Gazette Daily News Podcast, June 2

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This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Wednesday, June 2.

Wednesday’s weather should bring another pleasant sunny day. We should enjoy mild and rainfree weather until the weekend in fact. Wednesday’s weather calls for sunny skies in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 79 degrees and a calm wind. Wednesday night should remain mostly clear, with a low around 57 degrees.

After more than a decade at the helm of Marion’s government, leading the city through major economic development as its population swelled by almost 10,000 people, City Manager Lon Pluckhahn is heading west for a new job.

Pluckhahn announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon to take the position of deputy city manager in Vancouver, Wash. He will serve in his current role until Aug. 2. He told the Gazette that he made the move due wanting to consider his family’s future after his kids graduate high school. He also said he desired an opportunity for advancement, but positions above his current one are scarce in Iowa.

Iowa City Council members will meet with the city’s planning and zoning commission before voting on a proposed development near Hickory Hill Park.

On Tuesday night the council was considering the rezoning of 48.75 acres from interim development single-family to low density single-family to make way for a housing development that would also include a senior living facility. The proposed development northeast of the 185-acre Hickory Hill Park would add 14 acres of land to the park.

However, after receiving public comments that were largely opposed to the idea, council members signaled they would not vote in favor of the rezoning. The proposed rezoning had been recommended by the planning and zoning commission at its May meeting. Council members said many of the complaints were centered on how the development would affect the nearby park.

Authorities are investigating two separate incidents of possible animal abuse after seven chickens and 13 guinea pigs were discarded.

According to Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control, officers received a report Thursday that seven chickens were placed in garbage bags and discarded on the side of Old River Road SW, east of Sunshine Street SW.

A passerby found the bag around 5 a.m. Thursday. Six of the seven chickens were still alive.

Four days later, Animal Care and Control responded at 5:30 p.m. Monday to Rock Ridge Condominiums at 2121 Rockford Rd. SW after two tote bags containing 13 dead guinea pigs were found in a dumpster.

Authorities said the bags contained eight baby and five adult guinea pigs.Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact Animal Care and Control at (319) 286-5993.

The roller-coaster effects of Iowa’s COVID-19 pandemic are skewing state tax collections — but in a good way.

After a period of economic shutdown intended to slow the spread of a novel coronavirus that has claimed at least 6,057 Iowa lives, state revenues are growing at an unprecedented pace as people spend federal stimulus checks and engage in more activities as Iowa reopens for business, travel and events, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.

While the pandemic has made apples-to-apples fiscal-year comparisons difficult, Jeff Robinson, a senior tax analyst for the agency, said monthly data indicates state tax collections are up more than $1 billion in fiscal 2021, with double-digit increases in all major categories contributing to a 19.3 percent year-to-date growth rate.

The Iowa Ideas 2021 virtual conference will be here before you know it, and we would like you to be our guest on the house. The Gazette is providing free access to this two-day gathering with more than 50 sessions- filled with thought-provoking local, and national speakers-- all ready to engage you on a variety of important and timely Iowa-issues. Join us October 14th and 15th for this can’t miss, idea-exchange experience. Learn more and register for the event at iowaideas.com