Gazette Daily News Podcast, June 2

There will be a high near 77 degrees Thursday with sunny skies. According to the National Weather Service it could get a bit breezy in the Cedar Rapids area with wind gusts as high as 25 mph.

Continuing what has become an annual University of Iowa Health Care cost increase, the Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a 6 percent patient rate hike — which officials said could have been higher given the state of the economy.

More revenue per patient can help UIHC keep up with rising costs of drugs and medical equipment, for example, as the largest and most lucrative hospital system in the state.

Many patients won’t experience direct impact from the higher rates, as the increases typically fall to payers like Medicare and Medicaid. But some patients — like those who pay out of pocket or get specialty care services — will feel the hit.

The higher rates will go into effect July 1.

An Eastern Iowa railroad company has been awarded a $7.2 million federal grant to upgrade its line that serves industries in the Cedar Rapids area.

The grant to Iowa Northern Railway Company is one of 46 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia being announced today by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Iowa Northern, which has about 115 employees, serves mostly agriculture-related industries such as ethanol producers ADM and POET. It also moves John Deere tractors, Tyson frozen foods and egg products

The number of COVID-related hospitalizations in Iowa increased almost 30 percent in the past week, going from 139 patients to 180 this week, federal officials reported Wednesday.

It is the highest number reported since March 2, when 202 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The totals, however, still remain far below the 991 patients hospitalized the week of Jan. 19 at the height of the omicron surge.

New COVID-19 cases totaled 3,854 as of Wednesday, a slight decline from the 3,960 new cases reported last week, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Coronavirus activity has been increasing in Iowa over the past several weeks as the highly contagious omicron subvariant, BA.2, has become the dominant coronavirus strain in the Midwest and the rest of the country.

Keegan Murray will likely be going top 10 in the NBA Draft. His brother, Kris, to the relief of Iowa fans, will be heading back for his junior season.

Murray announced Wednesday on Twitter that he was withdrawing from the 2022 NBA draft and returning to the Hawkeyes for his third year of college. The 6-foot-8 forward from Cedar Rapids Prairie averaged 9.7 points and 17.9 minutes per game last season.

“Everyone in our program is very excited to have Kris back,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said in a statement Wednesday. “We are happy that Kris had a positive experience going through the NBA process. He gained valuable feedback through workouts and conversations with NBA personnel. Kris will be awesome next year.”