The Gazette Daily News Podcast

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Wednesday, September 2.

Besides some patchy fog Wednesday morning, your Wednesday weather is looking mostly uneventful. According to the National Weather Service, that fog should clear after 8:00 a.m., and after that it should be sunny with a high near 83 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. It will remain mostly clear into Wednesday night, with a low of around 60 degrees.

Already with the highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita in the nation over the past week, Iowa’s trend grew worse Tuesday even as state officials continue to disregard most of the mitigation steps advocated by a White House task force.

In the latest report published Sunday, the federal coronavirus task force said Iowa’s rate of 232 new cases per 100,000 population over the last week is nearly triple the national average of 88 per 100,000. It strongly recommended the state close bars and limit restaurant capacity in 61 counties, and strongly recommended enacting a mandate that Iowans wear masks in public.

Currently bars are only closed in 6 of Iowa’s counties, and mask mandates have been implemented piecemeal by city governments.

Iowa’s rolling seven-day average of new cases again set a record Tuesday, showing that an average of 1,177 more cases were reported each day for a week. The state’ seven-day rolling average has more than doubled in the past 10 days.

Johnson County, home to the University of Iowa, has become a flashpoint in the state’s COVID-19 trends in recent days — leading the state in new cases.

After learning that some University of Iowa faculty and staff members plan to call in sick Wednesday to protest in-person instruction during the pandemic, Interim Provost Kevin Kregel condemned the threatened action and said it compromised “students’ ability to maintain the educational progress critical to their future success.

Elsewhere in Johnson County, the Iowa City School District has decided to continue to pursue its lawsuit with the state’s teachers union against the governor’s office. After an appeal process, Iowa City Schools has been allowed to start its first two weeks with online only instruction, but the district is now seeking a temporary stay on the state’s powers to prevent them for teaching online beyond those two weeks.The district argues that these decisions should be a function of local control decided by the district, while the governor’s office argues that their restrictions are in compliance with state law.

10 more Iowa counties have been approved for FEMA derecho storm individual assistance. Individual assistance can help disaster-affected homeowners, renters and businesses to maximize recovery, including assistance with housing, personal property replacement and medical expenses. Linn County was approved for Individual Assistance on Aug. 20.

Unfortunately, although Gov. Kim Reynolds requested disaster assistance in 27 counties, FEMA determined that 16 of them did not have sufficient damage to qualify for aid.

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This is Nathan Ford from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Tuesday, Sept. 1.

There is a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms today in Cedar Rapids, mainly between 1 and 4 p.m., but will otherwise be mostly cloudy with a high near 72, according to the National Weather Service.

Iowa State University leaders said Monday that https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/university-of-iowa-and-iowa-state-new-covid-cases-20200831 (another 503 students, faculty, and staff tested positive for the coronavirus during its second week of classes). At the University of Iowa, officials reported another 329 students and employees had tested positive through Friday. Meanwhile, the New York Times has reported Story and Johnson counties, home to ISU and UI, are among thehttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html?action=clickandmodule=Top%20Storiesandpgtype=Homepage#hotspots ( hottest spots for new COVID-19 cases in the country). Iowa State's cumulative positivity rate for on-campus testing is 18.5 percent since Aug. 1. Administrators said the campus is opening a new testing center next week in Johnny’s at Hilton Coliseum. Also Monday, ISU athletics https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/iowa-state-cyclones/iowa-state-allowing-25000-fans-for-football-opener-20200831 (announced it will allow 25,000 fans at its season-opening football game) against Louisiana on September 12. But at Iowa, where fall sports have been postponed, https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/hawkeyes/iowa-athletics-shuts-down-after-surge-in-covid-19-positives-20200831 (all workouts have been shut down this week after the athletics department reported 93 cases of COVID-19) from last week. Johnson County had 40 percent of COVID-19 tests taken in the 24 hours before 11 a.m. Monday come back positive, according to new state data. Statewide, there were 612 new cases Monday and three more confirmed deaths, raising the state's toll to 1,113.

Frustrations are growing in the Corridor about delays in restoring internet service now three weeks after the Aug. 10 storm, especially with students doing remote learning and many employees still working from home because of COVID-19. Several customers contacted The Gazette to report continued outages, technicians not showing up when scheduled and projected reconnection dates as late as Sept. 29, or seven weeks after the storm. As of Monday afternoon, fewer than 5,900 Mediacom customers in Cedar Rapids were still without service. About 450 in Marion, 100 in Hiawatha and 30 in Newhall were are also out of service. Mediacom has set up five free community Wi-Fi hot spots that customers without service can go to. Mitchell Levin is one of those customers who hasn't had service in three weeks after the derecho blew a tree down on his roof. He said Mediacom hasn’t been able to get a technician out to restore services. Still, the company's automatic bill-paying service withdrew money from his account Saturday.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/public-safety/palo-home-invasion-homeowner-fatally-shot-intruder-linn-county-sheriff-20200831 (A 40-year-old man is dead after he allegedly broke into a residence on Ridgeview Road in Palo and was fatally shot by the homeowner early Monday morning). According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were notified just before 3 a.m. of a two-vehicle collision that occurred near Ridgeview Drive and Timber Road in Palo. Deputies said a Buick Encore driven by Kevin K. Harris, of Cedar Rapids, crashed into a parked Ford F150, pushing the truck into a Ford Fusion that was parked in a...

This is John McGlothlen from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Monday, August 31st.

For the Cedar Rapids weather forecast, there is a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms today, mainly before 1 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The high should be near 79 degrees. Tonight, there is a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms with a low around 53 degrees.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/public-safety/electric-shock-powerline-iowa-derecho-storm-cedar-rapids-20200830 (A man trimming trees Saturday in Wellington Heights suffered an electric shock injury) after the lift he was using came in contact with a power line. Cedar Rapids police officers and firefighters were called just before 5 p.m. Saturday to the 800 block of 17th Street SE, where they found a 22-year-old man on the platform of the portable lift. Though the equipment had come in contact with a live wire, the man was conscious when rescuers arrived, according to a public safety spokesman. The first responders directed him to stay put until https://www.thegazette.com/searchresults?keywords=Alliant+Energyandprofile=2676%2C2694%2C2668%2C2668%2C2687andstartdate=andenddate= (Alliant Energy) de-energized the line. Firefighters then transferred him off the lift into the bucket atop an aerial ladder from a Fire Department truck. The man was transported to the https://www.thegazette.com/searchresults?keywords=%22University+of+Iowa+Hospitals+and+Clinics%22andprofile=2676%2C2694%2C2668%2C2668%2C2687andstartdate=andenddate= (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics). Police did not disclose his name or the condition he was in when transported.

https://www.thegazette.com/iowa-city-schools-to-start-first-two-weeks-online-20200830 (Iowa City schools will start classes online for the first two weeks of school) after receiving a waiver from the Department of Education Wednesday. In a meeting Saturday morning, the Iowa City school board unanimously voted to start the school year virtually on Sept. 8. The school board voted in July to start school 100 percent virtually, but had to quickly change course after https://www.thegazette.com/searchresults?keywords=%22Kim+Reynolds%22andprofile=2676%2C2694%2C2668%2C2668%2C2687andstartdate=andenddate= (Gov. Kim Reynolds) announced schools must offer 50 percent on-site instruction. Under Reynolds’ interpretation of https://educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/2020-07-17_SF_2310_Guidance.v2.pdf (Senate File 2310), which gives guidance to reopening schools during the pandemic, if a district is granted the choice to go 100 percent online by the Department of Education, it requires the suspension of all in-person extracurricular activities, including athletics. The district is pursuing litigation with the https://www.thegazette.com/searchresults?keywords=%22Iowa+State+Education+Association%22andprofile=2676%2C2694%2C2668%2C2668%2C2687andstartdate=andenddate= (Iowa State Education Association) over Reynolds’ interpretation of Senate File 2310. A hearing is scheduled Thursday in Johnson County.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/iowa-adding-new-coronavirus-cases-at-record-clip-20200830 (The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Iowa is the highest it has ever been). The state added 990 new cases in the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Sunday. That brings the seven-day average of newly reported cases to 1,135 cases a day. According to https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html (a database maintained by the New York Times), Iowa’s rate of adding cases per capita is now the highest of any state in the nation. However, last week Iowa began including antigen test results — those that detect proteins in a test quicker than a typical COVID-19 test. When the proteins are found, those people are presumed to have COVID-19. When the results of previous antigen tests were added for Friday’s report, they led to a huge increase in new cases, and the positivity...

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for the weeknd of Saturday August 29th and Sunday August 30th.

After a cold front swept through the midwest Friday night, we can expect a new weather pattern this weekend. According to the National Weather Service, there should be a much cooler high of 80 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area on Saturday, with sunny skies and a moderate wind. On Sunday there is predicted to be a high of 82 degrees with partly cloudy skies, and a chance of showers and thunderstorms as Sunday heads into Monday.

The number of new COVID-19 cases continued to surge Friday, although the way the state reports coronavirus positives might have skewed the data in an even worse looking direction. 2,579 new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday, with more than a 1,000 of those cases added from antigen testing the state had not previously added. Still, even with those cases removed for a comparison to the old reporting method, there were still the most new cases reported in a daily period in Iowa since the start of the pandemic, breaking the record set just the day before.

Iowa dropped down to 299 people hospitalized with the virus, while its death toll climbed to 1,108.

On Thursday, after being alarmed by the rise of new cases at the state’s universities after just a week back, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered bars in six Iowa counties: Black Hawk, Dallas, Johnson, Linn, Polk and Story counties. These are all some of Iowa’s most urban counties, with three of the six being home to the biggest universities in the state.

On Friday, the University of Iowa reported that over 600 students had tested positive after voluntary testing in the first week. Although not specifying what, university officials hinted that they may need to take more drastic changes if the rate of spread did not slow down next week.

The emergency shelter set up in Veterans Memorial Coliseum will close Saturday morning.

It was opened for those whose homes became uninhabitable after the Aug. 10 derecho.

The people who’ve been staying there — fewer than a dozen now — will be moving to the Fillmore Center, which will be open until Sept. 30 in an arrangement worked out by the city and Linn County. The county owned Fillmore Center was used as an overflow shelter for the homeless this past winter, and there are plans to expand it to a year round shelter. It can house up to 60 people.

Traffic was tied up for much of Friday night on Interstate 380 after a fatal accident near Highway 30. Police have not released many details yet, but indicated the death occurred after two vehicles struck the back of a flatbed truck while heading south near the rest stop.

Wilson’s Orchard has been known for its apples for decades and is a staple fall destination in the area. But soon local apple enthusiasts will be seeing some changes to the farm that are intended to help diversify the business. Many changes are in the works related to the operations of Wilson’s Orchard and Farm, including diversifying agricultural production from just apples and pumpkins to additional crops such as strawberries, raspberries, sweet corn and asparagus. This also will mean an expansion in the amount of baked goods offered by the orchard and in local stores.

Orchard owner Paul Rasch also said the orchard is changing its symbol from an apple to a bee, to represent the sustainable local agriculture ecosystem that the orchard’s owners want to promote.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, August 28th.

We did it. We have made it to the last hot day of the week. And what will we win for it? Maybe... severe thunderstorms? According to the National Weather Service, there will be a high of 89 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area Friday, with sunny skies for much of the day. Then, after 3:00 p.m., there will be a chance for showers and thunderstorms. This chance will continue Friday night as a cold front rolls through the area, leading to much cooler temperatures into the coming week.

Days after college students returning to campus flooded downtown bars, leading to the concomitant rapid spread of COVID-19, Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday ordered nightclubs, breweries and bars in six Iowa counties to close almost immediately.

The emergency proclamation took effect at 5 p.m. Thursday in Black Hawk, Dallas, Johnson, Linn, Polk and Story counties — which includes the homes of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. The proclamation will remain in effect until at least Sept. 20. Restaurants in these counties that serve alcohol can remain open. but must stop serving alcohol after 10 p.m.

Why did the Governor react this way? Well Iowa on Thursday reported 1,477 new coronavirus cases, the most reported in a 24-hour period since mid-March when the virus arrived in Iowa. Johnson County — home of the aforementioned University of Iowa — reported 338 new cases, the most reported in any county in a 24-hour period.

In election news. a judge ruled Thursday that about 50,000 absentee ballot request forms mailed out by Linn County Auditor Joel Miller be invalidated, siding with a legal challenge brought by President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign,

Sixth Judicial District Judge Ian Thornhill took only a few hours in granting a temporary injunction against the forms he found had been improperly filled out in advance with personal information — including voter identification numbers — by Miller’s office.

These were not ballots but rather forms telling voters how they could request absentee ballots to vote in the November election without having to show up in person at polling places amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to the ruling, Miller must also contact the voters in writing to inform them he can’t accept the forms, and ask them to resubmit a blank form — without the voter’s information.

In addition, the Iowa Secretary of State’s office also will send absentee request forms to voters in the next few weeks.

Finally, Lute Olson, who coached the Iowa men’s basketball program to both a Big Ten regular-season championship and an NCAA tournament Final Four, died Thursday at his home in Tucson, Ariz. He was 85. The majority of Olson’s National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame career was at the University of Arizona from 1983 to 2008, but before that he turned the Hawkeyes into consistent winners over his nine years and made the program iconic in Iowa. Olson coached the 1979-1980 team, with one of its best players ever in Ronnie Lester, to the Final Four, the first appearance there for the Hawkeyes since the 1950s, and the last since that time.

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

There are two more hot days predicted for this week, and Thursday is one of them. According to the National Weather Service there should be a high of 96 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area with sunny skies. There will be a slight chance of rain Thursday night with a low of 72 degrees, with the chance for rain carrying into Friday.

The Cedar Rapids Community School District announced its first day of school will be Sept. 21 — with middle and high school students starting the year online. The announcement comes after the district received a waiver from the Department of Education that allowed them to maintain the current last day of school date of June 1, 2021.The waiver was granted by the state after the Aug. 10 derecho damaged several of the district’s buildings.

Under the new start date, elementary students will be able to start in the return-to-learn option already chosen by their families earlier this month. These students will either start in the online or hybrid learning model that they chose.

Middle and high school students, however, will start in online learning, even if they chose the hybrid learning model, with the exception of Metro High School, which will have an in-person instruction option.

Iowa had its second-highest number of positive, processed COVID-19 tests in a 24-hour period Wednesday. As of 11 a.m., 863 positive tests were reported in the previous 24 hours. The highest ever was less than a week ago at 878 on Aug. 20. After a brief dip below 300 people hospitalized with the disease, that number has rebounded back up to 313. The state is also approaching 1,100 deaths from the disease, with 1,077 deaths reported so far.

Iowa’s recent spike can largely be attributed to the return of students to school. So much so that the state’s three regent universities have begun threatening students with suspension for not following social distancing rules. For example, a Tuesday message to University of Iowa students https://studentlife.uiowa.edu/news/student-behavioral-expectations-on-and-off-campus (from Student Accountability Director Angela Ibrahim-Olin) warned student-health commitments related to COVID-19 — like social distancing and face covering requirements — pertain both to on- and off-campus behavior and repeated violations could result in “severe sanctions,” like housing contract cancellation or suspension from the university.

Not to be outdone, on Tuesday University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld scolded downtown bar owners for not following social distancing orders put forth by the governor’s office.

Linn County supervisors on Wednesday unanimously approved Linn County Auditor Joel Miller’s request to designate election drop boxes as county-provided accessories of the auditor’s office.

That designation will allow voters to drop their ballots into the drop boxes set up for the Nov. 3 general election, Miller said.

The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office has said Iowa law does not allow ballots to be left in drop boxes, but that county auditors can set up a no-contact delivery system for ballots in an office during regular business hours.

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

It is going to be hot again on Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny with a high near 96 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area, with windspeeds varying between 5 and 15 mph. On Wednesday night there will be mostly clear skies with a low of about 70 degrees.

Speaking Tuesday night to the Republican National Convention, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds praised President Donald Trump for his administration’s efforts in assisting Iowa after the Aug. 10 derecho that caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage across the state.

In a pre-recorded message, Reynolds said Iowans helped each other after what she said was the worst storm in the state’s history. She then praised Trump for his response. She said the president had come to Iowa quote “in full force,” accusing national media of not sufficiently covering his visit.

Trump spoke with officials on Aug. 18 at a meeting held at the Eastern Iowa Airport before a campaign stop in Yuma, Arizona. There, local mayors asked Trump for help with disaster funding. The President did not leave the airport to tour the wreckage.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is set to speak at the Republican convention tonight.

Gov. Reynolds has denied the https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/iowa-prison-commutation-judy-white-murder-ady-jensen-20200712 (commutation request of Judy White), a 74-year-old grandmother convicted in a 1979 murder-for-hire plot.

Reynolds, who has not commuted any life sentences since she took office in May 2017, told White in a letter last Thursday that while White’s rehabilitation over 41 years in prison was laudable, Reynolds could not make her eligible for parole.

White was convicted in 1979 of conspiring to murder Ady Jensen, 39, of Iowa City, at his parents’ farm in West Branch. She had 60 letters of support for her commutation, argued she’d already served more time in prison than anyone else involved in the murder and that she had been promised a shorter sentence under a 1982 plea deal.

Iowa’s rolling seven-day average for daily COVID-19 cases continues to rise at 605, a new record topping Monday’s 567. The increase appears to be driven by high numbers out of Johnson County, home of the University of Iowa, and its many returning students. Johnson County’s past three days have seen its highest COVID-19 numbers since the beginning of the pandemic. In the last 24 hours, Johnson County has had 84 new positive cases. On Monday it had 86 and on Sunday, 91.

An Iowa City man who told police he thought protesters needed an “attitude adjustment” is accused of striking at least one with his car last Friday, authorities said. Michael R. Stepanek, 45, faces charges of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a Class C felony; and willful injury causing bodily injury, a Class D felony. The two charges carry a potential 15-year prison sentence. He was taken into custody Tuesday.

The protesters were associated with the Iowa Freedom Riders, who have been protesting for police reform since the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd after he was killed while being taken into custody by police officers in late May.

Finally, Duane Arnold Energy Center officials have decided to close the nuclear facility permanently after experiencing significant damage from the Aug. 10 derecho, a NextEra Energy Resources spokesman said Monday. Duane Arnold, the only nuclear power plant in Iowa, was scheduled to be decommissioned Oct. 30.

The derecho caused “extensive” damage to the facility’s cooling towers, and officials said replacing the cooling towers with fewer than three months until decommissioning was “not feasible.”

This is Nathan Ford from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Hot weather will continue today with a high temperature of 96 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area, according to the National Weather Service forecast. It will be sunny and the heat index could reach 100.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/university-of-iowa-reports-107-students-have-covid-19-four-employees-20200824 (The University of Iowa reported yesterday that 107 students and four employees tested positive for COVID-19). That announcement came on the first day of the fall semester and included only students and employees who have self-reported positive tests since August 18. Some faculty members told The Gazette that already many students were emailing to say they can’t make it to their in-person classes this week due to COVID-19-related reasons. Officials noted in reporting Monday’s COVID-19 tally, that UI has more than 30,000 students and nearly 30,000 employees — many of whom are working or learning remotely. Elsehwere, Dyersville Beckman https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/iowa-prep-sports/football/positive-covid-cases-force-dyersville-beckman-to-cancel-its-football-opener-friday-night-against-iowa-city-regina-20200824 (was forced to cancel Friday's scheduled football season opener against Iowa City Regina) after a player and a coach tested positive for the coronavirus and 11 others had to quarantine. This comes https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/iowa-covid-7-day-average-percent-positive-johnson-county-20200824 (as the state’s seven-day rolling average reached 567), the highest ever since the start of the pandemic in March. The state reported 428 new cases in the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Monday, bringing the state total to 56,585. Five new deaths were attributed to the coronavirus, bringing Iowa’s toll to 1,040.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/hawkeyes/iowa-sports-budget-cuts-gary-barta-reaction-20200825 (University of Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta said at a news conference yesterday that the athletics department is in the process of securing a loan for up to $75 million). Barta previously said the department is expecting lost revenue of approximately $100 million after the Big Ten decided to not play football this fall due to the pandemic. Barta confirmed that Big Ten presidents and chancellors voted on postponing the conference's football season and that he and UI President Bruce Harreld wanted the league to continue with its fall schedule. As part of its budget cuts, Iowa announced last Friday it would discontinue four sports -- men's gymnastics, men's tennis and men's and women's swimming and diving -- and Barta reiterated yesterday that those decisions are final.

Nonprofits and community leaders gathered to discuss next steps for immigrants whose Cedar Rapids apartments were destroyed in the derecho. Organizations at a meeting Friday were all immigrant-led or had representatives there who came from the immigrant communities. They met with local nonprofit representatives to talk about how they can work together to best serve the community of immigrants that calls Cedar Rapids home, some of whom spent years in refugee camps after fleeing war. The Refugee and Immigrant Association still is accepting donations at http://refugeeimmigrant.org/ (refugeeimmigrant.org).

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/business/duane-arnold-energy-center-decommissioned-iowa-derecho-storm-palo-20200824 (Duane Arnold Energy Center officials decided to close the Palo nuclear facility permanently after experiencing significant damage from the Aug. 10 derecho). Duane Arnold, the only nuclear power plant in Iowa, was scheduled to be decommissioned Oct. 30. The derecho caused “extensive” damage to the facility’s cooling towers, officials said.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Monday, Aug. 24.

Monday’s hot weather will be a hot start to a hot week. According to the National Weather Service, there will be a high of 96 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area Monday. It will also be muggy, with the predicted heat index indicating that it could feel as hot as 102 degrees on the skin. The wind will be calm all day, with a low of 68 degrees.

The Republican National Convention is kicking off this coming week with Iowan politicians having prominent speaking slots. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will speak to the convention Tuesday and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst will address the delegates Wednesday. Both will deliver their remarks from Iowa.

A 5-year-old Iowa child with underlying health conditions is the first recorded child death from COVID-19 in Iowa.

According to a Sunday release from the Iowa Department of Public Health, the child died in June and a subsequent investigation into the death was finished by the state medical examiner on Aug. 6. News of the child’s death was made public after officials could ensure the child’s identity would remain protected while also informing the family, according to the release. The medical examiner performed multiple tests to rule out the child’s other maladies, which were not released to the public, and ultimately ruled that COVID-19 was the cause.

The rate of COVID-19 tests in Iowa that came back positive in a 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Sunday rose to 15.49 percent — the highest in more than five weeks.

The latest tally represents the third consecutive day above a 12 percent positive rate. Iowa has not seen a surge of this extent since the first few days of May. Iowa’s death toll from the disease rose to 1,036 as of Sunday night. The one good trend of the last few days is hospitalizations for the disease have dropped down to 260 after continual growth since late June.

Gazette reporter Vanessa Miller reported from downtown Iowa City Friday night into Saturday morning, confirming that several downtown bars were packed with students, many of whom showed masks at the door to gain entrance before refusing to wear the masks inside.

School resumes for both the University of Iowa and several area school districts on Monday.

The Iowa City Police Department is investigating an incident on Friday night in downtown Iowa City where several protesters were hit by a car at the intersection of Burlington and Gilbert Streets. An officer in an unmarked vehicle witnessed the car speeding away and took down the license plate but could not pursue due to the amount of vehicles and pedestrians in the area. Meanwhile, police say they were unaware that people were hit because no police reports were made by either the people who were hit, the driver, or the people who observed the incident. After seeing the collision in a video shared Saturday on Twitter, police were able to use the license plate to locate the vehicle and the driver. The investigation in the incident continues.

The protesters were associated with the Iowa Freedom Riders, who have been protesting for police reform since the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd after he was killed while being taken into custody by police officers in late May.

This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk and I’m here with your weekend update for August 22-23, 2020.

We have a bright, hot and sunny weekend ahead of us!

Saturday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 88. It’ll cool off to 68 in the evening with a 30% chance of showers.

Sunday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 92, then cool off again to 68 in the evening.

Governor Reynolds says Virtual learning is OK for schools hit by derecho. School districts that suffered damage the derecho will be allowed to start the school year with just online instruction if the Iowa Department of Education approves. Under a revised public health emergency proclamation issued Friday by Gov. Kim Reynolds, school districts with facilities damaged by hurricane-force winds earlier this month also could apply for a waiver of required instructional time if they still are unable to conduct even remote instruction due to power or internet outages or other complications.

Linn County residents can seek federal aid for derecho recovery. Homeowners, renters and merchants in Linn County can apply now for federal disaster aid to help them recover from the derecho. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump partially approved the state’s request for individual assistance under a Federal Emergency Management Agency program — but damage assessments in the 26 other Iowa counties under consideration are ongoing, and residents in those counties must wait for the federal aid. More information on how to apply can be found at TheGazette.com

Iowa State University threatening suspension against student parties. ISU President Wendy Wintersteen on Friday issued a campus letter rebuking the “unacceptable” behavior and enacting a new COVID-19 safety policy for student social gatherings that could lead to suspension.

Per the new policy, effective Friday, all on- or off-campus social gatherings or parties involving ISU students must comply with all public health orders in place at the federal, state, county, city and university level. That means, under current restrictions, students at the parties or gatherings must wear face coverings, and comply with federal physical distancing guidelines ensuring 6 feet of separation.

Iowa State, which began classes Monday, identified 175 students with COVID-19 upon move in to the residence halls. They were required to isolate either in space reserved on campus or at home.

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