The Gazette Daily News Podcast

This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk and I’m here with your update for Monday, July 6, 2020.

Today’s going to have some patchy fog in the early morning, but otherwise expect a bright hot day with a high near 89. Tonight should see a drop to around 72.

The rest of the week is going to linger around the low 90s with a 30-40 percent chance of rain almost every day.

The number of coronavirus cases in Iowa rose yesterday to 31,243 and the total deaths attributed to coronavirus stand at 721.

Saturday reported a record number of new coronavirus cases, even topping the 7-day rolling average, however, new deaths continue to remain low, and yesterday was another day with zero coronavirus deaths

Muscatine is now requiring masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As of yesterday, Muscatine County reported 637 cases of the infection, far less that of Johnson or Scott County. But is also has reported 44 deaths because of the virus — over five times more than Johnson and over four times as many as Scott. The Muscatine proclamation specifies its police officers can treat violations as a municipal infraction with a penalty beginning at $500, Mayor Diana Broderson hopes that would not be needed. She likened it to people receiving warnings from police when shooting off fireworks illegally. There are exemptions if it interferes with their job, creates a workplace hazard or unsafe environment or makes a medical condition worse for the wearer. There were 50 protestors at Muscatine City Hall in opposition to the mandate, disrupting the mayor’s speech.

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

Kanye West says he's running for president. West announced his intent in a Twitter post on Saturday night, instantly going viral, becoming the No. 1 trending term on Twitter in the U.S.. It’s actually not entirely clear if West is serious of if this is a publicity stunt. He has talked about running for president in the past, but the announcement comes before he’s filed any of the appropriate forms with the Federal Election Commission.

Child sex abusers will get more prison time under new Iowa law. Two new state laws will increase prison time for child sex abusers and for repeat offenders who endanger lives by fleeing police in high-speed chases. The two bills provide penalty enhancements and close a loophole in one of the offenses.

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 Katie Brumbeloe with The Gazette digital newsdesk, and here’s your update for the weekend of July 4. Happy Fourth of July!

This weekend will be mostly sunny and clear with calm winds, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday will be sunny with a high near 90 and low around 69 in the evening. Sunday will be about the same, with a high near 91 and evening low around 71.

The clear skies would be perfect for viewing fireworks but many cities canceled their shows this year because of the coronavirus. Some events are still on, though, with social distancing measures in place.

Coralville is hosting drive-in fireworks on Saturday starting at 9:45 p.m. at the Coralville Youth Complex. In Cedar Rapids, the Kernels are will be setting off fireworks at a ticketed event at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Visit thegazette.com for details a list of more fireworks shows planned in Eastern Iowa.

The state reported 390 new coronavirus cases Friday, pushing Iowa past the 30,000 mark since the start of the pandemic. As of Friday, the state had counted 30,355 cases of COVID-19.

Johnson County reported 15 new cases, its 17th consecutive day of double-digit increases. The county has had 1,234 confirmed cases. Linn County reported 14 new cases, its 13th consecutive day for double-digit increases. The county has had 1,241 confirmed cases since mid-March.

Some of the new cases involve student-athletes at Iowa’s public universities.

The University of Northern Iowa announced Friday that seven of its student-athletes and one staff member have tested positive for the virus.

Three new deaths were also reported Friday, bringing the state’s total to 720. With the first deaths in Cherokee and Wright counties, there have now been COVID deaths in 58 of Iowa’s 99 counties.

Black Lives Matter protesters, livid over Cedar Rapids’ approach to one of its key demands for police reform, brought the frustrations to Mayor Brad Hart’s front door on Friday.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/cedar-rapids-protest-black-lives-matter-mayor-brad-hart-20200703 (About 200 protesters marched) to Hart’s home in southeast Cedar Rapids as part of a rally for racial equity.

Protesters knocked on Hart’s door, but no one answered.

The rally was organized by the Advocates for Social Justice, a group that has led other protests and is advocating for police reforms in Cedar Rapids.

Protesters have objected to the city’s decision to open up the process of creating a police review board to public comments in meetings. Advocates say its a delay tactic that ignores research they have already done.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/cedar-rapids-protesters-plan-black-freedom-rally-friday-afternoon-20200702 (Hart told The Gazette on Thursday) that he didn’t plan to attend the rally because he had already demonstrated his support for the Black Lives Matter movement, noting that the council had unanimously passed a resolution committing to act on the group’s demands for police reform.

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).

Have a wonderful Fourth of July!

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This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, July 3rd.

Are you a fan of hot and humid temperatures with almost no wind? Well, Friday’s weather is for you. According to the National Weather Service, there should be a high of 91 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area with sunny skies. There is a small chance for isolated thunderstorms Friday night, otherwise the wind is expected to be calm, hovering around 5 mph.

The group leading Black Lives Matter protests and pushing for police reform in Cedar Rapids is organizing another rally Friday to call for an end to systemic racism as city officials and protest leaders diverge on their desired approaches to creating a citizens’ police review board. The Advocates for Social Justice posted on social media that the Black Freedom Rally will start at Monroe Park, on 30th Street SE, at noon and is slated to end at 3 p.m., and the organizers hope to make this event their “largest yet.”

The group’s leaders said Thursday that they object to the rate at which the city is enacting reforms, and they feel they are not being fairly represented in the process.

Also claiming to be misrepresented is former Cedar Rapids police officer Lucas Jones. Jones was the source of controversy after he shot Jerime Mitchell, a Black man, during a traffic stop in November of 2016, paralyzing Mitchell. Jones was recently fired, however, after the Cedar Rapids Police said he lied to internal affairs about why he turned off his body microphone during a traffic stop in October of that year. Jones’ attorney, Skylar Limkemann, claimed to the Gazette Thursday that Jones was actually trying to show leniency in that stop toward a Black woman who had her license suspended due to non-payment of fines. Jones’ microphone was also off during the Mitchell incident, but a grand jury declined to pursue charges against Jones for that shooting.

In an interview with the Gazette, Jones said he feels he was fired to appease local Black Lives Matter protesters, and that he plans to fight his firing. Jones and another officer were also cleared in the 2015 shooting and killing of a man named Jonathan Gossman during another traffic stop. Gossman, who had a knife and gun when he was stopped by the officers, was shot 24 times according to the medical examiner.

Iowa’s coronavirus numbers held mostly steady on Thursday. Positive cases went up slightly, while hospitalizations, after rising three straight days, dropped slightly. Two more deaths were reported, bringing the state’s death toll from the disease to 719.

The Old Creamery Theatre in Amana has suspended the rest of its 2020 offerings, including outdoor shows, tours and summer camps, and sent termination letters to 10 staff Thursday evening. The decision to close was driven by financial losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, Peter Teahen, board of trustees president, told The Gazette in a phone interview.

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 Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Thursday, July 2nd.

Your Thursday weather should bring you another warm day with a mild chance of rain. According to the National Weather Service, there should be a high near 89 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area Thursday, with partly sunny skies and a chance of precipitation at around 20 percent. Thursday night it should be mostly clear, with a low of around 69 degrees.

Is this a blip or a sign of a trend? As positive cases of the coronavirus continue to climb in 10 of Iowa’s most populated counties, hospitalizations from the disease also went up again Wednesday in Iowa. This marks the third day of increases in hospitalizations in a row, the first time that has happened since late May. Iowa’s total number of people hospitalized with the disease climbed to 149.

In response, Linn County officials implored people to wear masks when they venture out into public, and several businesses in Iowa City remain closed, as an outbreak among college-aged Iowans has been part of a major uptick in Johnson County.

Meanwhile, Iowa’s death total from the disease increased to 717 since early March.

COVID-19 even spread to the baseball diamond Wednesday, as Western Dubuque High School ended its regular baseball season after it was revealed, in the middle of a game against Cedar Rapids Washington, that a Western Dubuque player had tested positive with the disease. Per safety guidelines, teams with a player or coach who tests positive for the coronavirus cannot practice or play games for 14 days. If Western Dubuque is forced to quarantine, it would miss the rest of the regular season but still be able to participate in the postseason.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday that he expects Congress to approve another round of coronavirus-related economic stimulus, including unemployment compensation.

However, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said the current $600-a-week federal benefit will have to be trimmed to encourage Americans to go back to work. The extra $600 in federal unemployment benefits from the CARES Act, which is on top of state jobless benefits, is set to expire July 31. The Democratic-controlled House voted to extend the payments through Jan. 31. Grassley and other Republicans have been critical of the $600 payments, arguing that it leads to people making more from unemployment than from their usual jobs.

The Cedar Rapids Community School District will open a fully accredited virtual academy for high school and middle school students this fall. The Cedar Rapids Virtual Academy is open to any student in grades six through 12 in Iowa and will provide an entirely online learning experience — an option more families are eyeing as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

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 Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Wednesday, July 1st.

That’s right, it’s already July. I can’t quite believe it either.

And our first day of July will come with a chance for rain. According to the National Weather Service, it should be mostly cloudy with a high near 85 degrees Wednesday in the Cedar Rapids area. There will be a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day and a 20 percent chance Wednesday night. Your 4th of July weekend forecast is looking quite hot but rain free at this juncture, but we will see if that holds as we get closer to it.

Last week the Iowa Department of Education released COVID-19 guidelines stating that they would not be recommending K-12 students to wear masks when they return to school in the fall. After an uproar that ensued, including from the Iowa teacher’s union, the department announced they would be releasing more clarification this week. The department stated in a document released Tuesday that they will not be requiring masks “because of the considerable health and safety, legal and training implications for such a policy.” In other words, they determined it would be perhaps too onerous for all schools to meet the requirements, so they are leaving it to individual school districts to decide.

The document also included a list of concerns districts should consider if they opt into masks for students.

Johnson County reported 36 new cases of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, which marks two weeks of double-digit COVID-19 cases reported daily out of the county. Some businesses have closed over the weekend, and the Johnson County Public Health Department has hired 27 new part-time contact tracers to help contain the outbreak. Iowa’s deaths from the disease rose to 716 Tuesday, with hospitalizations holding relatively steady.

Big-name Iowa Hawkeyes coaches Kirk Ferentz, Fran McCaffery, Tom Brands and Lisa Bluder will all take 15 percent pay cuts for a year as the University of Iowa Athletics Department absorbs a $15 million hit in its new fiscal year budget. The cuts come after UI Athletics took massive hits from spring cancellations and curtailed contributions from the Big Ten Conference. And its current projections — which assume “complete football and basketball seasons with fans in attendance” — could get worse if the coronavirus pandemic persists.

A 24-hour waiting period on abortions signed into law this week by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has already been slowed by an Iowa court ruling. A day before a 24-hour waiting period for any Iowa woman seeking an abortion was to take effect, a judge Tuesday temporarily blocked it after abortion advocated filed a legal challenge. Sixth Judicial District Judge Mitchell Turner said Planned Parenthood of the Heartland had the appropriate legal rights — to pursue the claim on behalf of its patients.

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 Monday, June 30, 2020.

Today’s going to be mostly cloudy, with a high near 84, and there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11am. That chance grows to 50% tonight with a low around 72.

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 87 and a chance of thunderstorms throughout the day.

The number of coronavirus cases in Iowa rose yesterday to 28,732 total cases in the state of Iowa, the total deaths attributed to coronavirus grew by 3 yesterday, with the total standing at 707.

Yesterday, Johnson County saw the highest single-day coronavirus case increase with 70 new cases. Johnson County’s upswing has particularly affected young people, and despite the increase in cases, as of yesterday there are no patients hospitalized in Johnson County for coronavirus, likely due to the fact that younger people tend to weather the virus far better.

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

City document outlines traffic stop two days before Office Lucas Jones shot Jerime Mitchell. Jones, who was fired this month from the Cedar Rapids force, shot and paralyzed Jerime Mitchell in a traffic stop early Nov. 1, 2016. Jones’ microphone in the Mitchell traffic stop was not working; However, the letter of termination, obtained by The Gazette through an open records request, shows Jones testified under oath during a Jan. 16 deposition that he “intentionally turned off his audio recording microphone to conceal that he was (intentionally) violating policy,” during a different traffic stop a few days earlier.

Camp Wapsie cancels all summer overnight camps. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic led camp leaders “to face the disappointing reality” of not being able to provide quality programs, the according to a camp press release. The pandemic also caused staffing uncertainties. More than 1,700 children attend Camp Wapsie every summer. Day camps and outdoor skills programs will continue to be provided at the camp this summer, and cabins will be available for family rentals later this summer.

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 Monday, June 29, 2020.

Today’s going to be a hot one with a high of 91 and a heat index as high as 100. It’ll be cloudy, with a chance of rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon, but it should clear up and we’ll get some sun later on. There’s also a flood warning until 10pm tonight.

The number of coronavirus cases in Iowa rose yesterday to 28,430 total cases in the state of Iowa, the total deaths attributed to coronavirus stands at 704.

While the number of cases continues to rise, as of yesterday, the whole state of Iowa went over 24 hours without a coronavirus death for the first time since the beginning of March.

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

12 more brands of bagged salad have been added to Hy-Vee’s recall. The recall now includes

• Southwest Chopped Salad Kit

• Shredded Iceberg

• Veggie Deluxe Salad

• Greener Supreme Blend

• American Blend Salad

• Italian Blend Salad

• Coleslaw Mix

• Romaine Garden Salad

• Asian Chopped Salad Kit

• Sunflower Chopped Salad Kit

• Chipotle Cheddar Chopped Kit

• Garden Salad

• Avocado Ranch Chopped Kit.

If you purchased any of these, you can call Hy-Vee customer service representatives at 1-800-772-4098.

After saying masks shouldn't be required in Iowa schools, Iowa school leaders say guidance needs 'clarification'. The department said more information will be released in the “near future,” though it repeated it does not recommend that masks be required when K-12 classes resume, presumably in August. On Friday, the department issued another statement saying, “We recognize that face masks can be an important tool to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.”

But, it said, neither it nor the Iowa Department of Public Health recommend that public and private schools require masks for all students and staff “because of the considerable implications for such a policy.”

River in Cedar Rapids forecast to recede.Despite weekend rains, the river in Cedar Rapids was projected to drop below the 12-foot minor flood stage this morning. The Nationa Weather Service says it expects to let the flood warning for the area expire and the city said it expects to reopen boat ramps. The weather service said there also were reports out of Tiffin of about 4 inches of water running across Highway 6 and 10 inches of water on Railroad Street.

There also were reports of heavy rains in North Liberty and in the Oakdale area.

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 the weekend of June 27th and June 28th.

Enjoy your sunshine Saturday, because it could become much spottier in availability as the weekend goes on. According to the National Weather Service, there should be a high near 87 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area Saturday with calm winds and mostly sunny skies. Then, as Saturday progresses into Sunday, there will be a 20 percent chance of rain. Then as Sunday progresses into later Sunday, this 20 percent chance will turn into a 50 percent chance of rain off and on for the rest of the day. Besides that, it is predicted to be mostly cloudy, with a high near 87 degrees.

A day after issuing guidance that discouraged requiring face masks for students as schools reopen in the fall, the Iowa Department of Education on Friday released a new statement saying the guidance “needs further clarification.” The department said more details should be released soon, but reiterated that neither it, nor the state’s Department of Health, will be recommending masks as precautions against the coronavirus. The department clarified further in its statement that school districts are free to set their own mask policies. The clarifying statement came after a spate of negative feedback to the guidelines released on Thursday, including harsh criticism from the Iowa teacher’s union.

Iowa’s deaths from COVID-19 reached 704 by the end of the day Friday. Although state data shows hospitalizations from the disease slowly lowering in general, Johnson County had its 10th consecutive day of double digit increases in cases. The spike has led some bars and other establishments in Iowa City to choose to close again voluntarily, despite no mandate to do so from the state. The county has seen spikes in the 18-40 age group in particular.

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).

Have a good weekend everyone.

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

Friday’s weather will feature a chance of rain both at the beginning and the end of the day. According to the National Weather Service, a chance for rain in the early morning hours Friday should give away to sunny skies, with a high near 89 degrees. It should be somewhat windy during the day, with winds of 10 to 15 mph gusting as high as 25 mph. Then, after 5 p.m., there should be a chance for showers and thunderstorms again. A theme that is predicted to carry over into the weekend.

The Iowa Department of Education is discouraging K-12 schools from requiring face masks when staff and students return in the fall, according to guidelines regarding COVID-19 released Thursday. Although the Centers for Disease Control has recommended face masks in schools, especially in situations where social distancing is not possible, the state instead asked that schools try to avoid stigmas associated with either the use or nonuse of masks.

Other guidelines included asking students and staff to stay home when sick, encouraging hand washing, and providing protective gear for staff in situations where they are at medium-to-high risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Johnson County on Thursday reported 51 new coronavirus cases, the second highest number of cases reported in one day since reporting began in mid-March.

It was the ninth consecutive day of double-digit increases in Johnson County, though only two people are hospitalized for COVID-19 in the county at this time. Four additional deaths were reported, bringing the statewide total to 694.

Iowa’s unemployment claims continued a slow drop back toward closer to normal after a meteoric rise in May caused by business grinding to a halt in an effort to slow the coronavirus in the state. There were 8,542 new claims last week, down from just over 9,000 the week before. Iowa’s pre COVID weekly average was closer to 3,000.

As passengers gradually get more comfortable traveling, the Eastern Iowa Airport is seeing increased passenger traffic and more nonstop routes returning to the airport.

Delta Air Lines’ nonstop service to Detroit and Atlanta, which was suspended earlier in the pandemic, will resume Aug. 1. United Airlines’ nonstop service to Denver will resume in mid-July.

Also by Aug. 1, the airport will have all its regular destinations in service again.

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 Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Thursday, June 25th.

The weather on Thursday will be sunny, with a chance of rain in the early morning hours on Friday. According to the National Weather Service, it should be clear skies, calm winds and a high near 86 degrees Thursday. As Thursday goes on, some clouds could creep in, foreshadowing the coming rain. The low temperature will be about 68 degrees.

Internet domain-hosting company GoDaddy informed its employees Wednesday morning that it will be moving 134 positions from its Hiawatha office to Arizona. The company has previously reported 430 employees at the Hiawatha location.

If employees choose not to move to Arizona, they will be placed on paid administrative leave until their last day on Sept. 1, with 90 days of benefits after that. GoDaddy attributed the move to lost sales from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a desire to restructure its advertising team nationwide.

Johnson County reported 36 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours ending at 11 a.m. Wednesday — the second highest number of cases the county has seen in one 24-hour period. It also was the eight consecutive day the county has seen double digit daily increases in COVID-19 cases.

A story in Thursday’s Gazette looks into the cause of the recent spike, with some indications that many of the new cases are showing up in the college-aged demographic, many of whom work in the recently reopened service industry.

The beloved Iowa City Farmers Market has been operating as a drive through, but had been planning on reopening its traditional market July 4. However, due to the recent spike in coronavirus numbers, the decision has been made to keep the farmers market a drive through offering for the rest of 2020.

During a live online update Wednesday, University of Iowa administrators said their intent is to have in-person classes in Spring of 2021. This follows a hybrid approach for this fall semester, where classes will be in person until Thanksgiving break, and then will be online only after that. Much remains to be seen how the university plans to prepare for the virus when more than 30,000 students are projected to return to campus.

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).