We told you yesterday that CEO of Women Lead Change and former TV news anchor Tiffany O’Donnell will be running for mayor of Cedar Rapids…now word that another candidate is entering the race against incumbent Brad Hart. Businesswoman Amara Andrews will make her plans official Thursday at 5 p.m. at an outdoor event at NewBo City Market. If elected, Andrews would become the first African American to hold the top spot in municipal government in Cedar Rapids. O’Donnell’s announcement will be via Facebook Live at 2 p.m. today…and I’ll talk with O’Donnell during the 9 o’clock hour of KXEL Live & Local tomorrow.
The city of Cedar Rapids is continuing to pick up debris from the August 10th derecho. The deadline to have all tree debris to the curb for free pickup is April 19th, 2021. During collection, crews will remove curbside piles, rake-up remaining branches and other debris in the right-of-way, break down and remove root balls, remove stumps torn out of the ground, and will conduct one pickup through alleys. Root balls or uprooted stumps that left large holes in the right-of-way will be back-filled by the City’s contractor.
The state of Iowa Monday has awarded $15,542,302 to 14 Iowa broadband providers. It is part of the Empower Rural Iowa broadband grants with federal CARES funding from Governor Kim Reynolds. These grants will impact 21 Iowa counties making up more than 2,800 homes, schools, and businesses. The $15 million is the remainder of the $50 million in CARES funding Gov. Reynolds designated for broadband grants.
A Mason City man has been arrested for stealing catalytic converters in Worth County. 30-year-old Jacob Allen Smith was booked into the Worth County Jail Saturday on charges of ongoing criminal conduct, first-degree criminal mischief, three counts of second-degree theft, third-degree theft, fourth-degree theft, and three counts of trespass. Officials say Smith and another man went to three separate locations on January 29 and cut a totally of five catalytic converters off vehicles in the Manly area. Value of the converters range from $400 to more than $1,500…but investigators say removing the converters also did more than $13,600 in damage to the vehicles. Smith is being held in the Worth County Jail on $10,000 bond.
UNI head men’s basketball coach Ben Jacobson interviewed this past weekend to be the next coach at the University of Minnesota…that’s according to a TV station in the Twin Cities. The move came a week after the school fired Richard Pitino. Jacobson is UNI’s all-time wins leader with a 291-174 record over 14 seasons. He has led the Panthers to four NCAA Tournament appearances. At least one other in-person interview was already conducted, sources said, with at least one more scheduled. Utah State head coach Craig Smith is also expected to get an in-person interview. His team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
A couple of bridges in downtown Waterloo will be closed temporarily this week. The 11th Street Bridge is now closed with plans to reopen the bridge tomorrow. After the 11th Street Bridge is back open, the Park Avenue Bridge will be closed with plans to reopen on Friday. The closures are being put in place so contractors can perform river bottom borings ahead of eventually replacing the bridges, according to the City of Waterloo. Signed detours will be in place.
Yesterday, we told you that the BCLUW school board has determined that masks will be optional there soon. Now word that the North Butler Board of Education has done away with that school’s mask requirement, effective immediately. The board did say masks would be recommended. The board is also leaving it up to staff to choose to continue cleaning desks between classes, using hand sanitizer and recommending good hygiene practices. Students and staff members that test positive for COVID-19 will still need to stay home. But staff members exposed to COVID-19 will be able to choose between quarantining or continuing to go to work. The school will notify parents if their student has been exposed to the virus and will be able to choose whether their student will quarantine or continue attending classes.
An annual tornado drill is set for around 11 a.m. on Wednesday as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week. The sirens in Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, Palo and Center Point will not be activated for the drill, but schools, businesses, individuals and state and local governments are encouraged to participate. Sirens owned by local jurisdictions are at the discretion of those jurisdictions. A test tornado warning for the drill will be sent over weather radios.
Multiple people suffered life-threatening injuries Sunday night after a chase ended with a collision in the Drake Park neighborhood of Des Moines. Iowa State Patrol troopers initiated pursuit of a car driven by 20-year-old Yackhub Ali around 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Troopers said they temporarily lost the vehicle before finding it crashed into a tree on Drake Park Avenue near 21st Street. Authorities said the driver and two 19-year-old passengers are hospitalized with “serious” injuries. Firefighters at the scene of the crash cut the car in half to remove the occupants.
