Gazette Daily News Podcast: Saturday/Sunday, Apr. 27-28, 2024

– Iowa athletes file federal lawsuit against DCI over sports betting probe

– Iowa Supreme Court sides with UI in Children’s Hospital spat, reversing $12.8M judgment

– LaSalle, Regis middle schools to share leadership under Xavier Catholic Schools

– Linn County weather radios back on the air

Episode Transcript

Welcome to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast for Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, 2024. This podcast provides the latest headlines from the Gazette newsroom. I’m Becky Lutgen Gardner.

First, twenty-six student-athletes in Iowa are suing the state's Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) in federal court, alleging the agency violated their rights by using illegal warrants to search their phones for sports betting activity.

The lawsuit filed on Friday says DCI agents used geofencing software to pinpoint athletes' online sports wagering and then searched their phones without warrants. The athletes, from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, are seeking compensation for damages and emotional distress.

The DCI created a sports betting team in 2021 and according to the lawsuit, contacted GeoComply Solutions, a vendor that provides geolocation services for enforcing sports betting rules. The lawsuit states that DCI shared their login credentials in September 2022 and DCI used a Pindrop map to locate "hot spots" of sports betting around campuses.

Lawyers for the athletes say they’re looking into GeoComply's role but are not currently suing the company. The DCI defended its use of the software in January, saying it consulted with legal counsel before using it. The Story County Attorney's Office dropped charges against some athletes in March, citing concerns about the legality of the geofencing software.

The 47-page lawsuit says, “Due to DCI’s actions and/or failures to legally investigate the plaintiffs, the plaintiffs were all indicted and some convicted, severely upending their lives, collegiate careers, and future opportunities.”

Some athletes faced criminal charges and NCAA penalties, while others just NCAA penalties.

Next, The Iowa Supreme Court sided with the University of Iowa on Friday in a dispute with contractor Modern Piping over the $400 million Stead Family Children's Hospital.

Modern Piping argued the university owed them $12.8 million for wrongfully blocking them from arbitration. The court disagreed, stating the contractor hadn't met specific requirements to claim such damages.

The decision stemmed from construction delays and issues. Modern Piping won $16 million in arbitration but sought additional compensation for the university's initial actions. The university paid the $16 million to Modern Piping.

The court's opinion acknowledged the complex construction history and the hospital's status as a local landmark. However, it ultimately ruled against Modern Piping's broader claim for damages.

The court did uphold a minor judgment awarding the contractor $21,784 but rejected the restitution claim.

The opinion stated, “We believe Modern Piping led the District Court astray when it convinced the court that its claim for wrongful injunction entitled it to recover restitution...”

The court clarified that specific circumstances were required for such claims, not met in this case. The opinion highlighted the Children’s Hospital’s significance, mentioning the "Kinnick Wave," a tradition during Iowa Hawkeye football games.

“Although its landmark status is now settled, construction of the Children’s Hospital did not go smoothly,” the opinion conceded.

Litigation and legal judgments, aggravated by delays and defects, increased the hospital’s cost from $270.8 million to over $400 million.

Next, LaSalle and Regis middle schools will share school leadership for the 2024-25 school year, a step toward combining the schools into a single campus under the new Xavier Catholic Schools corporation.

According to a news release on Friday from Xavier Catholic Schools, a recommendation on where the new campus could be located to combine the LaSalle and Regis students is expected to be made this summer. The two middle schools will share a principal and associate principal, with multiple staff members serving in administrative support roles.

A committee was formed earlier this year to study options for the new school's location and make recommendations to the Xavier Catholic Schools Board of Education.

The consolidation of the middle schools is part of a plan to unite eight metro area Catholic schools into a preschool-12th grade system called Xavier Catholic Schools as of July 1.

Zachary Zeckser was named principal of both LaSalle and Regis middle schools. He is currently the chief administrator for LaSalle Catholic Elementary and Middle School, serving preschool through 8th grade together.

Earlier this spring, current Regis Middle School Principal Josh Gredys announced his resignation effective July 1, to pursue other opportunities.

Amanda Allard, current business teacher at Xavier High School, will serve as the facilitator for both the middle schools and will transition to the role of associate principal once she receives her administrative license.

Finally, Linn County’s NOAA weather radios are back on the air.

The radios have been off the air since April 13, but the transmitter began having intermittent problems in March. Replacement parts — including cables and a new antenna — were ordered, but their arrival was delayed.

Initially, the repairs were estimated to be complete in May.

The parts were delivered this week. Work to replace cables and antenna on the tower near Kirkwood Community College in southwest Cedar Rapids began Wednesday and was completed Thursday.

Part of the motivation to fix the transmitter this week is the possibility of severe weather this weekend. According to a Friday morning report from the NWS Quad Cities bureau, storms are possible through the weekend.

The weather report states, “In particular, we are keeping an eye on later Saturday into Sunday, when heavy rainfall for at least part of the area is expected, and a severe risk too.”

Rainfall totals are uncertain, but there’s a 60 percent chance that most of Eastern Iowa will receive more than 2 inches of rain from Friday through Sunday.

NOAA weather radios broadcast weather alerts, which can also be received through TV and radio broadcasts, outdoor sirens, internet sites, weather apps, and Alert Iowa, an online system that sends text, email, or call alerts for severe weather and other emergencies.

You can find a link to each of the stories featured in today’s episode in the episode’s description or at thegazette dot com.

The Gazette's Business Breakfast Series will host its next event on May 7th, focusing on retail. What's working when it comes to retail in downtown neighborhoods? What communities are getting it right? Join The Gazette, presenting sponsor the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and housing development panelists for a morning of networking and insight on this timely economic topic. Register now at thegazette dot com slash business breakfast.

Thank you for listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast. I’m Becky Lutgen Gardner.