Gazette Daily News Briefing, August 24
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for August 24, 2023.
There will be one more day at or near 100 degree peak Thursday before we head back down the temperature slope again. According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny with a high near 102 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area.
Although most schools and universities in the area have air conditioning to deal with the heat, that doesn’t necessarily account for living arrangements.
Of UNI’s six traditional halls, three apartment-style halls and one suite-style hall, six — including Dancer — don’t have air-conditioning.
Of Iowa State University’s 20 residence halls, half include rooms that aren’t air-conditioned — meaning about one-third of ISU’s thousands of on-campus residents are sleeping in the excessive heat.
Although all the 11 University of Iowa residence halls are equipped with air, the campus has shared safety information with students, warned that departments holding events might need to “make decisions” and said officials are “closely monitoring the high heat indices.”
The ISU Department of Residence has made cooled dorm dens available around the clock and disseminated other tips on how to stay comfortable and on where to go to get out of the heat. ISU has made available a supply of fans at residence hall front desks for students to check out.
“Here are some tips,” according to a message ISU Housing posted on Instagram. “Go swimming at State Gym. Go to the library. Veteran dorm residents: what are your favorite tips for staying cool during the first couple weeks?”
“Please put AC in all the dorms,” one person replied, echoing several other comments.
A motorcycle that crashed into the rear of a sport utility vehicle was what caused a massive backup Tuesday afternoon on northbound Interstate 380, according to police.
Officers were called to the scene at 4:52 p.m. Tuesday on I-380 near the Seventh Street NE exit, on the S-curve through downtown. A motorcyclist heading north had rear-ended an SUV traveling in the same direction, throwing the driver from the motorcycle.
The motorcyclist was taken to a hospital for non-life threatening injuries, police said. No other injuries were reported. The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending, according to the police department.
Several housing projects in the Corridor will get a boost from workforce housing tax credits recently awarded by the state — adding 458 residential units in the area, with Cedar Rapids projects driving the influx of housing.
Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority recently announced $38 million in workforce housing tax credits across 59 statewide housing projects, supporting the creation of more than 2,000 residential units in Iowa, according to a news release.
Six Cedar Rapids projects were awarded $3.4 million combined, supporting 320 new housing units — more than any other city received in value, and equal to Des Moines in number of projects.
