Izabela Zaluska

Mayor Chris Hoffman began his first term as mayor earlier this year but he’s not a stranger to local government. Hoffman was on the North Liberty City Council for 14 years before being elected mayor.

Havenpark Communities, which owns several mobile home parks in Iowa, purchased two parks in Iowa City last month for a combined $33.5 million. Havenpark attracted attention in 2019 for hiking tenants’ rent anywhere from 24 percent to 69 percent.

The Iowa City Council has directed nearly $1 million in pandemic relief funds to CommUnity Crisis Services so the nonprofit can expand its mobile crisis outreach program. The move comes in response to the increased need for mental health services during the pandemic.

Thursday’s edition of the North Liberty Leader was the weekly paper’s last. Low subscriber count and insufficient advertising support are among the factors that led to Woodward Communications decision to stop publishing.

The estimated project cost is now $10.7 million due to material and labor cost increases, but the city is looking to cut that down to $9.9 million “without jeopardizing the integrity of the project.”

The search began last fall after Fire Chief John Grier announced his retirement from the Iowa City Fire Department. Grier’s last day is Friday.

Tyler Jacob Summers of West Des Moines is facing assault and harassment charges after allegedly threatening health care workers at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and threatening to blow up the facility, according to a criminal complaint.

This year’s One Book Two Book festival, organized by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization, will feature both in-person and online events for families. The two-day festival will kick off Saturday, Feb. 26.

The Rapid Rehousing Project, run by the Iowa Finance Authority, will expand services offered by existing agencies, as well as work to reach individuals who might not have been eligible for assistance previously.

The majority of the board supports raising supervisors’ salaries by 2.25 percent and the salaries of other elected officials 4.42 percent — a lower increase than the 18 percent recommendation from the compensation board.

The Iowa City Council increased membership of the community police review board from five to seven and also decreased the waiting period before a former police officer may be appointed to the board.

The Iowa City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to require all farmers market vendors carry liability insurance. Previously, only grilling vendors were required to carry that insurance.

“So far, so good” for the first week of rolling out four electric Proterra buses in Iowa City. Meanwhile, Cedar Rapids officials plan to assess at least a few years of data from pilot programs before deciding how to move forward.

The North Liberty City Council voted at its last meeting to fill a council vacancy by special election instead of appointment. The vacancy was created when Chris Hoffman took office as mayor and resigned from his council seat.

Demolition work started Thursday morning on The Mill. The demolition is another step in the new plans for a multipurpose development at the 120 E. Burlington St. location.