A new monthly survey of business leaders suggests the economy continues to improve in Iowa and eight other Midwest and Plains states, but business remains slower than before the coronavirus pandemic began. The overall index for the region improved to 65.1 in September from August’s already strong 60. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said even with the positive growth in the economy, manufacturing output remains well below the level it was at before states began imposing restrictions because of the coronavirus.
University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld has announced plans to retire after the state Board of Regents finds his successor. Harreld has led the Big Ten university since 2015. His tenure has been difficult in recent months as the school has faced a coronavirus outbreak, deep budget cuts and heavy turnover in key administrative positions. Harreld said he believes it could take longer than usual to conduct a presidential search given the pandemic. He says he’ll stay on until his successor begins.
Community Main Street and the Cedar Falls Downtown District merchants have cancelled the annual Downtown Trick-or-Treating event this year, saying it would be hard for the crowd to be socially distant, and hard to maintain a safe environment for attendees or volunteers.
The Waterloo Board of Education this week approved the sale of $22.6 million in tax revenue bonds to fund construction of a school to replace Lowell Elementary. Bonds will be issued with a 15-year payback instead of 10, as was originally planned. Proceeds from Waterloo Community Schools’ 1% sales tax revenues will be used fund the bonds.
Relatives of four people killed in a 2018 plane crash in central Iowa allege in new lawsuits that a maintenance error caused carbon monoxide to enter the plane’s cabin, causing the crash. The lawsuits, announced yesterday, name Ultra Flight LLC, an aviation maintenance facility in Le Mars, and its owner, Tomas Mullally. The single-engine Piper took off from the airport in Le Mars on Nov. 9, 2018, and crashed into a cow pasture near Guthrie Center, about 115 miles away. Autopsies determined that all four victims suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Des Moines school board approved a plan to return to in-classroom learning, but it included metrics for allowable coronavirus infection rates that the district doesn’t currently meet. That makes it unclear if students will actually return to school as planned. The board voted 6-1 Wednesday night to gradually implement a hybrid learning plan, starting with prekindergarten on Oct. 12. Students can choose to remain in all remote learning or opt for 50% instruction in classrooms. Despite approving a plan to return to classrooms, the board set several metrics for coronavirus infection rates as well as student and staff absences. But if school were to begin immediately, the district would not be in compliance with at least one of those standards.
Members of President Trump’s re-election campaign will make a stop at the Black Hawk County Republican Party headquarters this afternoon. The Team Trump on Tour Bus Tour will make a stop at 3:15 p.m. at the Republicans of Black Hawk County headquarters at 910 Decathlon Drive. Former acting U.S. attorney general Matt Whitaker, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Marc Lotter, director of strategic communications for the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign, will be there to speak to voters and volunteers about the importance of early voting, which begins Monday. The event is open to the public.
Cedar Rapids Police have identified a man who was killed during an accident on I-380 on September 24. The victim was 25-year-old Ricardo Martinez Hernandez of Garland, Texas. Investigators say the accident happened around 3:30 p.m. on the northbound side of the interstate, just north of 29th St. NE. Investigators say Hernandez was driving an SUV and lost control, hitting a pole and ending up in the ditch. An autopsy and toxicology results are expected soon.
Investigation continues after an individual was found dead alongside Interstate 380 southbound near Wright Brothers Boulevard SW this past Monday. Police yesterday identified the individual as 61-year-old Neva Jean Rhyne of Indianapolis, Indiana. Last night, her vehicle was reported as being located. Anyone who may have seen or had contact with her since last Friday night is asked to call Cedar Rapids Police.
Two people have been arrested connected to an armed robbery in Cedar Rapids. Police were called to Point Liquor and Tobacco in the 3200 block of Center Point Road NE just before 8:30 Wednesday night. The clerk told police that a young man entered the store with a face covering, displayed a handgun, and robbed the clerk of money in the register. The young man then left on foot. Police were able to review surveillance footage from the area and identify a vehicle that the armed robbery suspect got into. After a later traffic stop, 28-year-old Dekheary Steele of Chicago admitted his involvement in the liquor store robbery. Police also arrested a 14-year-old who also admitted his involvement in the robbery.
