The Gazette Daily News Podcast

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Here’s your weekend update for Dec. 5-6, 2020:

There is a slight chance of flurries in the Cedar Rapids area Saturday night, but it should otherwise be a mild weather weekend according to the National Weather Service. The projected high temperature is 41 Saturday and 40 Sunday.

Iowa’s previous record of 70 COVID-19 deaths set Thursday lasted only a day. https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/iowa-coronavirus-death-record-20201204 (The state reported 84 new confirmed coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours on Friday), bringing the statewide total to 2,603. Worth County reported its first death due to COVID-19, making it Iowa’s 98th county with a confirmed coronavirus death. Only Decatur County has not attributed a death to the pandemic. In the last week, 252 deaths have been reported across the state, more than any other 7-day period. There were 2,905 new cases over the last 24 hours and the total number of case now stands at 239,699. After nine consecutive days of the 7-day average of new cases dropping, Friday saw an increase in the 7-day average, climbing up to 2,307.

After facing a workforce shortage for months, https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-contract-tracing-mci-anthony-marlowe-gop-insider-trump-gov-kim-reynolds-20201204 (Iowa awarded an emergency $2.3 million COVID-19 contact-tracing contract to a company that has worked for the campaigns of President Donald Trump and Gov. Kim Reynolds and is owned by a Republican insider), the Associated Press reported Friday. The Iowa Department of Public Health selected Iowa City-based MCI out of 14 applicants, saying it submitted the best proposal and that political considerations did not play a role in the deal. The company is expected to supply 200 contact tracers to supplement the hundreds of public health workers who have failed to keep up with Iowa’s fast-growing virus caseload. The first 60 graduated training and were beginning state work Friday. MCI had pitched its services to Iowa officials since the beginning of the pandemic and says it does contact tracing and management in six other states, including Alabama and Louisiana.

Although University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld in justifying his early retirement announcement in October said he wanted to allow more time to find his replacement during unparalleled pandemic conditions, https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/university-of-iowa-new-president-timeline-20201204 (a search timeline released Friday has regents choosing a successor by April 30). That timeline — revealed during the first UI presidential search committee meeting — has the 21-member group choosing semifinalists by March 22, interviewing them and identifying finalists by April 6-7, and bringing finalists for campus visits by April 19-23. The campus would gather feedback about the candidates through April 29, with the Board of Regents interviewing finalists and choosing a 22nd UI president April 30.

This is Stephen Colbert with the Gazette Digital News Desk and this is your update for Friday,, December 3rd, 2020.

Today’s weather will be Sunny, with a high near 44, cooling off to about 23 tonight.

Here’s your daily update for Dec. 3, 2020:

Iowa Coronavirus Case Growth Continues Downward Trend

Coronavirus cases continue to drop for the 9th day of decrease in a row as daily new cases have dropped by nearly 2,000 since the peak on November 18th down to 2,073 on Wednesday. Hospitalizations also continue to trend downward, including the number of patients in the ICU and on ventilators. Despite these drops, the state reported 70 deaths in a 24-hour period yesterday. The number of deaths has also been trending down, but this is likely the result of the recent spike in cases.

Over 230 in Linn County told they were positive for COVID-19, but they weren't

Based on bad information it received, Linn County Public Health notified scores of people they had tested positive for COVID-19 when they actually hadn’t.

The letter from the department said that on Nov. 23, Linn County Public Health was notified of incorrect lab results for tests collected between Nov. 14 and 16 due to an error in the lab’s reporting process.

In a statement provided to The Gazette, Weland Clinical Laboratories, with headquarters in Cedar Rapids, said the test results were correct — but the results reported to public health officials were not.

Governor Reynolds says there’s a 'Light at end of tunnel' with coronavirus vaccine's arrival pending

The first batches of the vaccine will arrive in Iowa later this month, and are destined for long-term care facility staff and residents. While Reynolds said this was an encouraging development she urged people to remain vigilant in the coming months and to maintain efforts to mitigate the virus and avoid another surge.

Cedar Rapids schools returning to in-person classes Monday

The schools cutting short a two-week virtual waiver, citing a decrease in staff absences and the number of positive COVID-19 in Linn County. The district also is updating its quarantine guidance based on recommendations from the CDC, shortening the duration of quarantine from 14 days to 10 days for anyone who’s come into contact with someone with the virus but has no symptoms. Schools that had in-person learning before the waiver will return to school Monday, Dec. 7. That includes all elementary schools, Metro High School, Polk Alternative Education and Harding, Roosevelt and Wilson middle schools.

Four schools that have been repaired from derecho damage in August will resume in-person classes for the first time this year on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Those schools are Franklin and McKinley middle schools and Jefferson and Washington high schools.

All high school athletics and activities can resume beginning Saturday.

Iowa sees drop in new unemployment claims after six weeks of increases

The drop was the state’s largest single-week drop in new claims since May. Construction was the largest source of claims with 1,273, followed by manufacturing with 983, self-employed and independent contractors with 554, accommodation and food services with 455 and health care and social assistance with 406. About 53 percent of people filing claims said their unemployment was not related to coronavirus.

A dispute over the election results for one of Iowa’s U.S. House seats may be headed to a decision by the Democrat-controlled U.S. House. Only 2 Iowa counties have escaped a COVID-19 death. Iowa City, Cedar Rapids again get perfect scores in human rights index.

This is Stephen Colbert with the Gazette Digital News Desk and this is your update for Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020.

Today’s weather will be mostly sunny, with a high near 43. It’ll stay clear while the temperature drops tonight to around 23.

Iowa Coronavirus Case Growth Continues Downward Trend

Coronavirus 7-day average 2184 new cases, down from 2468, 7th day of decrease in a row. Hospitalizations saw a slight uptick from 1162 to 1172, but that’s part of a downward trend consisting of several streaks of decreases following the record high 1127 on 11/18. Patients in ICU are also slowly trending downward.

A UI epidemiologist 'more optimistic' about COVID-19 but says Iowans should 'hunker down a little bit longer'

Jorge Salinas sees reasons to remain hopeful — but also vigilant — about the prolonged pandemic.

During a Facebook live QandA, he said he’s been more optimistic. An advisory committee for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has discussed which groups of people should get the first doses of a vaccine, which he notes is 95 percent effective in preventing infection. While Jorge thinks we have a ways to go, he predicts things should be getting back to normal by the end of next year.

45% of Iowa waters impaired, including Lake Macbride, parts of Cedar and Iowa rivers

Nearly 600 water body segments reviewed for the 2020 Iowa Department of Natural Resources draft list of impaired waters — meaning they don’t meet at least one standard for their intended use such as drinking, recreation or supporting aquatic life.

Fortunately, for the first time, the number of category 4 and 5 impairments saw a net drop.

The biggest water quality problem for Iowa’s rivers and streams is bacteria, while lakes and reservoirs suffer most from algal growth, Krier said.

More than one-third of the fish kills included in the report were caused by animal waste.

Sen. Chuck Grassley sees possibility for bipartisan work with Biden administration

Sen. Chuck Grassley, who served with then-Sen. Joe Biden for nearly three decades, sees a possibility for advancing bipartisan legislation during the president-elect’s administration.

If President Biden serves as he did as a senator, Grassley said, “there’s a great deal of opportunity to get a bipartisan product.”

However, those opportunities will be diminished if Biden bows to pressure from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, the Iowa Republican said Tuesday.

Grassley, who returned to the Capitol on Monday following a two-week isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, made his comments during a virtual presentation to more than 60 members of the Iowa Taxpayers Association.

Collins Road Theatres reopens soon with recliners, COVID filters in air system

Customers will notice some readily apparent changes when the Collins Road Theatres, across from Lindale Mall in Marion, reopen this month. But some upgrades will not be so obvious.

Recliners have replaced traditional theater seating in all five auditoriums, reducing the venue from a total of about 850 seats to close to 360. But theater owner Bruce Taylor says he would rather fill 60 seats with happy people than 400 seats with people who would rather have recliners.

Customers will be able to reserve seats online for a specific movie showing. When two adjoining seats are reserved, the next seat will be marked with an “X” to indicate it is not available, to ensure social distancing.

In addition, each auditorium has new ceiling tiles, carpet and paint. Seven rooftop heating, ventilating and air-conditioning units — including five replaced after the storm — meet minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV, air-filtration standards for COVID-19 protection.

While studios have delayed most major blockbuster movies until 2021, Wonder Woman 1984 will release on Christmas day, and theaters can be reserved for up to 20 people for $100 or $120, depending on whether it’s a new or classic movie.

The state has officially declared Republican Marianette Miller-Meeks the winner of Iowa's 2nd District U.S. House seat by just six votes. November was the deadliest month for COVID-19 in Iowa. Unionized state workers are seeking a 3% pay raise over the next two years. This is your daily update for Dec. 1, 2020.

This is John McGlothlen with the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Monday, November 30th.

The weather today will be sunny, with a high near 31. Winds from the north 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Tonight will be clear, with a low around 17.

A man shot Saturday night in southwest Cedar Rapids was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. At about 10:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Ninth Street SW for a shots-fired report, according to a news release from the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Officers found a man who was approximately 35 years old with a life-threatening gunshot wound. The investigation is active and ongoing.

The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in Iowa hospitals continued declining Sunday morning for the fifth day in a row, though that still is almost triple the number of people hospitalized in the previous spike last summer. While current hospitalizations in a 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Sunday declined from 1,221 to 1,175, those in intensive care inched up from 224 to 235 and those placed on ventilators rose from 146 to 151. As of Saturday, there were 60 Linn County residents hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 86 on Nov. 23. Sixteen Johnson County residents were hospitalized with the virus, barely down from the 17 reported Nov. 23. Over the summer, during the first surge of COVID-19, hospitalizations peaked May 7 at 417 — just about 35 percent of the current level.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks' lead has shrunk to 6 votes over Rita Hart after a full recount in Iowa 2nd District race. With more than 394,400 votes cast, https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/rita-hart-mariannette-miller-meeks-recount-senate-20201128 (only a half dozen votes now separate the two) candidates running for an open southeast Iowa congressional seat almost certainly headed to a legal contest. A state canvassing board is scheduled to meet this afternoon, the legal deadline under Iowa Code, to certify the results of the race.

This is Stephen Colbert with the Gazette Digital News Desk and this is your weekend update for November 28th and 29th, 2020.

The weather on Saturday will be sunny with a high of 53 and a low of 31 Saturday night. Sunday will still be sunny, but it’s going to start to get colder with a high of 44 and a low of 21 Sunday night.

Iowa continues downward trend in hospitalizations after hitting a peak a week and a half ago. https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/coronavirus-iowa-numbers-november-black-friday-20201127

Hospitalizations across the state continued to dip over the 24-hour period, dropping from 1,269 to 1,226. The number of patients being treated in intensive care units also dipped from 271 to 256 and the number of patients on ventilators decreased slightly from 142 to 141. After hitting a high point of 1,527 Iowans hospitalized due to coronavirus on November 18th, the numbers have been on a steady decline and Friday was the 3rd day in a row to see a decrease from the previous day, following a slight bump after 5 days of consecutive decrease before that.

As these numbers decrease, University of Hospitals and Clinics has also implemented a home treatment program for coronavirus patients to further alleviate the strain on hospitals. https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/university-iowa-coronavirus-home-treatment-hospitalization-20201127

The UIHC Home Treatment Team, which started early in the coronavirus pandemic, is a targeted initiative that provides daily direct care at home, in an effort to keep COVID-19 patients out of the hospital.

The team now has seen about 1,300 patients with high risk for complications of the virus. But to date, only 9 percent have required a hospital bed during their care. Only about 2 percent have required a bed in the intensive-care unit.

The new chief deputy U.S. marshal for Iowa is one of youngest in the nation. https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/public-safety/new-chief-deputy-us-marshal-for-iowa-one-of-youngest-in-the-nation-20201127

Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Barther started out on a much different career path, going from a pre-K teacher to hunting fugitive. The 34 year old Barther said growing up in Pompano Beach, Florida, he spent a lot of time at summer camps and participated in the Boys and Girls Club and wanted to take what he learned from those experiences and mentor kids.

However, an internship at the U.S. Marshal’s Service in Washington, D.C. changed things and after graduation, he took a job with the U.S. Capitol Police in Washington, D.C., where he worked for a year before becoming a U.S. marshal in Miami.

Now, he’s now the highest ranking sworn law enforcement professional who runs the day-to-day operations in the 52-county Northern District of Iowa, which has offices in Cedar Rapids and Sioux City.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, November 27th.

There will be a few more days of relatively warm weather before a big temperature drop on Monday, so I suggest you take advantage of it. According to the National Weather Service, there will be a high of 43 in the Cedar Rapids area with cloudy skies clearing throughout the day. A 5 to 10 mph wind will also calm throughout the day, with the skies clearing Friday night, with a low around 28 degrees.

28 degrees, incidentally, is predicted to be the high temperature this coming Monday. So if you happen to do some shopping this weekend and also need to update your winter wear, it might be a good time.

It continues to be a lethal week for COVID-19 in Iowa. On Tuesday, the state reported 47 deaths from the disease, the highest since the pandemic began, while on Wednesday the state reported 41 deaths, the second highest. On Thursday, 37 more deaths were reported, bringing the death toll from the disease to 2,349.

Hospitalizations for the disease have continued to drop, with 1,269 patients listed as being treated in hospitals for the disease on Thursday, the first time the state has dropped below 1,300 patients since Nov. 15. 3,323 new cases were reported Thursday, with a positivity rate of 38.46 percent.

An apartment fire on Blairs Ferry Road Thursday displaced five residents on Thanksgiving, after they awoke to a power outage and the smell of smoke in the laundry room area of the building.

Hiawatha firefighters responded to a report of smoke in the building at 4:28 a.m. at 1440 Blairs Ferry Rd., according to a news release. The five residents had been evacuated before police and fire units arrived and nobody was injured.

Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, will look very different this year as retailers and shoppers adjust to rising COVID-19 infections. Likely gone this year are the days of crowds gathering in the early morning hours to rush through the doors to grab bargains. They are being replaced by single-file lines of shoppers being asked to maintain social distancing.

Large retailers have turned Black Friday into a month long online event, with specific items offered on sale. Brick-and-mortar retailers are battling online giants like Amazon.com as COVID-19 concerns have prompted many shoppers to avoid in-person purchases.

Many retailers also are offering curbside pickup to entice shoppers to continue shopping at local stores rather than going online. Home delivery also is offered for everything from apparel to groceries. If you would like to learn more before venturing out, we have a list of store hours on thegazette.com.

The state of Iowa will have the spotlight on two college football teams on a Friday at a time when few other games may be competing for the nation’s attention.The headliner is Iowa State versus Texas, on ABC at 11 a.m. If the Cyclones win, they’re a home victory over West Virginia next week from an outright Big 12 regular-season title. Should Texas prevail, the league is likely to end up in a three- or four-way tie at the top. Iowa State has not won a conference title in football since 1912.

Iowa versus Nebraska, showing at noon on Fox, will be played with much lower stakes since neither team is likely to be conference champion at this point. But, it remains an important border rivalry, and could make the difference in how both teams view their seasons in a very strange year.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Thursday, November 26th.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The weather will be fairly pleasant for your holiday Thursday, if a little chilly. According to the National Weather Service there will be a high of 47 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area with cloudy skies gradually becoming sunny. A 5-10 mph wind will calm down even further during the day, and the low will settle in at 29 degrees.

Iowa’s new cases of COVID-19 continue to hover at a new elevated normal, but the state has seen an unusual amount of deaths from the disease the past few days. On Tuesday the state reported 42 people died of the novel coronavirus, the highest single day death total in Iowa since the pandemic began. On Wednesday, 41 more deaths were reported, bringing the state’s total to 2,312.

To put this in perspective, when the first inklings of this current spike in cases started in late September, about 1,300 deaths had already occurred in Iowa since the virus first was reported in the state in March. In the two months that followed, 1,000 more people have died.

The state reported 3,345 new COVID-19 cases during the 24-hour period ending 11;00 a.m. Wednesday, with a positivity rate of 39.11 percent. About 1,300 people remain hospitalized with the disease.

New unemployment claims in Iowa jumped by 3,466 last week, to 9,458, marking the largest single-week increase in new unemployment claims since the week of April 4.

This matched a national trend, where the United State Labor Department said on Wednesday the number of Americans applying for unemployment rose for the second straight week, to a total of 778,000. Before the virus struck hard in mid-March, weekly claims typically amounted to only about 225,000 nationally, according to department statistics.

And now for an update from Iowa’s second congressional district race that gets closer by the day in votes, but not necessarily closer to a resolution. Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks, as of late Wednesday afternoon, had 196,880 votes to Democrat Rita Hart’s 196,845, according to unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office. This new 35 vote margin could drop to single digits if other unofficial results hold true, but the most likely destination this race may be heading is to court, as the two campaigns continue to clash over recounting rules. According to Nathaniel Rakich of 538, there have only been 3 federal elections in the last 100 years to be decided by fewer than 20 votes: a New Hampshire senate race, 2 votes apart, in 1974; an Indiana congressional race in 1984, 4 votes apart; and a New York congressional race in 1924, where the winning margin was 10 votes.

According to Iowa law, in the event of a tie, the two candidates will have sheets of paper placed with their names on them in a receptacle, such as a hat or a bowl, before the winner is pulled at random.

I have to admit my bias, I not only hope that the winner’s name is pulled from a receptacle, I hope that Iowans get the opportunity to vote on what the receptacle is, and this receptacle is played for in the Iowa versus Iowa State football trophy game henceforth into perpetuity.

And on that note, if you’re still listening to me, I think it’s time for your holiday break now.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Wednesday, November 25th.

Wednesday’s weather will be a continuation of Tuesday’s rainy atmosphere. According to the National Weather Service there will be a high near 43 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. There will be a chance for dense fog before 8 a.m., but that will clear into a mostly cloudy, periodically drizzly day. Wednesday night will remain cloudy, with a low of 35 degrees.

The true picture of COVID-19 in Iowa remains unclear so far this week. On the one hand, there have been improvements, with the positivity rate remaining (barely) below 40 percent Tuesday, after remaining above 40 percent for over two weeks in a row before. The 3,872 new cases on Tuesday, in any other month this year, might have been alarming, but compared to the beginning of November-- where cases were averaging well more than 4,000 a day-- and 3,900 cases became an improvement. Hospitalizations have also stabilized in the 1,350 patient range after topping 1,500 in this most recent spike.

While it remains to be seen whether this wave will continue to plateau in Iowa, what is clear is more damage lies in its wake. 47 people were reported as dying from COVID-19 Tuesday, the highest death toll so far from the disease, bringing the total number of deaths in the state from the novel coronavirus to 2,271. Tuesday also had the highest number of people on respirators so far, at 155.

Iowans received varying depictions of the state of the virus and its consequences Tuesday: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who ordered a mask mandate last week, declared that with a vaccine on the horizon, and some improvements to the numbers, the state is on the right track with the virus as long as vigilance is maintained; at the same time, Iowa hospital administrators and workers signed a letter asking that lawmakers recognize the extreme stress that is currently being placed on the state’s health providers. And in a sign that life will not return back to normal in December, the Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids School Districts on Tuesday announced they would be remaining in virtual learning for two weeks after the holiday break to try to dampen the potential blow of the virus spreading from Thanksgiving travel.

Other things remain unclear, like the final result of the election in Iowa’s second U.S. Congressional District. As the campaigns of Republican Marianette Miller-Meeks and Democrat Rita Hart duke it out over rules, and counties slowly recount and certify votes for a race that has seesawed back and forth between the two candidates since election night, Miller-Meeks ended the day Tuesday with a 41 vote lead out of nearly 400,000 votes cast. And with more recounting to do and several votes in dispute, everything besides the fact that this will be one of the closest races in American history remains undecided.

More decided, but still unexplained to the public, is the fate of Marion Library Director Hollie Trenary. The Marion Library Board met in private last week and voted 6 to 3 to terminate Trenary’s contract. No explanation has been forthcoming from the city or the board about why this happened, as they have cited privacy concerns around personnel changes. Trenary, for her part, told the Gazette that she is “sad and heartbroken” by the decision but did not comment further.

The library has now seen three directors in the past five years, with this change coming two months after the city broke ground on a new public library.