Gazette Daily News Podcast: Thursday, April 18, 2024

– University of Iowa eyeing $40M hydraulics facility in Coralville

– Cedar Rapids woman to plea to stealing from Madison Elementary PTA

– Iowa lawmakers revive effort to advance social studies concepts developed by conservative group

Episode Transcript

Coming up, University of Iowa is eyeing a $40 million hydraulics facility in Coralville

And later, a bill that would require Iowa schools adopt new social studies and civics education standards passes the Iowa Senate

Welcome to the Thursday, April 18 edition of the Gazette Daily News Podcast. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

First, University of Iowa’s world-renowned hydroscience and engineering center is looking to build a new $40 million hydraulic modeling facility in Coralville. The IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering unit founded the Iowa Flood Center in 2009 and became the nation’s first university-based center committed to flood research. Currently, the unit is based in the 104-year-old C. Maxwell Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory, located on the banks of the Iowa River. A new facility is proposed for the university’s Oakdale campus in Coralville. It would provide more space for hydraulic model studies of things like canals, rivers, dams and spillways. Global research partnerships require large physical models, so the new facility would provide capacity for future growth.

UI hydroscience research started in 1920. Since then, the university has added nine annexes, labs and shops committed to quote “the science and technology of water management.” The proposed project would replace aging and off-campus infrastructure. The UI has intentions to raze Oakdale campus’s Hydraulics Annex 1 and sell the James Street Laboratory facility.

Next week, the Board of Regents will consider the proposal. If approved, the program could consolidate office space for the Iowa Geological Survey, the Iowa Flood Center and IIHR’s engineering services group. According to board documents, the expectation is that consolidation would improve the efficiency of applied research. The UI hydroscience facilities already located on the Oakdale campus are the Hydraulics Wave Basin, Hydraulic Annex 2 and Iowa Geological Survey.

Next, after making amendments, the Iowa Senate has passed a bill that requires Iowa schools to adopt new social studies and civics education standards. The standards are centered around Western civilization and the structure, function and role of the state and federal government. House File 2545 originally called for the Iowa Department of Education director to conduct a review of Iowa school curriculum, education standards and high school graduation rates and give recommendations to the governor and Legislature. On Tuesday, Senate Republicans added provisions that would require quote “exemplary figures and important events” end quote from Western civilization and U.S. and Iowa history be covered in curriculum. Additionally, it would require history curriculum in grades 1 through 12 include the teaching of quote “secular and religious ideals and institutions of liberty, including political, religious, economic, social, and cultural liberty in Western civilization, the United States, and the state of Iowa.” The standards would be adopted by Dec. 31, 2025.

The amendments are similar to provisions included in a separate bill that passed the House in February. That bill, House File 2544, would have mandated Iowa K-12 schools’ history and civics curriculum. Notably, the bill’s language was modeled by the Civics Alliance which is an offshoot of the conservative nonprofit education advocacy organization National Association of Scholars. That group advocates for curriculum that emphasizes conservative values and Western civilization and rejects instruction on critical race theory, diversity equity, and inclusion, and social justice. House File 2544 failed to pass the Senate before a legislative funnel deadline. But the language was revived when Senate Republicans amended House File 2545 Tuesday. The amended bill passed the Senate on a 33-14 vote with Democrats opposed.

Senate Democrats argued that the bill was overly prescriptive of curriculum. Senator Molly Donahue is a Democrat from Cedar Rapids. Sen. Donahue has worked for 33 years as a special-education teacher. Donahue said, quote, “This legislature has never put curriculum in the code, and it’s not the job of the Legislature to prescribe curriculum.” end quote. Donahue said the curriculum is sourced from a state conservative group without proper input from educators, parents and school boards.

Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, offered an amendment that would have changed references to Western civilization to world civilization to maintain an inclusive curriculum and global education. The position was that it’s important to understand and value diverse cultures and world economics beyond Western civilization.

Senator Sandy Salmon, a Republican from Janesville, said the bill doesn’t prevent schools from teaching about non-Western civilizations, although it is intended to teach students about U.S. and Iowa heritage. Salmon said quote, “We want them to understand... what we have to offer the world— liberty, the protection of individual rights, the ideas of limited government, the ideas of free market, and so much more.” end quote.

Now, the bill returns to the House for consideration.

Next, a woman charged with stealing from a local elementary school’s parent teacher association is scheduled to make a plea. According to a criminal complaint, 37-year-old Nicole Yvonne Blevins stole $10,727.83 from the Madison Elementary School PTA. This took place between January 27, 2022 and April 6, 2023. Now, Blevins is scheduled to make a plea. While acting as treasurer, Blevins used the PTA’s bank card for her own benefit. She also took deposits, wrote checks to herself from the PTA account and made withdrawals from it. Blevins was arrested in July. She initially pleaded not guilty to the theft charges. Another plea hearing is scheduled for April 25.

Find a link to each of today’s featured stories in this episode’s description or at thegazette.com.

Now let’s take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids. Today it will rain. Expect a high of 53 degrees and a low of 35 degrees. Friday will be cloudy with highs reaching the mid fifties and lows dropping to the thirties.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Stay updated with the latest Eastern Iowa news at thegazette.com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com