Gazette Daily News Podcast, August 25

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T

his is Nathan Ford from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Hot weather will continue today with a high temperature of 96 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area, according to the National Weather Service forecast. It will be sunny and the heat index could reach 100.

The University of Iowa reported yesterday that 107 students and four employees tested positive for COVID-19. That announcement came on the first day of the fall semester and included only students and employees who have self-reported positive tests since August 18. Some faculty members told The Gazette that already many students were emailing to say they can't make it to their in-person classes this week due to COVID-19-related reasons. Officials noted in reporting Monday's COVID-19 tally, that UI has more than 30,000 students and nearly 30,000 employees — many of whom are working or learning remotely. Elsehwere, Dyersville Beckman was forced to cancel Friday's scheduled football season opener against Iowa City Regina after a player and a coach tested positive for the coronavirus and 11 others had to quarantine. This comes as the state's seven-day rolling average reached 567, the highest ever since the start of the pandemic in March. The state reported 428 new cases in the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Monday, bringing the state total to 56,585. Five new deaths were attributed to the coronavirus, bringing Iowa's toll to 1,040.

University of Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta said at a news conference yesterday that the athletics department is in the process of securing a loan for up to $75 million. Barta previously said the department is expecting lost revenue of approximately $100 million after the Big Ten decided to not play football this fall due to the pandemic. Barta confirmed that Big Ten presidents and chancellors voted on postponing the conference's football season and that he and UI President Bruce Harreld wanted the league to continue with its fall schedule. As part of its budget cuts, Iowa announced last Friday it would discontinue four sports -- men's gymnastics, men's tennis and men's and women's swimming and diving -- and Barta reiterated yesterday that those decisions are final.

Nonprofits and community leaders gathered to discuss next steps for immigrants whose Cedar Rapids apartments were destroyed in the derecho. Organizations at a meeting Friday were all immigrant-led or had representatives there who came from the immigrant communities. They met with local nonprofit representatives to talk about how they can work together to best serve the community of immigrants that calls Cedar Rapids home, some of whom spent years in refugee camps after fleeing war. The Refugee and Immigrant Association still is accepting donations at refugeeimmigrant.org.

Duane Arnold Energy Center officials decided to close the Palo nuclear facility permanently after experiencing significant damage from the Aug. 10 derecho. Duane Arnold, the only nuclear power plant in Iowa, was scheduled to be decommissioned Oct. 30. The derecho caused 'extensive' damage to the facility's cooling towers, officials said.