Gazette Daily News Podcast, April 21

Thursday will feature a break from the rain and some warmer temperatures. According to the National Weather Service the predicted high temperature for the day should be 68 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area. The day will start mostly cloudy before gradually clearing throughout the day. But Thursday night into Friday morning the rain and high winds will return, with the highest chance of rain will be Friday morning.

How to deal with rising gas prices? How about a 4 day work week?

With gas prices still hovering around record levels — and Iowa’s college and university campuses facing a budgetary quandary in the form of inflation — Kirkwood Community College is rolling out a pilot program this summer to close campus offices on Fridays.

The average national price for regular unleaded gas reached $4.33 a gallon in March — setting a record. The U.S. average was down to $4.11 Wednesday, with Iowa averaging $3.86, according to AAA. A year ago the national average was $2.87 a gallon.

Kirkwood’s pilot four-day workweek applies to office employees. It doesn’t affect course and student schedules, which have been set for summer and fall and include Friday classes on campus.

Excluded from Kirkwood’s four-day summer schedule are the facilities department and The Hotel at Kirkwood Center.

The Marion City Council at a meeting Tuesday leaned slightly toward a future aquatic center without a wave pool, but they are leaving the option open to add one.

Marion Parks and Recreation Director Seth Staashelm presented the council with three options for the project during a Tuesday night work session. Each option differed in estimated pricing and space needed to complete it.

Last year, more than 1,300 residents responded to a city survey about the future aquatic center, exceeding the city’s goal of hearing from 500 to 600 people.

The Marion Municipal Swimming Pool at 1855 35th St. opened in 1987 and has seen attendance drop in the past few years, Staashelm previously told The Gazette. The aging facility is also experiencing ongoing and increasing maintenance.

COVID-19 activity in Iowa is on the rise, according to data from the state public health department released Wednesday.

The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 1,063 new infections in the past seven days, an increase from the 900 new cases reported last week. That compares to the 930 cases reported the week before, and the 478 new cases reported three weeks ago.

The totals are still far below the Jan. 19 omicron surge, when 38,500 new cases were reported for the week.

COVID-19 patients in intensive care reached an all-time low this week, totaling just two patients statewide as of Wednesday. Last week, seven patients were in intensive care. The previous all-time low was reported two weeks ago, when six COVID-19 patients were in intensive care in Iowa.

Support for this news update was provided by New Pioneer Food Co-op. Celebrating 50 years as Eastern Iowa’s destination for locally and responsibly sourced groceries with stores in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids; and you can order online through Co-op Cart at newpi.coop.