DENISON, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau/KCRG) – Iowa became the first state in the country to receive federal education funding with reduced administrative requirements, officials announced Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Education approved Iowa’s request for relief from some administrative requirements tied to federal education grants, providing $9.5 million in funding. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon joined Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds at Broadway Elementary School in Denison for the announcement. “The total of the federal grant– the block grant that’s coming in is about $9.5 million. If we were operating under the old rules, it would take, according to the figures that were done in that state, about $8 million to comply with the requirements for this $9.5 million grant,” McMahon said. Reynolds said the savings comes from reduced staff time spent on paperwork and compliance. Iowa applied for the exemption earlier this year. The move shifts money away from bureaucracy and into classrooms, according to McMahon. Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow said the funding will support initiatives including hiring more teachers, expanding evidence-based learning, and strengthening programs for low-income students. She said the state’s recent progress helped secure the funding.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Marco’s Pizza has abruptly closed all of its Iowa locations. The Corridor Business Journal first reported the closures effective January 4. The Ohio-based pizza chain had six locations in Iowa, including one at 6905 C Ave NE in Cedar Rapids, 415 Community Drive in North Liberty and one at 3032 Ansborough Ave in Waterloo. An online map of Marco’s locations now shows no locations in the state of Iowa. A phone call to those locations Wednesday reached an automated message that said “unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision to close this location, and we will not be reopening.” It did not detail a reason for the closures and Marco’s corporate office did not immediately respond to questions about the closures.
MANCHESTER, Iowa (KCRG) – A Story County man has been arrested in connection to a Manchester Police Department undercover child grooming sting. Police said 52-year-old Michael Wiezorek, of Nevada, set up a meeting with who he believed was a 15-year-old boy. They said he sent illicit messages to an undercover officer for multiple weeks before buying a hotel room and traveling to meet with the undercover officer. Manchester Police said this arrest was part of its Operation Castle, and it’s still evaluating cases while working toward more arrests. Wiezorek has been charged with grooming.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCRG) – Middle and high school students with the Hudson Community School District were evacuated from campus Wednesday after contractors hit a gas line near Wood Street and School Street. The school says it was told it would take up to three hours to secure the line. Students were relocated to Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls. All were accounted for and given a lunch. The school coordinated an early pickup from the church and all after-school activities were cancelled. The parking lot was also closed and students could not retrieve their vehicles until the line was secured.
