From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
Test scores for Iowa’s public schools are consistent with last year. The Iowa Department of Education released results from last semester’s Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress for students in grades 3 through 11. The department found one of the biggest proficiency gaps is among low-income students. In the English Language Arts category, there’s a 15 to 17 point difference across all grades. Math results showed a small improvement across all grade levels.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed an appeal of a District Court’s decision against the Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act. That Act requires all official documents are written in English. Bird says the state is appealing the Court’s decision in an effort to protect election integrity and defend state law.
New cases of sexually transmitted diseases is skyrocketing in Iowa, with cases of syphilis more than tripling over the past five years. According to the latest data, rates of syphilis among women aged 15 to 44 in Iowa are up more than 24 percent, and congenital syphilis rates–which is when a mother passes syphilis to her baby at birth–is up almost 50 percent. One clinical supervisor says the pandemic likely had a large impact on the spike we’re still seeing.
The “Kum and Go” convenience store chain is changing hands. Salt Lake City based company Maverick purchased Kum & Go, finalizing a month’s long deal. The Maverick CEO says the Iowa stores are not planning any major changes right now, but will continue to evaluate in the future. The amount of the deal has not been announced, but previous estimates show the convenience store chain was valued around $2 billion.
Cedar Rapids’ new skateboard park has opened in Riverside Park. The new skateboard park was relocated closer to C Street Southwest. It includes lights for skating until 10 at night and a reconstructed parking lot with more accessible spaces. The city converted the old skateboard park into a basin to hold water as part of the flood control system. Cedar Rapids expects to begin construction on a playground for Riverside Park in the coming weeks.
