FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020 | IN THIS ISSUE
• CBJ wins five awards in national competition
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Eastern Iowa Airport sees more passengers in May
•
Iowans’ unemployment and injury benefits increase
•
DeltaVision offering up to $500,000 for vision providers
•
Corridor techies take home several Prometheus Awards
• Corridor events, KCRG-TV9 headlines and First Alert Forecast
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CBJ wins five awards in national competition
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The Corridor Business Journal was honored virtually Thursday night with five awards by the national Alliance of Area Business Publishers (AABP), including three gold awards and a bronze as Best Newspaper – Small Tabloid.
The CBJ received gold awards for:
- Best Scoop, for Reporter Katharine Carlon’s region-leading coverage of Amazon’s decision to open a distribution center in Iowa City.
- Best Feature, for the 2019 investigative series (Un)Hired Help, which focused on the state’s workforce shortage. It was edited by Adam Moore, written by Senior Business Reporter Dave DeWitte and Ms. Carlon, and designed by Becky Lyons and Julia Druckmiller.
- Best Recurring Feature, for the CBJ’s monthly print and digital Workspaces feature, which spotlights the region’s best in office and workplace design. The column is written by Ms. Carlon, with design by Ms. Druckmiller.
The Fifth Estate, a
monthly media criticism column
written by veteran journalist Joe Coffey, received a silver award for
Best Bylined Commentary
, while the CBJ received a bronze award as
Best Newspaper - Small Tabloid
.
This year also marks the second consecutive award for a CBJ series. The publication won its first-ever gold award in 2019 for “
Working for a Living
,” which examined the challenges facing low-wage workers in the region.
“This is what solid reporting is about. This is what graphic design of that reporting looks like. This is what we talk about at our events,” said Associate Publisher and COO Andrea Rhoades. “This is why you want to
subscribe
to the CBJ, and market your business in the CBJ, because we’re the voice of business news.”
AABP annually recognizes the best in business journalism from its member publications across the country. This year’s competition drew nearly 450 entries, and gave out 124 awards across small, medium and large categories.
IMAGE: The cover of the Aug. 5, 2019 edition of the CBJ featuring 2019's Best Scoop, "Is Amazon headed to Iowa City?"
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Eastern Iowa Airport sees more passengers in May
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Passenger numbers at the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) are tracking upward as travelers return to the skies, with May registering a more than four-fold increase from April's low point.
A total of 14,353 passengers traveled through CID in May, according to the airport. That's up from April's mark of just 3,576, but still 87% below the record-setting month of May 2019, when 112,711 passengers flew through CID.
Airport Director Marty Lenss said in a release that he is encouraged to see the numbers trending up.
“These numbers are a significant improvement over what we saw in April. The last week in April, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened an average of 82 passengers per day,” Mr. Lenss said. “At this time, the average is up to 500 passengers per day.”
Mr. Lenss said that all destinations served by the five carriers will be back on the schedule in August, including United’s nonstop Denver service (back in July) and Delta’s nonstops to Atlanta and Detroit. The Atlanta flight will be on Delta’s mainline B717 aircraft.
“We are very appreciative our air carrier partners are adding flights and destinations back into the schedule to provide passengers more options,” he said.
The airport and each of its five airline partners have also implemented safety protocols to help ensure safe and healthy travel, according to airport leaders. For more information on CID’s protocols, go to
FlyCID.com
.
IMAGE: A chart showing year-over-year passenger numbers at the Eastern Iowa Airport. SOURCE CID
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Iowans’ unemployment and injury benefits increase
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Iowa Workforce Development has announced an increase to the amount of maximum weekly benefits paid to unemployed Iowans and to workers injured on the job, triggered by an increase in the amount of wages covered by unemployment insurance.
The average annual wage for insured Iowa workers increased to $48,455.86 in 2019, up from $47,290.57 in 2018.
The new benefit payment schedules apply to individuals who file new unemployment insurance claims for the week beginning July 5 and to workers injured on or after July 1. Individuals currently receiving benefits from state or federal programs will continue to receive the same weekly benefit amount.
Under Iowa law, the number of people covered by unemployment insurance and their gross wages are primary elements of a formula Iowa Workforce Development uses each year to compute maximum and minimum benefit amounts paid to jobless workers. The new rates can be found
here
.
Iowa Workforce Development officials noted that about half of those eligible for unemployment insurance benefits have enough earnings to qualify for the maximum benefit. The 2021 taxable wage base will be $32,400.
Beginning July 1, the workers’ compensation maximum weekly benefit for temporary total disability, healing period, permanent total disability and death will rise to $1,864. For permanent partial disability, the weekly maximum will be $1,715.
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DeltaVision offering up to $500,000 for vision providers
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Delta Dental of Iowa has unveiled a new relief program aimed at providing financial assistance to network vision providers that have been closed or are offering minimal services due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DeltaVision Provider Relief Program is meant to address immediate cash flow needs for qualifying businesses. More than $500,000 has been allocated for DeltaVision providers through this interest-free loan program.
“As a health and wellness company, we are committed to maintaining our services to our customers, but we wanted to do more for Iowa vision providers who care for our DeltaVision members,” Jeff Russell, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Iowa, said in a release.
Vision providers participating in the EyeMed Vision Care networks and that provide services to DeltaVision members can request funds through July 10 by contacting Delta Dental’s professional relations team at
provrelations@deltadentalia.com
.
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Corridor techies take home several Prometheus Awards
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Corridor tech companies were honored with Prometheus Awards this week as part of the Technology Association of Iowa's virtual awards program.
Iowa City-based Rantizo was named Agtech & Biotech Company of the Year on Monday, Coralville-based ProCircular was named IT Service Provider of the Year on Tuesday, and Michelle Bates, of Cedar Rapids-based Involta, was named CIO/CTO/CISO of the Year on Thursday.
Des Moines-based UnityPoint Health was also awarded for Creative Technology Solution of the Year, while grocery chain Hy-Vee was named the Workiva Large Technology Company of the Year.
Ms. Bates, chief innovation officer, joined Involta in 2018 with more than 20 years of experience in Fortune 500 and startup companies. Previously, she served as owner and CEO of the IT cloud consulting firm BluPrairie Technologies.
Rantizo, founded in 2017 and led by CEO Michael Ott, is an agtech company offering drone spraying technology to farmers across the country. In April, it
announced plans to expand into stadium spraying
to help combat the coronavirus in large, outdoor venues. Rantizo was recently named as a finalist for
two separate national innovation awards
, and previously won the Ag Innovation Competition at the Iowa Power Farming Show and the Pappajohn Iowa Venture Competition.
ProCircular, founded in 2016 and led by CEO Aaron Warner, has grown into one of the state's leading providers of cybersecurity and IT security solutions, from incident response to security training and consulting. The company was named
Best Cybersecurity Company in 2018
as part of the CBJ's reader-driven Best of the Corridor awards.
The Prometheus Awards, typically bestowed during a high-profile awards dinner in Des Moines, transitioned to a virtual format this year as the COVID-19 pandemic canceled events statewide.
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Connect with the CBJ
The CBJ’s mission of informing and connecting the Corridor’s business community is more important than ever. Our news operations will continue researching and reporting on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through our multiple distribution channels. Here’s how you can connect with us today and moving forward:
- You can reach our newsroom directly with leads, updates, cancellations, etc. at news@corridorbusiness.com.
- Our comprehensive, deep-dive content continues in our weekly CBJ. If you are not a digital subscriber, you can sign up here.
- Our daily news coverage solution is spread throughout the week with our free e-newsletters. If you have not already signed up, you can do so here.
- Updated coronavirus information will also be published on our website, corridorbusiness.com/latest-coronavirus-updates, and through our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn channels.
- All of our staff members remain available to assist you. You can find our full contact information at www.corridorbusiness.com/cbj-contact.
Remember: Subscribers can access the digital CBJ anytime and anywhere. Don't remember your password? Please email
jean@corridorbusiness.com for a password reset.
The CBJ print subscribers can also temporarily have the CBJ mailed to their home. To temporarily switch your address, please send your full temporary mailing address to
jean@corridorbusiness.com. Please include start and stop dates for the temporary address.
Thank you for your continued support of the Corridor Business Journal.
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Short Term Event Planner
June 26
COVID-19 Assistance for Small Businesses
, by SBA, 1 p.m., online. The SBA will give an update on the Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and information on additional SBA resources available to assist small businesses. Free. To join, visit
bit.ly/2BdsvXq
.
June 30
Coffee, Calm and Community
, by Iowa City Area Development Group, 10-10:15 a.m., online. These weekly Tuesday coffee meetings will be a time to reflect, share resources and connect with other business and HR leaders. Free. To join, visit
bit.ly/3fsjqsu
.
July 1
Can Shed Ribbon Cutting
, by Marion Chamber of Commerce, 10 a.m., 370 44th St., Marion. Celebrate the opening of the Can Shed’s new Marion location with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. and open house from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free. For more information, visit
bit.ly/37RDphM
.
July 2
Ignite ICR: The Great Outdoors
, by ICR Iowa, noon. Liz Hubing, an avid cyclist, will talk about how she enjoys the local scenery and share her favorite spots to enjoy a drink while taking a break from the trails. Free. To register, visit
bit.ly/2YhR8Kh
.
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These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
The state of Iowa has now seen more than 700 deaths due to the coronavirus. As of 10:30 a.m. this morning, the Iowa Department of Public Health’s website shows there are now 701 deaths, with seven new instances reported in the last 24 hours. Of those who have died, 492 people had a pre-existing condition. There were also an additional 494 new cases in Iowa, bringing the total to 27,555. There are also now 17,140 people in the state who have recovered from the virus. The state reported 6,575 new tests in that same time frame, bringing the total to 282,013. The state’s website shows 9.8% of Iowans who have been tested were positive for the virus. Read more
here
.
Iowa City Police are asking for help as they investigate a shooting that sent a man to the hospital. Officers responded to 1722 H St. at 9:53 p.m. on Thursday. That’s south of Muscatine Avenue near Creekside Park. They found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his leg. Police say someone else shot him. Officers treated him at the scene and first responders took the man to the hospital. Police say its not believed to be accidental or random, and there is no threat to the public. Iowa City Area Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information about the incident that leads to an arrest. People can download their app, call (319) 358-TIPS (8477) or go online to
iccrimestoppers.org to submit a tip. People can also reach out to Sergeant Jerry Blomgren with Iowa City Police at (319) 356-5276 or
jerry-blomgren@iowa-city.org.
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
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Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast
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Scattered showers and thunderstorms are going to continue throughout the day today. Not only that, but it is also going to be a hot and humid day. Highs will be in the mid- to upper 80s. Strong to severe thunderstorms are going to be possible heading into the afternoon hours. High, damaging wind gusts are the main threat, but heavy downpours could also lead to a flooding threat, especially with how high many rivers already are across our area. There will be plenty of dry time tomorrow, but there is also the chance for more scattered rain and storm activity. That chance is going to stick with us through the majority of next week as a frontal system stalls across our area keeping quite a bit of moisture and instability for the chance of showers and storms. Highs range from the mid to upper 80s over the next week.
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