Gazette Daily News Briefing, January 29 and January 30
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Saturday, January 29th and Sunday, January 30th.
The weekend looks sunny and a little chilly, with warmer temperatures coming at the start of next week, according to a forecast from the National Weather Service. On Saturday it will be mostly sunny in the Cedar Rapids area, with a high near 29 degrees. The wind chill will be as low as -10 degrees with wind gusts as high as 20 mph. On Saturday night it will be partly cloudy, with a low around 14 degrees. On Sunday it will be partly sunny, with a high near 23 degrees. The wind will calm a bit, and the low will drop to 13 degrees on Sunday night.
The new RAGBRAI route was announced Friday night, and it will give northern Iowa a chance to shine.
The route will start from Sergeant Bluff to Ida Grove, winding its way through Pocahontas, then heading northward to Emmetsburg and passing through Mason City and Charles City, before cycling toward the river through West Union and ending in Lansing.
The overnight stops will be: Ida Grove, Pocahontas, Emmetsburg, Mason City, Charles City and West Union.
The ride across Iowa is set for July 23-30.
Police are investigating a second fatal shooting in less than 24 hours in southeast Cedar Rapids, and court records show the two men who died had been involved in a fight in 2020.
The body of Kavon Iberheem Johnson, 22, was found at 7:25 a.m. Friday in a parking lot at Cedar Valley Park, south of Otis Road SE.
Johnson appeared to have died from one or more gunshot wounds, according to a city news release. Officials did not say if the shooting happened at the park.
Police also identified Cordal R. Lewis, 19, as the man found fatally shot Thursday afternoon on 31st Street Dr. SE. Police found his body in the street at 2:39 p.m. with one or more gunshot wounds, according to a news release.
Both shootings appear to be targeted incidents, police said. They did not say if the incidents were related, and no suspects have been arrested.
Court records show Lewis and two other men were charged with assaulting Johnson on June 17, 2020. Lewis pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury, a serious misdemeanor, and served time in the Linn County Jail.
It was no surprise that COVID-19 was going to have a major impact on the University of Iowa Athletic Department’s finances.
Athletics director Gary Barta first projected the deficit to be about $74.8 million. Thanks to a partial football season, cost-cutting and other factors, it ended up being $44.7 million, per a July 2021 Board of Regents report.
Iowa’s latest NCAA financial report, which uses different metrics to measure Iowa’s budget, similarly indicated a $42 million deficit.
The athletic department used a loan from the university to pay back the deficit. Deputy athletics director Matt Henderson said that the good news is a lack of attendance disruptions this fiscal year, so far, means a similar deficit is unlikely to occur again – fingers crossed.
“We’re bouncing back,” Henderson said.
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Support for this news update was provided by New Pioneer Food Co-op. Celebrating 50 years as Eastern Iowa’s destination for locally and responsibly sourced groceries with stores in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids; and online through Co-op Cart at newpi.coop.
