Gazette Daily News Briefing, November 10 and 11
Welcome to the weekend!
This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Saturday, November 11th, and Sunday, November 12th, 2023.
According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will be partly sunny, with a high near 51, cooling to a low around 39 Saturday night.
Sunday will be sunny, with a high near 62, cooling to a low of 37 Sunday night.
Construction to close I-80 in Coralville overnight starting Sunday
Eastbound Interstate 80 in Coralville will be closed overnight starting Sunday and continuing through Thursday, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Transportation.
A portion of the interstate will be closed from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. each night for construction at the First Avenue interchange, which is exit 242. A marked detour will take eastbound drivers off the interstate at exit 240 and back onto the interstate at exit 242.
The closures are scheduled for Sunday night through Thursday night, but dates could change depending on the weather, the release states. Construction crews will be performing bridge demolition work in the area.
The work is part of a $35.6 million project will transform the First Avenue interchange with Interstate 80 in Coralville from a traditional diamond to a diverging diamond. The city and state discussed updating the interchange for nearly 20 years. Work began in March this year and is expected to be complete in spring or early summer 2025.
Summit hearing in Iowa ends but decision months away
A monthslong evidentiary hearing for Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline permit in Iowa concluded this week with the final remaining testimony of landowners in the path of the company’s proposed project.
That sets the stage for the Iowa Utilities Board to make a decision about whether to grant the company a hazardous liquid pipeline permit, grant it with modifications to the company’s proposal, or deny it.
State law does not dictate when that decision must be made, but those who are participating in the proceedings will have an opportunity to submit substantial written arguments based on the evidence gathered during the hearing.
Gov. Kim Reynolds applauds Iowa’s new school ranking
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, ranked Iowa ninth in the nation in its recent “Education Freedom Report Card.”
Iowa saw the biggest jump of any state in its ranking between 2022 and 2023, owing largely to the education savings account program that lawmakers passed this year, allowing Iowa families to use public school dollars to pay for private school tuition and expenses.
The new law caused Iowa to jump 13 places in the conservative think tank’s rankings, from 22nd in 2023 to ninth this year. Iowa ranked fourth for Education Choice in the group’s report.
Iowa placed 16th in transparency, 30th in teacher freedom and 25th in return on investment.
During her Thursday remarks, Reynolds thanked the Republican lawmakers who helped pass the bill into law and said the demand for the program has exceeded expectations.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
