From the KCRG TV9 Newsroom:
Riverside Casino and the Washington County Riverboat Foundation are petitioning the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to stop a proposed casino in Cedar Rapids. They claim the Racing and Gaming Commission does not have the authority to grant a license for a Cedar Rapids casino because of language in a past ballot measure. In 2021, voters in Linn County passed a measure permanently authorizing gaming, but lawyers for Riverside Casino say that vote used outdated language and does not actually allow new gaming in the county. The Gaming Commission will consider the petition at a meeting on Thursday.
In about two weeks, Ottumwa’s John Deere plant will temporarily close, leaving about 400 people without work until early January. John Deere Ottumwa Works had a similar shutdown for three weeks, with production picking up in September. In a statement, John Deere cited a lack of projected demand for its products as the reason for the shutdown. Leaders with the Greater Ottumwa Partners in Progress say they’re not surprised by companies scaling down operations amid a recent decline in agriculture jobs. The U.S. Department of Ag says net farm income will decrease 4.4 percent in 2024.
You can expect more police officers to be patrolling the roads the next couple weeks. Last year, during Thanksgiving week, 34 people died or were seriously hurt on Iowa’s roads. About 40 percent of them were not properly restrained.
New details are out about a potential hazing incident on the University of Iowa’s campus. 21-year-old Joseph Gaya from Riverdale is facing a charge of interference with official acts. Police say Gaya was trying to keep officers from investigating a fraternity room at Alpha Delta Phi, where more than 50 pledges were blindfolded with food being thrown onto them.
