Friday Morning Read: Reynolds promotes deputy to be Iowa ag secretary, Cedar Rapids seeks millions to help pay for ConnectCR, Acquitted teacher's return to Marion classroom elicits protests

Reynolds promotes deputy to be Iowa ag secretary- Mike Naig, deputy secretary of agriculture since 2013, has been promoted to lead the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

He will succeed Secretary Bill Northey who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday to be undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

'Mike Naig has been a dependable deputy for Bill Northey,' Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday in announcing the appointment. 'He has gained the experience, knowledge and staff connections necessary to complete Bill's term through January 2019.' Read more...

With Connect CR, Cedar Rapids seeks millions to help pay for signature rec project- An ambitious bike trail, pedestrian bridge and lake restoration project — dubbed ConnectCR — would be a statewide game changer, a contingent of Cedar Rapids officials told a legislative panel Thursday in seeking millions to help pay for it.

The effect of the 120-acre Cedar Lake restoration on the north side of downtown, the Sinclair Smokestack Bridge to the south, and trails connecting the two would be similar to the restoration of Gray's Lake Park in Des Moines and the High Trestle Bridge and Trail in Madrid, the officials said. Read more...

Acquitted teacher's return to Marion classroom elicits protests-

An online petition has started and a protest is scheduled as parents learned that a teacher placed on leave and sued over reports that pupils were sexually abused by a teen volunteer in her Starry Elementary kindergarten classroom started working Thursday at Vernon Middle.

Diane Graham was acquitted at trial in January of failing to report child sex abuse. Still, the district has paid out $2.7 million to settle four lawsuits related to the allegations, and two others are pending.

Some parents and former students are upset that the Marion Independent School District now will have her work with fifth- and sixth-graders. Read more...

Kirkwood design students get hands-on experience- Start-up and nonprofit companies lacking the budget to create professional materials touting their services have turned to another option: students in David Brandstetter's class.

The Kirkwood Community College professor has students in their final semester in the Graphic Communication Technology program work on projects for businesses to which he put out the call. This year, about 30 businesses said they wanted to work with the students. Their projects are capstones for the Production Techniques class. Read more...

Tyler Cook not firmly in Iowa basketball fold for next season- Tyler Cook did nothing Thursday to smother rumors he may leave the Iowa men's basketball program.

After the Hawkeyes' season ended Thursday afternoon with a 77-71 overtime loss to Michigan, Cook was asked if he knew what he would do with the rest of his basketball career.

'I don't,' he said.

'I can't answer that one right now,' when specifically asked if he would finish his college career at Iowa. "All due respect, but I can't answer that.' Read more...