Education

The number of Eastern Iowans needing or wanting emergency care has soared over the last two decades – as has the severity of the health issues patients are facing – cramping ERs, crowding wait rooms, and compelling hospitals to expand, renovate, and build.

Washington County officials say a challenge to the outcome of a $15 million bond vote for the Highland Community School District will move forward in the next few weeks, coming to a trial before a “challenge court” of stakeholders.

Middle school students in Cedar Rapids will compete this Saturday to complete tasks with robots they’ve built out of Lego bricks and present potential solutions to real-world problems they;ve been researching since the beginning of the school year.

Over the years, the concert’s proximity to the holidays snowballed into a full-on holiday theme – outfitting Yeats as the conductor in a Santa suit and inspiring UI School of Music students to come up with more and more tuba arrangements of the seasonal classics, from “Sleigh Ride” and “Silent Night” to “Frosty the Snowman” and “Grandma got run over by a reindeer.”

Construction of Cedar Rapids schools’ Freshman Academies and college and technical education wings could begin as early as spring break in March.

A task force is charged with making any recommendations for further changes to Iowa’s Area Education Agencies after a new state law went into effect this year.

The proposed policy would require Iowa City district students’ phones to be silenced and placed in a backpack, purse, hanging pouch in the classroom, or in a student’s assigned locker during class.

Despite fears of another cycle plagued with delays or other issues, financial aid experts are saying that the start of the new federal student aid filing period has gone smoothly, taking a weight off their and families’ shoulders.