Gazette Daily News Briefing, Aug. 1 and 2
According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will be mostly sunny with a high near 83, and partly cloudy at night with a low around 64. Sunday will be partly sunny, with showers and thunderstorms mainly after 1 p.m. The high will be near 80 with a chance of rain near 60 percent. Sunday night is mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.
Iowa reported 11 more deaths due to COVID-19 as of 11 a.m. Friday — the most since July 15. The statewide death toll now stands at 865. Eight of the 11 deaths were in Polk County, bringing that county’s total to 201. Shelby County reported its first coronavirus-related death, making it the 73rd county in Iowa to report a death. Statewide, 631 new coronavirus cases were reported.
The Cedar Rapids Community School District on Friday announced its final return-to-learn plans, which includes options of in-person classes for elementary and middle school students, a hybrid of in-person and online learning for high school students, or an online-only option available to all students. Cedar Rapids families have until Wednesday, Aug. 5, to decide whether to enroll their children in virtual or in-school learning. The first day of classes is Aug. 24. Students and staff will be required to wear face masks or shields.
At Xavier Catholic Schools, students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade will have on-site learning, and high school students will attend a hybrid of on-site and online learning this fall. Families with students in any grade will have the option to choose fully online learning during the school year. Face masks are required for all students and staff members. In surveys conducted by the Xavier Catholic Schools in July, over half of teachers and parents responded they were comfortable returning to a version of in-person learning.
In state softball, Cedar Rapids Kennedy is the Class 5A state champion, defeating Fort Dodge 5-1 on Thursday evening.
In the Class 3A baseball semifinals, Marion was shutout by Norwalk, 10-0 in six innings. Norwalk will face Gilbert in the championship game Saturday. You can follow live coverage of all the championship games Saturday on TheGazette.com.
This briefing is sponsored in part by Corridor Careers. Are you looking for a job? CorridorCareers.com is a resource to local job seekers where they can get job tips, sign up for local job alerts, build a resume and more. Check it out at CorridorCareers.com
