Gazette Daily News Podcast: Friday, January 19, 2024

– Iowa City Police investigating threat to Mercy Hospital clinic

– Beth Goetz named University of Iowa's permanent athletics director, losing interim tag

– Eastern Iowa bankers fined $50K for taking customer information from F&M Bank

– Paula Poundstone returning to Englert in Iowa City

Episode Transcript

You are listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast on Friday, January 19. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Up first, Iowa City police are investigating phone threats made Thursday to a Mercy Hospital clinic. According to a news release, police were informed at 8:43 Thursday morning about quote “an agitated individual making threats over the phone to a specific Mercy Hospital clinic” end quote. In response, Mercy Hospital locked down its facility. Regina Catholic Center schools also locked down though no threats were made against the school specifically. There is a Mercy Clinic on the same block as Regina schools, but the news release did not say whether that was the targeted clinic.

In case you missed the Thursday morning announcement: Beth Goetz has been named University of Iowa’s permanent athletics director. Goetz has served as the UI’s interim athletics director since August 1, following the retirement of longtime athletics director Gary Barta. In her role as interim AD, Goetz was well received by coaches. Men’s wrestling coach Tom Brands said quote, “Beth Goetz earned her way into the business by not making it about business. She is about the right things.” end quote. Goetz is the only woman to currently serve as athletics director in the Big Ten. Goetz signed a five year contract and will earn a base salary of $850,000 in addition to up to $175,000 in annual performance incentives and $200,000 per year in deferred compensation. Read the full story by John Steppe at the gazette dot com. Find a link to that story in this episode’s description.

Three Eastern Iowa bankers have been fined for taking confidential information from Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank. The information was taken in 2021 to recruit customers to their new employer. A lawsuit filed in Linn County in 2021 alleged that five former F&M Bank employees, including Randy Johnson, Chad Kellogg and Jeffrey Hines, started forwarding corporate email to their personal accounts and downloading emails to drives and devices in March 2021.

According to a news release, Johnson, Kellog and Hines each agreed to pay $50,000 and must notify the Federal Reserve within 10 days if they start working for a Fed-affiliated institution. They must also tell new bosses at Fed-affiliated institutions about the Board of Governors order.

Johnson, Kellog and Hines now work at Collins Community Credit Union. F&M Bank is based in Manchester, Iowa and has seven locations, including branches in Cedar Rapids, Manchester, Anamosa and Monticello. Find the full story by Erin Jordan at the gazette dot com. The story is also linked in this episode’s description.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Stand-up comedian Paula Poundstone is returning to Iowa City’s Englert Theatre Saturday, January 20. Poundstone is a veteran comic who was encouraged by Robin Williams to become a full-time stand-up 40 years ago. In the 90s, Poundstone’s HBO specials and role as a political correspondent on “The Tonight Show” pushed her career to a new level. Poundstone never performs the same show twice and loves to get to know the crowd.

Poundstone said quote, “I do want to know what’s on their mind–and what comes out is often surprising” end quote. Tickets range from $20-$59.50 and can be bought at englert.org slash events.

Finally, let’s take a look at today’s weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Friday will be mostly sunny. Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 2 degrees and a low of negative nine degrees. Saturday will be sunny but the sun is not bringing warm temperatures with it. A high of 2 degrees is predicted with a low reaching negative 15.

Thank you for listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast. Stay up to date with the latest news from Eastern Iowa at the gazette dot com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com