CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Cedar Rapids Community School District Superintendent Noreen Bush said the district will be open and ready for students to start the school year after a cyber attack. It’s the first Bush or any official from the Cedar Rapids Community School District has spoken about a security breach, which shut the district down for a week on July 4th. Documents filed with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office show about 8,790 people living in Iowa had their data exposed. According to documents, data exposed includes social security numbers, bank account information, medical information and other personal information. Bush said lawyers and investigators have told the district not to answer questions or speak publicly about the incident the district has called a “cyber security incident”, which is the rationale for the district not speaking publically about the security breach. She said those lawyers and investigators believe information could hurt the investigation or recovery process. Bush couldn’t give a timeline on when the district could release more information but said the district’s IT staff is working nonstop to get the school ready for the year along with third-party cyber security companies. She said the district is speeding up efforts to upgrade to new Chromebook to help make technology systems stronger due to the incident.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has filed a lawsuit accusing cigarette makers of defrauding Iowa of millions of dollars. The lawsuit accuses 18 companies of making false claims and withholding portions of their annual payments to the state in bad faith. Miller cites the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, which requires tobacco manufacturers to pay billions annually to participating states in exchange for the states agreeing not to sue for health-related damages to citizens. Tobacco companies demand that Iowa must go to arbitration to recover each year’s withheld payment. Each dispute takes years to litigate, creating a long backlog and an increasing amount of withheld payments. “We have fought, and won, these legal battles for years, and there is no end to these disputes in sight,” Miller said. “We now must escalate the matter and force the tobacco companies to pay what they owe the state of Iowa.” A dispute for withheld amounts in 2003 was arbitrated for seven years, with Iowa finally being paid the withheld amounts in 2014. The 2004 dispute wasn’t resolved until September 2021, with Iowa still waiting to receive the withheld payment of $7 million. The state is currently in arbitration for years 2005-2007. Arbitration costs the state approximately $3-4 million. “Iowa and other states who signed on the MSA have lived up to their end of the bargain. It’s time tobacco companies do the same,” Miller said. “They should pay us what they owe us.” Former Montana attorney general Tim Fox is assisting Miller with Iowa’s lawsuit. The state of Montana filed a similar lawsuit against the tobacco companies in 2020 and reached a $100 million settlement later that year.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — At over $1 billion, the Mega Millions jackpot is among the largest lottery prizes ever up for grabs. It’s the latest focus of a long history of lotteries that have been conducted in the U.S. and around the world. Only two prizes have grown larger than the $1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot that could be won Friday night. Other lotteries elsewhere around the globe offer smaller payouts, though in other ways they’re more integrated into life in their countries. Lotteries remain popular in Europe, with none bigger than Spain’s El Gordo, the biggest game for total prizes.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – With the Downtown Library being closed through the end of this week, city officials are looking to identify and share information on alternative cooling center locations as the weather heats up. The Cedar Rapids Public Library was closed after a fire forced employees and patrons to be evacuated from the building. Everyone inside left safely and without injuries. Books and library materials do not appear to have been impacted by any water damage, however, the library will remain closed until necessary cleanup is complete. The Ladd Library remains open during normal business hours. The Summer Dare Celebration is scheduled for this Saturday, July 30th, from 10 a.m. until noon, and will take place outside the Ladd Library. Officials are planning on providing a status update for a reopening timeline for the downtown library next week.
