From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
Prosecutors say they have charged a former University of Iowa employee after a state audit showed he stole nearly $950,000. Brian Busch was arrested yesterday afternoon and faces several charges including theft, tampering with records and ongoing criminal conduct. Busch was a manager of the university’s Department of Physics and Astronomy’s machine shop. A State Auditor’s report showed Busch deposited thousands of dollars into his personal accounts when the money should have gone into the U of I’s account. The report also shows he used university employees and equipment for his personal company. The university placed him on administrative leave in 2021 before firing him last week.
Federal investigators are looking into a small plane crash that injured one man just west of Mount Vernon. The Linn County Sheriff’s office says the plane came down in a field at around 1:30 yesterday afternoon south of Highway 30 off Cedar River Road. The pilot was the only person on board, was injured, and taken to the hospital.
Iowa’s three public universities saw increasing enrollment numbers this Fall. The University of Iowa is seeing its third-largest incoming class, as 5,200 freshmen are enrolled. Iowa State added 5,900 students. And the University of Northern Iowa’s freshmen enrollment for this year is more than 1,500–an increase of almost eight percent from 2022.
One transportation service for Iowa college students is working to increase its ridership. NiteRide is offered exclusively to University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff, but has seen declining numbers in rides over the years. They acknowledge rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft have become more popular, so they need to also increase the services they are able to provide. Campus Security says it plans to keep the program and make improvements based on what students say they need. NiteRide operates from 10 at night until five in the morning every day of the year.
