The Gazette Daily News Podcast

This is Nathan Ford with The Gazette digital news desk with your update for Friday, Feb. 26, 2021.

There is a 20-percent chance of rain after 3 p.m. in Cedar Rapids today. The high temperature will be near 41. Tonight sees a low around 29 with another chance for rain, mixing with snow after 9 p.m. Any new snow accumulation is expected to be less than a half inch.

After thrusting the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry under the free speech microscope of Republican state lawmakers with his mass email condemning then-President Donald Trump’s executive order on diversity training, https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/university-iowa-dentistry-dean-david-johnsen-free-speech-republicans-20210225 (college Dean David Johnsen said Thursday he’ll step down after this semester). Although a UI announcement of Johnsen’s early departure didn’t mention the controversy that’s spawned Republican calls for accountability for free speech violators across the public universities, Johnsen in a statement said, “Upon further reflection, I came to realize that the pieces are in place for me to step away a year earlier." President Joe Biden since has repealed the executive order.

A proposal to ban traffic cameras throughout Iowa — except on the dangerous S-curve on Interstate 380 by downtown Cedar Rapids — https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/lawmaker-seeks-to-ban-traffic-cameras-in-iowa-except-along-cedar-rapids-s-curve-20210225 (got the green light Thursday from the Iowa Senate Judiciary Subcommittee). The bill seeks to bar Iowa communities from using automated traffic enforcement systems, reviving lawmakers’ on-again, off-again attempts for years to regulate or eliminate them. Some lawmakers see the cameras as traffic safety tools that reduce public safety costs, while others slam them as cash-generating constitutional violations. This bill would let cameras stay along the S-curve, though it doesn’t specifically say Cedar Rapids. Sen. Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale who introduced the bill, said he took into account local officials’ concerns about the S-curve. Police have long said the elevated curve is prone to crashes but leaves no room for stationing squad cars for traffic enforcement.

Temperatures are rising after the February cold snap, but so is your natural gas bill. Starting next month, MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy both say they are expecting increases in gas bills following unusually high use amid limited supply. MidAmerican said it is expecting residential customers to see a $13 jump on average, and commercial customers to see a $95 jump on average, in March. The increases will continue throughout the year. Alliant also anticipates a rise in gas prices, but a spokesman said it’s too soon to know how much.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/hawkeyes/iowa-womens-basketball/michigan-iowa-womens-basketball-is-on-hold-20210225 (Thursday's Michigan-Iowa women's basketball game was delayed five hours due to COVID-19 protocols). Originally scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in Iowa City, it didn't tip off until 8:30. Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said junior forward Logan Cook had tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday and Michigan asked for the rest of the Hawkeyes' players and staff members to receive PCR tests. Once those all came back negative, the game was played and Iowa scored a key 89-67 win over the 12th-ranked Wolverines. Elsewhere, the ninth-ranked Iowa men's basketball team lost a Top-10 showdown at No. 3 Michigan, 79-57.

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 with the Gazette Digital News Desk and this is your update for Thursday, February 25, 2021.

Today’s going to see some patchy fog before 10am, but otherwise it’ll be partly sunny, with a high near 35. Tonight it’ll be partly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Iowa election limits clear Senate hurdle

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-election-limits-clear-senate-hurdle-20210224 (https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-election-limits-clear-senate-hurdle-20210224)

The Iowa Senate voted Tuesday to shorten Iowa’s early voting process to 20 days, close statewide election polls an hour earlier, condense absentee ballot rules and put in place tougher criminal penalties for “rogue” county auditors who fail to follow state rules.

With Senate passage, the bill now heads this week to the Iowa House. During a news conference last week, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds indicated she would be willing to consider the election changes rapidly making their way to her desk to sign into law.

University of Iowa Health Care optimistic about new North Liberty hospital, despite state rejection

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/university-iowa-health-care-north-liberty-hospital-optimistic-rejection-20210224 (https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/university-iowa-health-care-north-liberty-hospital-optimistic-rejection-20210224)

One week after a state council narrowly denied a University of Iowa Health Care application to build a new $230 million hospital in North Liberty, UI Vice President for Medical Affairs Brooks Jackson said the hiccup wasn’t surprising and he expects the project eventually will materialize.

Despite fervent opposition from regional community hospitals and health care providers to the proposed 300,000-square-foot UIHC expansion planned for 60 acres at the southwest corner of Highway 965 and Forevergreen Road, Jackson described the planned facility “as a vital extension of our academic medical center in a community setting that is centered on the patient.”

Despite COVID setback, Iowa economic development chief Debi Durham remains bullish

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/despite-covid-setback-iowa-economic-development-chief-debi-durham-remains-bullish-20210224 (https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/despite-covid-setback-iowa-economic-development-chief-debi-durham-remains-bullish-20210224)

Back in December 2019, Debi Durham predicted 2020 would be one of the best years of her decade as chief of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. She based her prediction on trade deals that had been signed, positive signals in the farm sector and a rebound in manufacturing. The coronavirus pandemic was a setback, but Durham remains bullish on Iowa’s economy and economic development potential.

Chuck Grassley backs proposed changes to Iowa's election laws

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-senator-chuck-grassley-legislature-republican-election-voting-restriction-bill-approves-20210224

States should take a closer look at their election laws to protect against fraud in mail-in voting, Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Wednesday.

Grassley was asked during his weekly conference call with Iowa reporters about an Iowa bill that would shorten early voting, close polls earlier on Election Day and establish stricter standards for absentee ballots, among many other provisions.

This briefing is sponsored 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.

This is Stephen Colbert with the Gazette Digital News Desk and this is your update for Wednesday, February 24, 2021.

Today’s going to start out cloudy, but get more sunny as the day goes on, with a high of 36, meaning that snow’s going to keep melting. Tomorrow night will be cloudy with a high of 18.

University of Iowa argues to dismiss former football player lawsuit

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/university-iowa-hawkeyes-gary-barta-player-lawsuit-discrimination-20210223

Responding to a federal complaint accusing University of Iowa Athletics and football coaches of mistreating and discriminating against Black players, the state wants the case dismissed. While a UI-sanctioned independent investigation found football program rules “perpetrated racial and cultural biases,” and coaches admitted and apologized for shortcomings, UI attorneys argue the player lawsuit “should be dismissed for failure to assert sufficient factual allegations.”

Cedar Rapids man wanted in connection with Rodeway Inn homicide dies three days after he was shot fleeing scene

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/arnell-states-dies-suspect-in-cedar-rapids-rodeway-inn-stabbing-20210223 (https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/arnell-states-dies-suspect-in-cedar-rapids-rodeway-inn-stabbing-20210223)

The suspect wanted in connection with a fatal weekend stabbing died Tuesday from injuries suffered in the shooting with a police officer as he fled the scene

Arnell States, 39, of Cedar Rapids, died Tuesday at an area hospital. Investigators said he was the suspect in the stabbing death of Katrina Latrese Brinson, 34, of Cedar Rapids. Brinson was found stabbed just before 2 a.m. Saturday at the Rodeway Inn, 4011 16th Ave. SW. States and Brinson were married, according to their Facebook profiles.

Vilsack returns to lead USDA

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/tom-vilsack-agriculture-secretary-senate-confirmation-iowa-20210223

Easily winning confirmation Tuesday for a return engagement as the U.S. Agriculture Secretary, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack rejoins a sprawling government agency he says this time around will add increasing renewable energy and addressing food insecurity to its priorities.

Iowa universities distribute less financial aid as enrollment drops

Iowa’s public universities, along with the state and federal government, awarded less financial aid to students last budget year as enrollment at the campuses fell.

But with COVID-19 further driving down enrollment while driving up the need for tuition help, the universities have stressed the importance of financial aid to lawmakers now deciding how much to appropriate the campuses and to families weighing where to send their students — and their money.

Although the drop primarily was tied to enrollment losses, the percent of financial need met for University of Iowa undergraduates from 2017-18 to 2019-20 slid from 67 percent for residents and 57 percent for non-residents to 56 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

Good morning! I’m Katie Brumbeloe, and this is your daily news update from The Gazette for Feb. 23.

The free medical clinic in Cedar Rapids https://thegazette.com/subject/news/health/community-health-free-clinic-cedar-rapids-covid-vaccine-waitlist-20210223 (now has a waiting list for older Iowans) struggling to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment online.

Starting today, Iowans 65 and older can call the Community Health Free Clinic at (319) 200-2550 to add their name to a list of people interested in getting a vaccine at the clinic. People do not have to be patients at the clinic to receive a shot.

As the clinic receives its weekly allocations of COVID-19 vaccines, officials there will call people on the waitlist and schedule an appointment to be vaccinated.

Community Health Free Clinic CEO Darlene Schmidt said the clinic’s goal in establishing a dedicated phone line is to help reach seniors who have been struggling to get a COVID-19 shot over the past few weeks.

Iowa reported 189 new coronavirus cases and 38 new, confirmed deaths Monday, https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/iowa-covid-cases-deaths-vaccines-coronavirus-20210222 (according to data from the Iowa Department of Public Health).

The new numbers bring the state’s totals to 332,762 cases and 5,374 deaths since March. The state’s seven-day average of new cases is 492.

The number of Iowans hospitalized with the virus decreased Monday from 229 to 222 — the lowest recorded since 221 on Aug. 9.

The Eastern Iowa Airport’s https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/business/eastern-iowa-airport-health-screenings-yet-to-ground-any-passengers-20210222 (COVID-19 health screening program) has not blocked any passengers from flying during the first four weeks of the program.

Airport officials said almost 20,000 passengers have gone through the primary health checkpoint, which includes a temperature check and some health questions.

Only 13 were flagged to go through a secondary health screening with medical staff, but all of the passengers were then cleared to fly.

The airport commission approved an amendment to the program Monday that will add rapid antigen testing to the secondary screening. That testing will only be used if medical staff request it. The testing will not be available for the general public and cannot be used as clearance to travel somewhere requiring a negative PCR test, which can more accurately detect the virus.

The Hawkeyes moved up two spots to No. 9 https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/hawkeyes/iowa-mens-basketball/hawkeyes-mens-basketball-back-in-ap-top-ten-20210222 (in Monday’s Associated Press men’s basketball rankings). It is a return to the top 10 after a two-week absence.

Iowa had been in the top 10 all season before dipping to 15th two weeks ago. The 17-6 Hawkeyes have since had a four-game winning streak. They face No. 3 Michigan Thursday, then No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday.

Iowa center Luka Garza was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week and Naismith Trophy Player of the Week on Monday for helping the Hawkeyes to wins over Wisconsin and Penn State. He averaged 26.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, two assists, and one block in the two games.

Things will continue to thaw today, https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.97646000000003andlon=-91.67345999999998#.YDRpbthKhUs (with the weather mostly sunny and a high near 40). Tuesday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. The highs throughout the week will continue in the mid- to high-30s.

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 John McGlothlen with the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Monday, February 22nd.

It's finally arrived. A day where the high temperature will be above freezing - a sunny day near 36 degrees is the prediction for the Cedar Rapids area. Winds will be 10 to 15 mph from the southwest with gusts as high as 20 mph. Tonight's low will be around 29, with wind gusts continuing.

Authorities are investigating an early Saturday morning incident at the Rodeway Inn in Cedar Rapids where one woman was killed, another woman was injured and the male suspect was shot and injured by a Cedar Rapids police officer. The Cedar Rapids Communications Agency received a report of a disturbance at 1:46 a.m. at the motel, located at 4011 16th Ave. SW, and an officer in the area on patrol quickly responded, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. After the officer went inside the motel, he was met by two adult women with "apparent knife wounds." The women directed the officer to a man running from the motel. The officer went after the suspect and during an encounter with him the officer fired shots, striking the suspect. Medical attention was provided and the suspect was taken to a hospital. The extent of his injuries were unknown. The officer was not injured.

In other violent crime news, a Cedar Rapids man was arrested Thursday after police said he broke bones in a man’s face during a vicious assault last June and posted video of it on Facebook. 28-year-old Christopher E. Curley entered another man’s home June 16th by opening an unlatched window in the 1200 block of 19th Avenue SW, according to a Linn County criminal complaint. Authorities said he then severely beat the man by repeatedly striking him in the face and using a vacuum cleaner part to hit him, resulting in a fractured nose and face bones and an open wound to his scalp. During the attack, authorities said Curley also stole the man’s cellphone. In a video Curley recorded and posted to Facebook, he can be seen beating the victim and threatening further harm unless he surrenders his cellphone, police said. Curley has been charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery and willful injury causing bodily injury.

In men's basketball, Luka Garza scored 23 points to become Iowa's all-time leading scorer, and the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes beat Penn State 74-68 on Sunday. Garza has 2,126 points for Iowa, breaking the record of 2,116 points set by Roy Marble from 1985-89. Garza scored 12 points in the first half to get within a point of Marble and passed the mark with a layup off a pass from Jordan Bohannon at the 8:18 mark of the second half. It was the fourth consecutive win for Iowa. CJ Fredrick added 18 points for the Hawkeyes.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Saturday Feb. 20 and Sunday Feb. 21.

The weather this weekend should be interesting.

For starters it will be a lot warmer. According to the National Weather Service there will be a high of 25 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area on Saturday, a high of 32 degrees on Sunday and even high temperatures approaching the 40s on Monday and Tuesday. However, it will still be mostly cloudy all weekend, and on Sunday there will be a decent sized snow storm, with 2 to 4 inches of snow predicted. Because we totally needed one more day of snow shoveling before everything melts.

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson said Friday she will vote against the COVID-19 relief bill making its way through Congress if it includes a hike in the federal minimum wage to $15. Such an increase “will hurt Iowa businesses and cost Iowa jobs, and that’s not something I can support right now given the pandemic,” the Marion Republican said during her weekly call with reporters.

Hinson said she supports the bill’s direct payments to those out of work and to businesses and K-12 schools dealing with the pandemic, but she said she doesn’t support sending additional money to state governments.

The Iowa Cannabis Co. has obtained a license to manufacture medical marijuana products at 5137 18th Ave. SW, the former site of Star Food Service Equipment and Repair in Cedar Rapids.

Iowa Cannabis is connected with Cannabis and Glass, a large recreational marijuana store in Spokane, Wash. ” Aaron Boshart, director of operations for the company, told The Gazette in December 2019 profits from the Washington state stores help support Iowa operations.

Iowa currently has strict marijuana laws compared to many states, so medical marijuana manufacturers have struggled to make a profit here. However, companies are showing interest in obtaining operations to stake claims in the case of more lax rules in the future.

A Marion man whose first-degree murder conviction was overturned last year will be retried Nov. 2 for his former girlfriend’s fatal stabbing in 2017.

The retrial for Gregory Davis, 30, was set during a short case management conference Friday. Sixth Judicial District Judge Sean McPartland and attorneys in the case agreed last month to postpone the retrial until later in the year because of concerns about the pandemic.

Davis claimed insanity or diminished responsibility in the fatal stabbing of the woman, who was stabbed 26 times Sept. 28, 2017. Davis won a retrial based on confusing instructions given by the judge to the jury which may have made the jury think they could only apply the insanity defense to some of the charges and not to others.,

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).

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This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, February 19th.

How do I know people are eager for Spring? People were stopping me randomly all morning Thursday and talking with glowing eyes about how it is getting warmer. The high was 16 degrees yesterday.

But I am not going to rain on their parade, because if I did it would all freeze. And, to be fair, it is steadily getting warmer, with a high of 17 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area predicted for Friday by the National Weather Service. There will be a chance for light snow Friday afternoon, but it is unlikely to last long. The high is predicted to be in the 20s on Saturday and potentially above freezing for the first time in a long time on Sunday.

An Iowa legislator is proposing to bake into state law an executive order from the Trump administration that banned publicly funded institutions from diversity training that involves race or sex “stereotyping” or “scapegoating” — which incited criticism from University of Iowa leaders that in turn incensed GOP lawmakers.

Though the federal order has been rescinded by the Biden administration, state Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, this week introduced https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89andba=SSB1205 (Senate Study Bill 1205), which was advanced by an education subcommittee. It would bar all K-12 public schools and public universities from offering diversity training that, among other things, says a person, based on his or her sex or race, “is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive.”

The bill also bans any training implying that “the State of Iowa is fundamentally racist or sexist.” And it prohibits training suggesting that a person “bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex”; or that he or she should feel psychological distress due to his or her race or sex.

A Senate subcommittee on Thursday advanced a bill that would allow grocery and convenience stores to opt out of accepting empty beverage containers that are now covered by Iowa’s 1978 bottle-deposit law.

Under https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89andba=SF%20368 (Senate File 368), retailers could refuse to accept beer, soft drink, liquor and other nickel-despoit containers effective July 1, 2022, if an authorized redemption center is within 20 miles of their businesses. People would have to take their empty cans and bottles to those centers to reclaim their nickel deposits — as is the case at many stores now because of COVID-19 restrictions. Powerful organizations that include ubiquitous grocery chain Hy-Vee have been lobbying for years and years to change the state’s bottle deposit law. Lobbyists for the Iowa Grocery Industry Association have signed on in favor of the bill, while environmental lobbyists and representatives from the Iowa’s beverage bottlers and distributors have signed on against it.

A former Four Oaks youth counselor filed a written plea Thursday to sexually abusing and exploiting a 14-year-old boy, but a judge rejected it because her attorney hadn’t included all of the consequences of her guilty plea.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/public-safety/four-oaks-sex-abuse-danielle-hook-14-20200713 (Danielle V. Hook, 29, formerly of Marion,) plans to plead to amended charges of third-degree sexual abuse and sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist. The Iowa Supreme Court is allowing written pleas to felonies during the pandemic.

A criminal complaint states Hook had sexual contact with a teenager from July 1, 2017, through Nov. 30, 2018, while she was employed as a counselor with Four Oaks in Cedar Rapids.

After Hook was fired from Four Oaks, it was discovered the teen was living with her in Marion when juvenile authorities were searching for him, according to an investigation by the Iowa Department of Human Services and juvenile court services.

Investigators also discovered Hook gave birth to the...

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Thursday, February 18.

Our slow and steady ascent up the temperature scales continues Thursday.

According to the National Weather Service there will be a high near 17 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area Thursday, with wind chill values as low as -10 degrees. On Thursday night it will be partly cloudy with a low of -3 degrees.

Iowa’s State Health Facilities Council on Wednesday narrowly denied the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinic permission to proceed on a $230 million expansion in North Liberty — halting the project for now.

Despite UIHC arguments that it is too full and desperate for more beds, operating room space and emergency department capacity, the five-member council charged with granting a certificate of need for the project sided against the university by a slim 3-2 vote. Opponents of the project argued the new 300,000-square-foot, 36-bed hospital expansion is unnecessary, insufficient to address the needs UIHC says it has. and detrimental to existing care. They testified before the council that an expansion of the university hospital would wipe out smaller community healthcare providers, such as Mercy Iowa City, which is already struggling.

UIHC, which had planned to erect the four-story hospital on 60 acres on the southwest corner of Forevergreen Road and Highway 965 by 2024, can appeal the decision. If they are unable to proceed with the project, they will have to reconsider how to deal with how to meet growing demand from smaller hospitals all over Iowa, as well what to do with millions of dollars worth of land they were going to build the hospital on.

Within days of abandoning a plan for a statewide call center to help residents set up coronavirus vaccine appointments, Iowa officials Wednesday said they also have canceled a deal with Microsoft to develop a centralized online system for people to sign up for vaccination.

Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the decision just 10 days after she said Microsoft had been selected from a group of bidders to create the online registration and appointment system. At the time, she said the system would be ready in a few weeks. Reynolds said Wednesday that it would be too difficult to tie so many already existing sign up systems together, and the state will instead opt for a different plan, which she declined to elaborate on.

A $36.5 million increase in state supplemental aid for Iowa’s 327 K-12 public school districts next year is on its way to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for her expected signature.

Republicans who control the Iowa Senate voted 31-18 Wednesday to approve a 2.4 percent increase in state funding. Minority Democrats opposed the bill because declining school enrollments — resulting from parents keeping nearly 7,000 young children home out of COVID-19 safety concerns — means the new funding level won’t cover about $71 million that will be needed when those kids return this fall.

Republicans disagreed that this would be a funding cut, calling the school funding bill a solid funding bill that puts school districts on a reliable path to the future.

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).

Be sure to subscribe to The Gazette Daily news podcast, or just tell your Amazon https://www.thegazette.com/topic?eid=121774andename=Alexaandlang=en (Alexa) enabled device to “enable The Gazette Daily News skill" so you can get your daily briefing by simply saying “Alexa, what’s the news?"

If you prefer podcasts, you can also find us on iTunes.

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Wednesday, February 17.

We are going to do it, everyone. We are going to break a high in the positive double digits.

According to the National Weather Service it will be mostly cloudy in the Cedar Rapids area Wednesday with a high near 13 degrees. I regretfully must inform you that the wind chill will be 25 degrees below zero, and there will be a chance for fog in the early morning and a chance for light snow flurries after noon. But still, progress is progress.

It was a very busy day in the Iowa legislature. I will attempt to summarize some of the key happenings for you.

The Iowa House nearly unanimously passed a bill requiring Iowa K-12 schools to administer the Pledge of Allegiance and to show the U.S. flag every day. Iowa is one of the few states that does not formally address this practice already. Children are allowed to opt out of this as they choose due to a 1943 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.

A bill cleared a Senate subcommittee that would require parents to be informed if a school’s curriculum included discussions about gender identity. Under the bill, these students could opt out of instruction about gender identity if parents did not give students in grades 1-6 permission to learn about it. The bill was supported by Republican and conservative Christian lobbyists, while being opposed by Democrats, education lobbyists, and those in support of civil and transgender rights.

A bill also was passed out of a Senate subcommittee that would prevent businesses, including hospitals and healthcare providers, from requiring their employees to be vaccinated as a basis for employment-- this would include vaccination for COVID-19. The sponsors of the bill, again Republicans, voiced skepticism about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, although Dr. Caitlin Pedati, the state epidemiologist, testified before them Tuesday that vaccines are safe and essential to controlling the spread of disease in Iowa. Lobbyist declarations show that over 100 organizations have registered to oppose the bill. Only one — Informed Choice Iowa — is listed as favoring it.

Although University of Iowa Athletics https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/university-of-iowa-to-reinstate-womens-swimming-and-diving-but-not-cut-mens-sports-20210215 (has reversed its decision) to eliminate women’s swimming and diving after this season — following a court injunction requiring it do so — the university hasn’t dropped its opposition to the overall court case that could have broader gender equity implications for its student athletes. Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta also confirmed that the school has no intention of reversing its decision to drop three men’s sports-- men’s tennis, men’s gymnastics and men’s swimming and diving-- despite a grassroots effort to save the sports.

Citing the September lawsuit, Barta said the UI “continues to disagree” with its claims and the judge’s order compelling the campus to continue offering the women’s sport while the case works through court. The judge ruled that the student athletes who brought the case had a valid case that the University of Iowa had violated Title IX rules for gender equity in sports offerings.

Iowa City police have identified the victim in Friday’s fatal shooting.

Police said Quincy H. Russom, 19, of Iowa City was shot and killed in the 600 block of South Governor Street. Police were called to an apartment building at 7:54 p.m. Friday for a report of a shooting. There, officers found Russom’s body.

A witness told police three men had entered the residence, shot Russom and fled. Police have said the shooting was not random, but the specifics of the homicide still are under investigation. They do not think there is a threat to the public.

This briefing is sponsored in part by Corridor Careers. Are you looking for a job? https://www.corridorcareers.com/ (CorridorCareers.com) is a...

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Tuesday, February 16.

Alright, we have one more really cold day today. Then we can move back to a regular cold day.

According to the National Weather Service, it will be mostly sunny during the day with a high near 8 degrees. Wind chill values will reach as low as -25. Tuesday night there will be a low of -6, but the wind chill value will be just 15 degrees below zero. By the weekend prepare for windchills above 0. By next week, prepare for high temperatures above freezing.

The University of Iowa is fully reinstating its women’s swimming and diving team after a federal judge in December found athletes had a “fair chance” of winning a lawsuit accusing the UI of violating Title IX.

According to an announcement Monday from UI Athletic Director Gary Barta, the women’s swimming and diving team — originally slated to be cut at the end of this year “due to financial challenges created by the pandemic” — will be reinstated as an NCAA and Big Ten Conference program. The women’s program was among four the university planned to cut at the end of this academic year — along with men’s swimming and diving, men’s gymnastics and men’s tennis. Barta says the plans to cut the other sports remain unchanged.

As he formally jumped into the race for the U.S. Senate seat Monday, Jim Carlin touted his experience as a soldier, trial lawyer and state senator in which he repeatedly fought “for the underdogs of this world.”

Carlin is a Republican state senator from Sioux City who would be running against Iowa’s Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who would be running for his 8th term in office if decides to run again. In his announcement Carlin praised former President Donald Trump, implying that the election had been stolen away from him and irregularities were not properly vetted. He also called the nation’s tax code an abomination, which he feels punishes parents with children in support of a welfare state.

Speaking of social programs, Carlin’s Republican state senate compatriots said Monday they would like to make Iowans who are receiving public assistance benefits undergo more rigorous eligibility verification reviews to bolster program efficiency and weed out fraud and abuse.

Senate Study Bill 1125 would have the state Department of Human Services enlist a private vendor to verify assets, identity and other eligibility requirements for hundreds of thousands of Iowans participating in public assistance programs involving federal and state benefits no later than July 1, 2022.

Proponents of the bill said it would lower Iowa’s rate of improper assistance payments, while critics said it would create problems for aide at a time when more Iowans are in need of food and other assistance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Janee Harvey, DHS division administrator for Adult, Children and Family Services, told the subcommittee considering this change that her department is already doing much of what they are asking for. She also said a new federal model is being prepared for states that should be available this spring that will require a data-sharing agreement but will not have to be purchased by Iowa.

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).

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