Gazette Daily News Briefing, May 13

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It should start out clear Wednesday morning, but that won't last long. According to the National Weather Service there will be a high of 61 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. A chance for showers after 4:00 p.m. will become a chance for thundershowers as the night goes on. This will lead into a chance of periodic rain on Thursday, Friday, and potentially even the weekend.

As for your COVID-19 update, it was another day of mixed news. After indicating on Monday that she might announce the lifting of more restrictions in Iowa's 22 counties most heavily affected by the disease, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds decided to wait until at least Wednesday for that. Reynolds continues to talk positively about easing more restrictions soon based on trends she and her staff have seen in state metrics, after having eased restrictions in phases over the past few weeks. At the same time, Iowa's death toll from the virus Tuesday was the second highest for a single day at 18. The number of positive cases announced was lower than some days last week, but still stayed around the recent daily average, with 539 more Iowans testing positive. So far, 289 Iowans have died from the virus, while 385 Iowans are currently hospitalized and attempting to recover.

Even after the state begins to reopen, the after effects of the virus response will continue to be felt. After the University of Iowa vowed in March to keep employees whole through the end of the semester — despite its sweeping response that largely shut down the campus and cost it millions of dollars —administrators Monday warned of potential changes in 'future staffing needs.' Those changes could include reassignment for staffers to new positions. Others could be asked to use paid vacation leave or take unpaid leave.  Iowa's other public universities — Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa — also have suffered deep financial hurt from COVID-19 and took steps to mitigate the impact. In April, for example, ISU President Wendy Wintersteen asked all campus units to impose a 5 percent budget cut for the upcoming fiscal year and plan for another one in fiscal 2022.

A Cedar Rapids man, who started a fight with Chris Bagley and held him down while another man stabbed him to death, will plead next month for his part in the deadly assault.

Drew Wagner, 34, charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and obstruction of prosecution, will plead June 22 in Linn County District Court, according to a court document filed Tuesday. The fight is believed to have begun after Bagley robbed the person at the head of a local marijuana trafficking outfit named Andrew Shaw. Shaw is currently in federal prison on drug and weapons charges but has not been legally implicated in the murder. The man accused of stabbing Bagley, 33-year-old Drew Blahnik, may attempt to move his trial out of Linn County. 

This briefing is sponsored in part by Corridor Careers.  Are you looking for a job? CorridorCareers.com is a resource to local job seekers where they can get job tips, sign up for local job alerts, build a resume and more. Check it out at CorridorCareers.com.