Gazette Daily News Briefing, September 9
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, September 9.
It will be another sunny warm day on Friday, but keep an eye out for your fall jacket because some cooler weather is coming Sunday. According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny with a high near 89 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. On Friday night it will be clear in the evening, with a low of around 61 degrees. The wind will remain mild all day.
Iowa politicians joined leaders from around the world to offer condolences and pay tribute to Britain’s revered and longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at the age of 96.
“Queen Elizabeth II was a strong and graceful leader for the better part of a century,” 88-year-old U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement. “As queen, she was a tremendous source of stability and clearly loved the people she served. She’ll forever be a symbol of decency and humanity for the whole world. Queen Elizabeth II leaves a remarkable legacy of duty, honor and service.”
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, in a statement, called Queen Elizabeth “a remarkable and steadfast woman who fought side by side with the United States through some of the Free World’s most trying times.”
“I’ll always admire her fortitude, love of freedom, and tenacity that has inspired other women in leadership,” Reynolds said. “Kevin and I join with Iowans in sharing our condolences to the Royal Family.”
With the death of the queen, her 73-year-old son Charles automatically becomes monarch, even though the coronation might not take place for months. It is not known whether he will choose to call himself King Charles III or some other name.
The Cedar Rapids Police Department released body camera footage Thursday of a fatal officer-involved shooting on Aug. 30.
William Isaac Rich, 22, of Cedar Rapids, was shot early in the morning on Aug. 30 after police were called to the Inn Circle, 5560 Sixth St SW “regarding violent domestic issues,” according to police,
The video released by the police department starts with Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman explaining the incident that led to the shooting.
In a short summary of the video footage, the officers were called to the scene with an indication that Rich had been in a domestic dispute with his wife and had punched, choked, and attempted to drown her. When officers arrived, they grabbed Rich, telling him to get his hands up. The police department then slowed down the video to show that Rich had a knife in his hand.
After a scuffle ensued, Rich was pushed back, and three shots rang out, with an officer telling Rich to get on the ground. Rich fell to the ground but then attempted to get back up, leading to four more gunshots, stopping his movement.
The footage was released partially due to a community protest of the shooting, including members of Rich’s family.
The shooting is under investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and both officers, Sgt. Bryson Garringer and Investigator Christopher Christy, have been placed on paid leave. Once the Iowa DCI investigation is complete, it will be reviewed by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
A decade after the University of Iowa could last call itself the largest higher education institution in the state, UI this fall has reclaimed that distinction — reporting higher total enrollment than Iowa State University for the first time since 2012.
Two weeks into the fall semester, UI on Thursday reported 30,015 total undergraduate, graduate, and professional students — up slightly over last fall’s 29,909, but still below its pre-pandemic count of 31,142 in fall 2019.
Iowa State reported a total fall enrollment of 29,969 — continuing what has become an annual slide from a peak of 36,291 in fall 2016.
While UI and ISU on Thursday reported stronger first-year classes, University of Northern Iowa continues to face enrollment losses — including with its new first-year class of 1,436, down 8 percent from last fall’s 1,554 and 17 percent from fall 2013.
Its total fall enrollment of 8,949 is down 3 percent from last fall’s count and marks the lowest total enrollment for the Cedar Falls campus in 55 years, since its 8,213-student body in 1967.
