From the KCRG TV9 Newsroom:
As our temperatures are dropping, new numbers show those living outside in Linn County is up 40 percent. This data on homelessness is from what’s called a point-in-time count. The governments of Linn County and the city of Cedar Rapids fund an overflow homeless shelter in Cedar Rapids. It just opened last week for the winter. It’s one option for people who don’t have housing. Willis-Dady Homeless Services, which operates the overflow shelter, says due to the recent drop in temperatures, it is already seeing more people. Last winter, the overflow shelter was used 627 times.
A proposed casino in Cedar Rapids has people from across eastern Iowa divided. About 120 people took part in the public comments at Hotel Kirkwood Wednesday. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission heard comments for almost five hours with people on both sides. The commission heard many opinions about how business would increase in Cedar Rapids with the casino. But many also said eastern Iowa’s other casinos could see a decline in revenue if Cedar Crossing gets approved.
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he has nominated Matt Whitaker, a former Republican candidate for office and Iowa Hawkeye football player, to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to NATO. Whitaker has been involved in Republican politics for the past few decades. He was the party’s nominee for state treasurer in 2002 and ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014. President George W. Bush appointed him as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, and President Trump appointed Whitaker acting U.S. attorney general during the first Trump Administration.
It’s in-state rivalry week for the Iowa State women’s basketball team. The eighth-ranked Cyclones had their first road test of the season, as they visited Northern Iowa Wednesday night. ISU had won 17 of the last 19 games in the series, but not this time. UNI beat Iowa State 87 to 75.
