The Gazette Daily News Podcast

This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk and I’m here with your update for Monday, August 10, 2020.

Today’s weather has a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, but otherwise it should be partly sunny, with a high near 86. Tonight it will cool off to 61. Expect a lot of sun and a high of 84 tomorrow. After that, every day sees a 30-40% chance of rain until Sunday.

The number of coronavirus cases in Iowa rose yesterday to 48,742 total cases, and the total deaths attributed to coronavirus stand at 930.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-coronavirus-toll-adds-630-cases-5-more-deaths-20200809 (While infections and deaths continue to rise), on Sunday the positive rate from all 7,000 tests for the previous 24 hours came out to 9% positive rate, keeping under the 10% threshold. Hospitalizations are also down from 229 to 221 the number of patients in intensive care dropped from 58 to 57, and the number of patients using ventilators dropped from 22 to 20.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/community/amid-pandemic-legion-arts-stages-comeback-20200808 (Legion Arts stages comeback). The pioneering arts and culture organization that owns CSPS Hall in NewBo, had a “vibrant and exciting” spring season planned before COVID-19 swept through.

In March, the not-for-profit canceled all its shows featuring acts from different regions and countries overseas, assuming it was just a temporary pause. They planned to pick up in May, but all their events have been online. Now they’re finally opening their doors back up Thursday night, then noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

There will be in-person gallery exhibits in addition to some live performances or viewings outdoors. Precautions are being taken, including social distancing and checking guest’s temperatures at the door.

You can find this and the rest of our coronavirus coverage at our dedicated coronavirus page, TheGazette.com/coronavirus.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-casino-revenue-inching-back-20200807 (Iowa casino revenue is slowly recovering from the pandemic). State officials posted a report Friday showing adjusted gross revenue for July approached $120.4 million after the facilities and many other Iowa businesses were ordered closed from mid-March to June 1 under a gubernatorial emergency proclamation. Overall, commission documents indicated the state collected more than $17.2 million in gaming taxes on the July casino adjusted gross revenue and about $152,000 in state tax on sports betting revenue. Despite the return of revenue, attendance is sharply down from July last year with 1,175,723 gamblers passing through Iowa turnstiles, roughly a third of July 2019 traffic.

U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer got married on Saturday to Daniel Wasta in a small ceremony at the couple’s home. The couple, who have been together for about two years, were engaged in October 2019.

The 31 year old Finkenauer was elected to the U.S. House in 2018 and is seeking reelection this fall. She previously served two terms in the Iowa House.

The 27 year old Wasta, recently joined the Biden’s presidential campaign as the Iowa political director. He previously served the same capacity for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Iowa caucuses campaign and also worked in the office of Iowa State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald and on a number of other political campaigns. Finkenauer is from Dubuque, and Wasta is from Cedar Rapids, but the couple hasn’t yet specified where they will make their new home.

The Gazette Daily news updates are brought to you in part by Corridor Careers. "Are you looking for a job? CorridorCareers.com is a resource to local job seekers where they can get job tips, sign up for local job alerts, build a resume and more. Check it out at CorridorCareers.com."

That’s it for today’s update. Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon Alexa to “enable The Gazette Daily News...

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for the weekend of August 8th and August 9th.

This weekend’s weather looks to be hot, with a chance for rain. According to the National Weather Service, there will be a high of 88 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area Saturday with a 30 percent chance of rain. This chance of rain will remain roughly the same into Sunday, where there will be a high of 92 degrees. Then, there will be a 50 percent chance of rain Sunday night. Through all this, rainfall totals are not predicted to be especially significant.

In an open letter to the public, Iowa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJcQxk4Bw94andfeature=youtu.beandutm_medium=emailandutm_source=govdelivery (Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday urged Iowans to stay vigilant) in their efforts to keep the novel coronavirus in check and prevent a resurgence in COVID-19 infections like those that forced her to close schools, businesses and many activities for about 11 weeks earlier this year.

Calling preventive health measures the best defense against COVID-19, Reynolds reiterated the public health instructions to wash hands often, disinfect frequently used items, maintain social distance of at least 6 feet in public and “wear a face mask if you’re able, stay home if you’re sick, and please carefully consider whether certain social or recreational activities are worth the risk.”

Iowa’s death toll from the disease reached 925 by the end of the day Friday. Reynolds has resisted calls for public mask orders and balked at online only schooling, arguing instead for dealing with the virus with personal responsibility as a part of everyday life.

Jerry Burns of Manchester was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday for the murder of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko in December of 1979. Before sentencing, defense attorney Leon Spies made a motion for a new trial, arguing many of the same issues that had been ruled upon before. But he also said his private investigator had uncovered new evidence that wasn’t discovered until June after interviewing a music teacher who said Martinko took music lessons in the Westdale Mall at the time, and may have wanted to meet someone there on the night of her murder. Martinko’s body was found outside the mall in her parents’ Buick after having been stabbed 29 times. Judge Fae Hoover denied the request for a new trial, saying that the new evidence would not have changed the verdict.

The cold case murder gained national attention after an arrest was made using DNA evidence acquired from a public database called GEDmatch, when a distant cousin of Burns submitted her DNA to the site.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference announced the cancellation of its 2020 fall season Friday, citing COVID-19 concerns, with the intention of moving games to a spring season with March, April and May as its target months. The conference has fielded several successful teams in what is now called the FCS division over the years, including several nationally competitive teams from the University of Northern Iowa.

This week I wanted to take the end of the briefing as an opportunity to thank our listeners. It has been two years now since I started doing these, and with the help of my digital news teammates this year we have made it a daily affair.

And, while thanking you all, I would like to invite you all to tell us what you like about our briefing or what you might like changed. Would you like shorter weather segments? More sports? A longer or shorter briefing in general? Send these comments, suggestions, or jokes at my expense to [email protected].

And thank you for listening.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, August 7th.

Friday’s weather will give a preview of what the weekend’s weather will be like. According to the National Weather Service, it should be much warmer than it was earlier in the week, with a high near 85 in the Cedar Rapids area. There will also be a chance of rain as Friday rolls into Saturday, leading to a chance for more rain Saturday morning.

Iowa’s daily numbers of those recovering from COVID-19 continued another day with above average numbers Thursday. However, numbers of those tested and those who tested positive both jumped up, with the lionshare of the positive cases continuing to come from Iowa’s more densely populated counties with larger metros. Linn County, for example, posted its highest number of positive cases since the pandemic began, with 68 positive cases reported on Thursday.

Iowa’s schools continue to make adjustments to their return to learn plans. On Thursday the Iowa City School District informed parents that it had been denied its request by the Iowa Department of Education to start the school year entirely online. The district will discuss its next steps in the wake of this decision next Tuesday, but had already postponed the start of the school year until September earlier this week. Meanwhile, the Cedar Rapids School District will vote next Monday to determine if it will delay the start of its school year from Aug. 24 to Aug. 31. The district indicated that this likely won’t affect the district’s current return to learn plan much, but the district would like more time to respond to changing requests from the Department of Education and the Iowa Governor’s Office.

Speaking of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, she has previously stated that local municipalities do not have the legal standing to issue mask mandates to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This, however, is not stopping local governments from trying to do so anyway. On Thursday, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors followed the county health board’s lead in codifying failure to wear a mask in a public setting as a potential simple misdemeanor, with a fine starting at $105. The approved face covering mandate — which could go into effect as early as next Monday when it is published in a local newspaper — calls for residents to wear masks in public settings and situations in which keeping 6 feet of distance is not possible.

First responders from multiple Linn County agencies responded to a house explosion Thursday afternoon in northwest Cedar Rapids. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office said Joshua Thomas, 24, of Marion was working on a property at 5902 Rogers Rd. NW when an explosion occurred in the residence. Officials said Thomas sustained several injuries and severe burns. He was airlifted to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for treatment of what appeared to be life-threatening injuries. The cause of the explosion has not been released. Sheriff’s deputies cordoned off the area for several hours-- due, they said, to the risk associated with a large amount of ammunition present near the home.

This week I wanted to take the end of the briefing as an opportunity to thank our listeners. It has been two years now since I started doing these, and with the help of my digital news teammates this year we have made it a daily affair.

And, while thanking you all, I would like to invite you all to tell us what you like about our briefing or what you might like changed. Would you like shorter weather segments? More sports? A longer or shorter briefing in general? Send these comments and suggestions, or anything else you would like, to [email protected].

And thank you for listening.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Thursday, August 6th.

Another nice day of weather is coming Thursday. According to the National Weather Service it should be mostly sunny with a high near 80 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. Thursday night it will be partly cloudy, with a low of around 60 degrees. The windspeed all day will hover between 5 and 10 mph.

Iowa passed the 900 death mark from COVID-19 by the end of the day Wednesday, with 906 people having died from the novel coronavirus in the state so far. The recovery numbers from the disease continue to look good this week, but the amount of those testing positive spiked up to over 400 Wednesday while the numbers of people tested remained relatively constant. About half of these positive cases came from Polk, Linn, and Johnson Counties. The amount of people hospitalized for treatment of the disease remained at 243.

In Linn County local leaders issued a proclamation Wednesday calling on Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to allow local control of issuing the rules on mandatory mask policies. This follows a push from both medical officials and elected officials in affected counties calling for the increased use of masks to stop the spread of the disease.

During a joint Linn County Board of Supervisors and Board of Health meeting, the proclamation was finalized and sent to Reynolds. On Monday, the Mount Vernon City Council approved a mask mandate for the city. In recent weeks, http://https//www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/johnson-county-board-of-health-approves-mask-regulation-20200804 (Johnson County, Iowa City and North Liberty have enacted or taken steps to enact mask mandates).

In non COVID-19 news, thousands of qualifying felons in Iowa will be eligible to vote this November thanks to an executive order Gov. Reynolds signed Wednesday that automatically restores their voting rights once they have discharged their sentence or been granted probation or parole. Making good on a promise, Reynolds signed the order during a Statehouse ceremony that drew state legislators, Black Lives Matter activists and a coalition of groups that have worked since 2011 to restore felons’ right to vote and run for public office. The order does not apply to felons who were convicted under Iowa’s Chapter 707 homicide criminal code section — which includes murder, manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter — nor does it extend voting rights to felons with special lifetime sentences for sexual crimes or other offenses.

In sports, assuming there is a college football season, the Iowa Hawkeyes will open the season in Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 5. The Big Ten unveiled a 10-game conference-only schedule on the Big Ten Network Wednesday morning. The season is set to end Nov. 21, with two bye weeks and the Thanksgiving break being observed. The breaks leave as many as four “outs” in case COVID-19 shuts down a team, or a significant portion of a team, for a week. Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said the extra weeks will be used for flexibility because of the virus.

This week I wanted to take the end of the briefing as an opportunity to thank our listeners. It has been two years now since I started doing these, and with the help of my digital news teammates this year we have made it a daily affair.

And, while thanking you all, I would like to invite you all to tell us what you like about our briefing or what you might like changed. Would you like fewer narrators named Stephen, or more? Longer weather segments? More sports? A longer or shorter briefing in general? Send these comments and suggestions, or anything else you would like, to [email protected].

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Wednesday, August 5th.

So you know how the weather this week has been unusually cool and sunny, letting us walk around pretending like this is totally normal and we live in tallcorn San Diego? Well we get to keep that for one more day, two at the most, so enjoy it. According to the National Weather Service, your high for the Cedar Rapids area on Wednesday will be 78 degrees, mostly sunny, with a light southwest breeze. Wednesday night could see a slight chance of rain.

Iowa’s recent COVID-19 wave seems to have plateaued, at least for the moment. According to data provided by the state, last week’s trend of increasing numbers of people listed as recovered from the disease is continuing into this week. In contract, with the new rate of people confirmed as infected coming in at 250 a day this week, the amount of people testing positive for the novel coronavirus is down compared to last month.

However, hospitalizations remain at a high level for Iowa, with 243 people requiring hospital treatment for the disease. Iowa also is steadily heading toward 1,000 deaths, with 893 people so far have been listed as dying from the disease.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds warned Tuesday that school districts defying her order to provide at least 50 percent in-person instruction for core subjects when classes resume would not meet state requirements for instructional time and would have to make up the time for students to receive credit.

Speaking to reporters, the governor noted most of Iowa’s school districts are planning to resume classes in compliance with a directive she said was based on a state law passed unanimously in the last session. The five or so school districts that are looking to provide at least initial instruction via online only instruction, or with a hybrid approach that falls short of the in-person threshold, will be in violation of state law if they defy last week’s proclamation, she said.

Yet the Iowa City School District on Tuesday night indicated that they would be doing what they’ve already said they wanted to do-- delaying school and seeking a waiver to allow the district to proceed with its online only learning plan for the beginning of the school year.

The Iowa City Community School District’s first day of school will be delayed two weeks until Sept. 8 as it awaits word from the state on its request to begin the academic year entirely online.

All the district’s school board members voted during a special meeting Tuesday in favor of delaying the first day from Aug. 24 to Sept. 8. Board members and district officials also argued that this two week window will allow the district to better assess safety for their students as 30,000 college students are set to return to Iowa City for the start of the fall semester at the University of Iowa. College-aged students were cited as the most prolific spreaders of the coronavirus during the most recent spike in July in Johnson County.

This week I wanted to take the end of the briefing as an opportunity to thank our listeners. It has been two years now since I started doing these, and with the help of my digital news teammates this year we have made it a daily affair.

And, while thanking you all, I will invite you all to tell us what you like about our briefing or what you might like changed. Would you like fewer narrators named Stephen, or more? Longer weather segments? More sports? A longer or shorter briefing in general? Send these comments and suggestions, or anything else you would like, to [email protected].

This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk and I’m here with your update for Tuesday, August 4, 2020.

Today will be mostly sunny, with a high near 73 and will cool off to about 53 tonight. Tomorrow will also be clear with a high of 79.

The number of coronavirus cases in Iowa rose yesterday to 45,802 total cases, and the total deaths attributed to coronavirus stand at 879.

The surge in Iowa food stamp enrollment appears to be slowing. When the year started, Iowa food stamp enrollment was trending down 8% from 2019,but after people started losing their jobs the number climbed until it was 5% higher than last year. Now that people have been returning to work, that number is coming back down, and they’ve fallen below the numbers seen in early April when it started climbing.

Iowa State and UNI have begun welcoming back students. The schools’ extended residence hall move-in — which includes mandatory COVID-19 testing at ISU — will wrap up just before the fall semester begins, earlier than originally planned, on Aug. 17.

With tens of thousands of students, faculty and staff about to converge on the three campuses amid pandemic conditions, Iowa’s public universities are sharing more specifics of how campus life will look. All three have acknowledged stark differences from the traditional college experience and will have thorough

You can find this and the rest of our coronavirus coverage at our dedicated coronavirus page, TheGazette.com/coronavirus.

Gun violence in Cedar Rapids surging so far this year. Even though people have been mostly staying at home for months, the numbers of homicides and shots-fired incidents in Cedar Rapids already have exceeded last year’s totals, with April through July being some of the most violent on record. As of July 28, data from the Cedar Rapids Police Department shows the city has seen 105 shootings, with July being the most active month.

Sexually transmitted diseases are also on rise in Iowa. Cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea rose statewide last year, continuing the trend of increasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases among Iowans that has been ongoing for nearly a decade. Iowa’s rates follow a nationwide trend, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chlamydia has increased 19 percent between 2014 and 2018, and gonorrhea cases have risen 63 percent in that same time period.

The Gazette Daily news updates are brought to you in part by Corridor Careers. "Are you looking for a job? CorridorCareers.com is a resource to local job seekers where they can get job tips, sign up for local job alerts, build a resume and more. Check it out at CorridorCareers.com."

That’s it for today’s update. Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon Alexa to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what’s the news?"

This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, August 30

Today will be partly sunny, with a high near 74, and it’ll clear up tonight as the temperature drops to 54. The rest of the week will be sunny with temperatures in the high 70s and dipping into the 80s, but starting Thursday night and through the weekend there’ll be a chance of rain and thunderstorms.

The number of coronavirus cases in Iowa rose yesterday to 45,481 total cases, and the total deaths attributed to coronavirus stand at 874.

Linn County reported its second-highest daily coronavirus case count yesterday. With 59 new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, bringing the county’s seven-day average to 37 new cases, a new high. The seven-day rolling average hit a low of three new daily cases on June 14, but it saw a steady upward climb in July.

Despite the climb, hospitalizations due to the virus in the state are down from 242 to 231. There are also two fewer patients were in intensive care — from 77 Saturday to 75 Sunday, and the number of coronavirus patients on ventilators increased by one to 36.

Iowa doctors call for a statewide face mask mandate. On Saturday, a group of Iowa medical professionals stood on the steps of the Iowa State Capitol to demand Governor Kim Reynolds institute a statewide mask mandate.The group held a news conference to draw attention to a letter signed by more than 300 medical professionals in Iowa, including leaders of 16 Iowa health care organizations they sent to the Governor. While Reynolds hasn’t legally mandated masks, she has spoken in support of masks and social distancing and is organizing a public information campaign encouraging Iowans to wear masks in public.

You can also find the rest of our coronavirus coverage at our dedicated coronavirus page, TheGazette.com/coronavirus.

Cedar Rapids schools have finalized plans for returning

Elementary schools

Pre-K to fifth-grade can return to in-person instruction with a homeroom teacher. The students and teacher will remain within the same cohort to minimize physical contact with others.

Middle schools

All sixth- through eighth-grade students returning to in-person instruction will be assigned an advisory teacher. Each advisory group will remain the same throughout the year to limit contact.

Advisory teachers will supervise student learning, which will be created by subject teachers and delivered virtually or in-person.

High schools

High school students will return in a hybrid model of in-person and online instruction.

Students will attend class in the school building for two to three days a week and attend online instruction the other two to three days a week.

They will be split into an “A” and “B” cohort based on the first letter of their last name, reducing the number of students in the school each day.

For the full plan, visit TheGazette.com.

The Gazette Daily news updates are brought to you in part by Corridor Careers. "Are you looking for a job? CorridorCareers.com is a resource to local job seekers where they can get job tips, sign up for local job alerts, build a resume and more. Check it out at CorridorCareers.com."

That’s it for today’s update. Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon Alexa to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what’s the news?"

According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will be mostly sunny with a high near 83, and partly cloudy at night with a low around 64. Sunday will be partly sunny, with showers and thunderstorms mainly after 1 p.m. The high will be near 80 with a chance of rain near 60 percent. Sunday night is mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/iowa-confirms-11-more-coronavirus-related-deaths-8-in-polk-county-20200731 (Iowa reported 11 more deaths due to COVID-19) as of 11 a.m. Friday — the most since July 15. The statewide death toll now stands at 865. Eight of the 11 deaths were in Polk County, bringing that county’s total to 201. Shelby County reported its first coronavirus-related death, making it the 73rd county in Iowa to report a death. Statewide, 631 new coronavirus cases were reported.

The Cedar Rapids Community School District on Friday https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/cedar-rapids-schools-reopening-return-to-learn-iowa-coronavirus-20200731 (announced its final return-to-learn plans), which includes options of in-person classes for elementary and middle school students, a hybrid of in-person and online learning for high school students, or an online-only option available to all students. Cedar Rapids families have until Wednesday, Aug. 5, to decide whether to enroll their children in virtual or in-school learning. The first day of classes is Aug. 24. Students and staff will be required to wear face masks or shields.

At Xavier Catholic Schools, https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/xavier-catholic-schools-return-to-school-coronavirus-iowa-20200731 (students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade will have on-site learning), and high school students will attend a hybrid of on-site and online learning this fall. Families with students in any grade will have the option to choose fully online learning during the school year. Face masks are required for all students and staff members. In surveys conducted by the Xavier Catholic Schools in July, over half of teachers and parents responded they were comfortable returning to a version of in-person learning.

In state softball, https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/iowa-prep-sports/softball/cedar-rapids-kennedy-state-softball-championship-vs-fort-dodge-20200730 (Cedar Rapids Kennedy is the Class 5A state champion), defeating Fort Dodge 5-1 on Thursday evening.

In the Class 3A baseball semifinals, https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/iowa-prep-sports/baseball/norwalk-shuts-out-marion-in-state-baseball-semifinals-20200731 (Marion was shutout by Norwalk), 10-0 in six innings. Norwalk will face Gilbert in the championship game Saturday. You can follow live coverage of all the championship games Saturday on TheGazette.com.

This briefing is sponsored in part by Corridor Careers. Are you looking for a job? https://www.corridorcareers.com/ (CorridorCareers.com) is a resource to local job seekers where they can get job tips, sign up for local job alerts, build a resume and more. Check it out at https://www.corridorcareers.com/ (CorridorCareers.com)

This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, July 30, 2020.

Today will be sunny with a high of 82 and it should cool off to 61 tonight. Saturday will also be sunny in the mid 80s, but Sunday has a chance of rain.

The number of coronavirus cases in Iowa rose yesterday to 43,844 total cases, and the total deaths attributed to coronavirus stand at 854.

The Iowa teachers association has rejected Governor Reynolds’ school reopening plan. In her proposal, outlined yesterday morning, Reynolds said if a community reaches 10 percent absence for students and the average county positivity rate for the coronavirus over a 14 day period is between 15 to 20 percent, a school district can request to close.The Iowa State Education Association was quick to reject this plan, saying schools shouldn’t be open unless testing is at 5 percent or lower.

The American College of Physicians is joining the call for masks. The Iowa chapter of the American College of Physicians said Thursday it sent a statement to Gov. Kim Reynolds calling for masks to be worn in community settings to slow the spread of coronavirus. The college noted rate of infection continues to climb in Iowa. According to the statement, masks should be worn when physical distancing is not possible and the college’s members believe that authorities should make masking a comprehensive public health strategy.

Iowa is cracking down on social distancing in bars and restaurants. Two state agencies are planning to issue fines and license suspensions in order to enforce social distancing requirements in bars and restaurants during the new coronavirus pandemic. Under Iowa’s current state public health emergency declaration, bars and restaurants are allowed to be open with no capacity restrictions, but they must employ social distancing measures. The businesses are required to create at least 6 feet of physical distance between each group or individual dining alone; all patrons must be seated and cannot gather closer than 6 feet.

You can also find the rest of our coronavirus coverage at our dedicated coronavirus page, TheGazette.com/coronavirus.

Collins Aerospace is making cuts to its workforce after profits drop 125 percent. Collins laid off employees from across the country, including many in Iowa. A spokeswoman declined to state on how many employees are affected. Employees laid off will receive a separation payment, transition payment and continuation of benefits.

University of Iowa just replaced its dean of liberal arts and sciences after controversial comments. Sara Sanders, a professor in the UI School of Social Work, will start serving immediately as interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. UI officials did not answer The Gazette’s questions about why Goddard was replaced, but the change comes after Goddard faced criticism for suggesting faculty and staff who refused to teach in person out of fear for their health and safety could lose their job.

The Gazette Daily news updates are brought to you in part by Corridor Careers. "Are you looking for a job? CorridorCareers.com is a resource to local job seekers where they can get job tips, sign up for local job alerts, build a resume and more. Check it out at CorridorCareers.com."

That’s it for today’s update. Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon Alexa to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what’s the news?"

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Thursday, July 30th.

The rain showers will leave us Thursday morning, but the clouds will linger. According to the National Weather Service there will be most cloudy skies in the Cedar Rapids area Thursday with a high near 82 degrees. There will be a light breeze of 5 to 10 mph.

Two Iowans died of COVID-19 Wednesday, bringing the state’s death toll from the novel coronavirus to 854. Hospitalizations for the virus also continued to slowly creep up, with a total of 243 people currently hospitalized with the disease. There is one positive trend in the state data, where more than 1,500 people have been reported as being listed as recovering from the disease since Monday. By far the highest daily average since June.

A lot of uncertainty remains about how the state should react to the pandemic, and on Wednesday there multiple efforts to convince Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to either take more active measures or let local schools and municipalities do so freely.

In one example, nearly 300 Iowa doctors signed a letter urging Gov. Reynolds to issue a statewide mask mandate, joining the call from top health care groups for stronger COVID-19 mitigation measures even as the governor resists such an order.

At the same time, the Iowa State Education Association said Wednesday that 36,000 Iowans have signed a petition urging Gov. Reynolds to reverse her proclamation requiring schools to meet in-person at least 50 percent of the time this school year.

Reynolds is holding a news conference in Des Moines Thursday at 11 a.m. where she will discuss return to learn plans and, potentially, a return to greater restrictions on some business in the state.

The University of Iowa will start giving trial coronavirus vaccines to volunteers Thursday as part of a research study investigating a potential inoculation against COVID-19.

The trial — sponsored by Pfizer and BioNTech — aims to enroll 30,000 healthy volunteers nationwide willing to take the “investigational” vaccines, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t formally approved because they’re being tested. The study’s vaccines are aiming to help people produce antibodies to fight off the disease. The University of Iowa’s portion of the trial will involve about 250 volunteers, aged 18 to 85, who are generally healthy, not pregnant, and have jobs or engage in activities that put them at heightened risk of contracting COVID-19.

A fire at a Coralville hotel caused an estimated half-million dollars in damage Tuesday.

Crews were called to Days Inn, 704 First Ave., around 6 a.m. for a fire, according to the Coralville Fire Department.

Firefighters brought the fire under control in about an hour and had it extinguished in about two hours. Crews remained on scene until about 5 p.m., according to the fire department. All guests were able to escape safely.

The fire remains under investigation, but is not considered suspicious according to the fire department.

This briefing is sponsored in part by Corridor Careers. Are you looking for a job? https://www.corridorcareers.com/ (CorridorCareers.com) is a resource to local job seekers where they can get job tips, sign up for local job alerts, build a resume and more. Check it out at https://www.corridorcareers.com/ (CorridorCareers.com).