Gazette Daily News Briefing, February 14
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Tuesday, February 14.
Tuesday's weather will still feel like Spring, but it will be the cold version of spring where it's windy and rainy. Judging from the probability charts from the National Weather Service it looks like it could rain all day in the Cedar Rapids area, with the highest likelihood from noon to 6 p.m. The high will be near 48 degrees with a strong breeze. On Tuesday night it will be cloudy, with a low of around 36 degrees. The wind will pick up speed as well, gusting as high as 40 mph.
A month after announcing plans to relocate and cut services in Iowa City, Kirkwood Community College announced plans Monday to close two programs, downsize a third and eliminate faculty and staff positions to “bring future budgets in line with expected revenue.”
Specifically, the Cedar Rapids-based Kirkwood is closing its Dental Technology program and its Energy Production and Distribution Technologies program “due to low enrollment.” The closures will become official once all current students complete their studies in those areas, Kirkwood officials said.
The college also is changing its truck driving program within its Continuing Education and Training Services division, again, due to low enrollment numbers over the last five years. Those changes will end the “behind-the-wheel” portion of the school’s commercial driver’s license program after the current class finishes.
The decision followed a long-term viability analysis and is being made in light of the “significant and ongoing cost of maintaining up-to-date technology and equipment.”
Kirkwood didn’t immediately release the internal review of its operations that compelled the closure of its for-credit programs or the long-term viability analysis of its truck driving program. It didn’t share current enrollments of the affected programs. Nor did it immediately provide specific numbers of faculty and staff positions cut.
Iowa’s state transportation commission would be required to prioritize making Highway 30 four lanes under a bill advanced by a panel of state lawmakers.
A Senate transportation subcommittee Monday advanced to full committee Senate File 111 by Sen. Chris Cournoyer, R-Le Claire, which would require the state to make the entire length of Highway 30 four lanes — including a 40-mile stretch between DeWitt and Lisbon and between Carroll and Ogden in Western Iowa.
Economic developers, business leaders and government officials in Clinton County have advocated for the better part of two decades for the state to modify and expand Highway 30 between DeWitt and Lisbon to four lanes.
Representatives with Grow Clinton County, which works to promote business growth in the region, told lawmakers such a project would spur rural business development, foster population growth, improve roadway safety, lessen congestion on Interstate 80 and match the majority of Highway 30’s cross-state footprint.
Cedar Rapids nonprofit Matthew 25 was chosen as one of five organizations to receive part of a $150,000 campaign to fight hunger across the country.
As a front line organization fighting food insecurity locally, Matthew 25 was named a 2023 recipient of $15,000 from the Simply Organic Giving Fund. The fund is a charitable arm of Simply Organic, a leader in organic herbs and spices under the Norway, Iowa-based Frontier Co-Op family of brands.
In addition to other initiatives, Matthew 25’s Groundswell Cafe allows people to pay what they can for a meal — no questions asked — or donate a little extra to help others, removing the stigma around asking for help. Groundswell has provided more than 15,000 free meals using local and organic produce over the past five years.
