summer of 1970, when the body of another young woman was found just a few miles away.  Then, in 1971 two little boys went missing.It would take three terrible crimes and the loss of four young lives before all the pieces would fall into place."He wasn't looking for a particular type of victim. He's just looking for whoever comes along, cause he would just roam the woods until he came across somebody. He's the Boogieman!"This episode includes information from Cloyd Steiger's new book Seattle's Forgotten Serial Killer.

Rhythm & News interview with Anna Constance, Education Program and Center Assistant for the Cedar River Watershed, about SPU's summer tours at the Watershed. Interview by Chris B. Bennett.

We are back to our regularly scheduled shenanigans. Lizz and Julie discuss the current news surrounding the Catholic Church and its influence on reproductive rights and healthcare in general. While Kavanaugh threatens Roe v Wade, some states prepared for history to repeat itself a long time ago, ie. the blessed state of Washington where Julie was able to visit and tour the amazing Cedar River’s Clinic. *SHOW NOTES* Cedar River Clinics Catholic Health Initiative MERGER with Dignity Health (PA #8 in Catholic Population) 1000 COVER UPS, 300 PRIESTS PITTSBURGH PORN RING PA ANTI ABORTION LAWS: BAD PLANNED PARENTHOOD V CASEY: SCOTUS RULING CLINIC VIOLENCE BAD (MA #1 in Catholic Population) BOSTON ARCHDIOCESE SEX SCANDAL ABOBO LAWS : NOT BAD BUT… SCOTUS BUFFER ZONE RULING (NY #5 in Catholic Population) NY SEX SCANDALS: BAD NY ABOBO LAWS : NOT BAD BUT… REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACT CLINIC VIOLENCE DR SLEPIAN BAD (CA #9 in Catholic Population) 66O MILLION SETTLEMENT. KICK OUT NUNS TO PAY: BAD CA ABOBO LAWS : FINE BUT… NIFLA SCOTUS CASE COMES OUT OF CA CLINIC VIOLENCE: BAD (WI #11 in Catholic Population) WI SEX SCANDALS: BAD WI ABOBO LAWS : BAD WI CLINIC VIOLENCE BAD (LA #10 in Catholic Population) LA SEX SCANDAL: BAD Other creepy side bar in LA LA ABOBO LAWS : BAD LA CLINIC VIOLENCE BAD WENDY VITTER CHIEF COUNSEL FOR ARCHDIOCESE, TRUMP WANTED HER ON FED BENCH DAVID VITTER DIAPERGATE FOLLOW LPJ on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram Please help support our work by donating!

We are back to our regularly scheduled shenanigans. Lizz and Julie discuss the current news surrounding the Catholic Church and its influence on reproductive rights and healthcare in general. While Kavanaugh threatens Roe v Wade, some states prepared for history to repeat itself a long time ago, ie. the blessed state of Washington where Julie was able to visit and tour the amazing Cedar River’s Clinic. *SHOW NOTES* Cedar River Clinics Catholic Health Initiative MERGER with Dignity Health (PA #8 in Catholic Population) 1000 COVER UPS, 300 PRIESTS PITTSBURGH PORN RING PA ANTI ABORTION LAWS: BAD PLANNED PARENTHOOD V CASEY: SCOTUS RULING CLINIC VIOLENCE BAD (MA #1 in Catholic Population) BOSTON ARCHDIOCESE SEX SCANDAL ABOBO LAWS : NOT BAD BUT… SCOTUS BUFFER ZONE RULING (NY #5 in Catholic Population) NY SEX SCANDALS: BAD NY ABOBO LAWS : NOT BAD BUT… REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACT CLINIC VIOLENCE DR SLEPIAN BAD (CA #9 in Catholic Population) 66O MILLION SETTLEMENT. KICK OUT NUNS TO PAY: BAD CA ABOBO LAWS : FINE BUT… NIFLA SCOTUS CASE COMES OUT OF CA CLINIC VIOLENCE: BAD (WI #11 in Catholic Population) WI SEX SCANDALS: BAD WI ABOBO LAWS : BAD WI CLINIC VIOLENCE BAD (LA #10 in Catholic Population) LA SEX SCANDAL: BAD Other creepy side bar in LA LA ABOBO LAWS : BAD LA CLINIC VIOLENCE BAD WENDY VITTER CHIEF COUNSEL FOR ARCHDIOCESE, TRUMP WANTED HER ON FED BENCH DAVID VITTER DIAPERGATE FOLLOW LPJ on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram Please help support our work by donating!

In this episode, we dive into the murder of Evelyn Celeste Miller in small town Iowa. A 5 year old girl goes missing in early July of 2005, and is found on the banks of the Cedar River near Charles City, Iowa. We cover the case, the suspects, and all of the information surrounding this case. This is Murder and Such Follow us on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook at @murderandsuch!!! Your host, Brittany on Instagram at @brittany13paige Your co-host Hunter on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and PlayStation Network at @huntor27 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gwen Garner joins the Just Go Bike Podcast and talks about the ride from Clear Lake to Charles City. We talk about what hurts and how to fix it. Also, take a float down the Cedar River in Charles City.

Join my conversation with Kramer Welker as he walks the streets of Ohio in search of a solid Skype signal. Kramer is the singer and guitarist of Ohio based band You vs. Yesterday. I was introduced to Kramer by Jan Powers, the bands’ manager and my guest on Uncontained episode 11. In this episode Kramer and I talk about stories from the road, how his writing style has evolved while working with producer, Tyler Smith, singer of the band Dangerkids, and what the future holds for You vs. Yesterday.Kramer reveals the title of You vs. Yesterday’s new EP, You Had Your Chance I’m Taking Mine. You can expect the EP out either later this year or early next year. Catch them headlining in Ohio and Kentucky and opening for The Spill Canvas in Indianapolis, IN, on Oct 5th. You can find a full list of show dates at http://youvsyesterday.com/. Enjoy this episode with Kramer Welker of You vs. Yesterday and please share this episode with your friends and help spread the word!https://www.facebook.com/kramer.welkerhttps://www.facebook.com/youvsyesterday/https://youvsyesterday.bandcamp.com/https://www.youtube.com/user/youvsyesterdayhttps://soundcloud.com/you-vs-yesterdayhttps://twitter.com/youvsyesterdayhttps://www.instagram.com/youvsyesterday/To the people of Cedar Rapids, IA, you are in my thoughts as the Cedar River raises again. I was there in 2008 when it happened and I can only imagine what it is like having to face the flood again. I hope for as little damage as possible and a quick recovery for the city. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Christine Butterfield is the director of community development for the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which was hit by a record-breaking flood in June 2008. She speaks here about the extensive planning effort to rebuild a city in which more than 10,000 people were evacuated from areas along the Cedar River, historic neighborhoods were inundated, and thousands of residents lost their homes or saw them badly damaged. At the APA National Planning Conference in Boston in April 2011, she and her staff saw the city’s heroic efforts recognized with an APA National Planning Excellence Award for Best Practices in Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Planning, shared with Sasaki Associates, Inc., for the city’s new River Corridor Development Plan.