TUESDAY, FEB. 9, 2021 | IN THIS ISSUE
• Cyclocross World Cup returns to Iowa City in October
• In the CBJ: Utility companies partnered to get lights on
• Mask mandates to continue in many Corridor localities
• Citibank to refund Iowans for credit card overcharges
• ISU Extension, Outreach team up to fight food insecurity
• Corridor events, KCRG-TV9 headlines and First Alert Forecast
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Cyclocross World Cup returns to Iowa City in October |
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UCI, the governing body of international cycling competitions, has selected the Jingle Cross Cyclocross Festival in Iowa City to host a World Cup stage, marking the fifth time in six years the course at the Johnson County Fairgrounds will host the international event.
“We’re one of just 14 cities in the world offered the opportunity to host the best athletes in cycling,” said Josh Schamberger, president of Think Iowa City in a release. “For them to bring the event back here says a lot about how much they appreciate our hospitality. The City of Iowa City and Johnson County should be very proud.”
The race is set for Oct. 17.
Iowa City was slated to host USA Cycling Cyclocross Nationals in December 2020, but the event was shelved due to the pandemic, as was the 2020 Jingle Cross Festival.
Mr. Schamberger said safety considerations would dictate whether the event would ultimately take place this time around, adding "We will continually monitor the environment and be in constant communication with Johnson County health officials."
The Cyclocross World Cup circuit begins Oct. 10 in Waterloo, Wisconsin, the home of Trek Bicycles. From there, it heads to Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Oct. 13 to give a test run to the course that will host the 2022 World Championships before heading back north to Iowa City.
Cyclocross is a mix between mountain biking, cross-country biking and criterium racing. Laps take place on a 1.5-2-mile course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, sand, mud, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike over the obstacle and remount. The large steep hill at the Johnson County Fairgrounds is renamed “Mt. Krumpit” for the weekend and is one of the most recognizable obstacles in the entire sport.
IMAGE: Riders at the 2018 Cyclocross World Cup at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. CREDIT THINK IOWA CITY
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In the CBJ: Utility companies partnered to get lights on |
There was nothing special about the Cedar Rapids area weather forecast for Monday, Aug. 10, 2020.
Severe thunderstorm watches had been issued for parts of Eastern Iowa early in the day, and a thunderstorm warning followed at about 10 a.m. – cause for heightened awareness, to be sure, but a common summertime occurrence in Iowa.
Then around 11:30 a.m., everything changed with the sudden arrival of a massive derecho, a cataclysmic storm that surpassed anyone’s wildest expectations. “The derecho was not in the forecast,” Iowa state climatologist Justin Glisan later confirmed in an interview with Successful Farming.
The storm blasted its way from South Dakota to Ohio, picking up strength as it moved east and carving a path of destruction that totaled an estimated $11 billion in damage to buildings, crops and infrastructure – the costliest single thunderstorm event in U.S. history, according to the Washington Post and numerous other outlets.
The Cedar Rapids metro area was in the crosshairs, sustaining a direct hit. Virtually no property emerged unscathed. And arguably, the area’s electrical supply system suffered the biggest impact of all, leaving hundreds of thousands without power, many for a week or more.
Officials from Alliant Energy, ITC Midwest and the Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) concurred – with the benefit of hindsight — the Aug. 10 storm stands alone as the most devastating single weather event they’ve ever encountered.
“Obviously, this was the worst storm in ITC history, the most severe and widespread damage that we had experienced,” said Dusky Terry, president of ITC Midwest, which provides electrical transmission services to utilities in Iowa and several surrounding states.
“It’s the worst storm in the company’s history,” agreed Mayuri Farlinger, Eastern Iowa operations director for Alliant Energy. “So when we think back to the ice storm, to the Marshalltown tornadoes, to the flood of 2008, this storm was far worse than any of those storms.”
The suddenness and severity of the event, which packed wind gusts of up to 140 mph for nearly 40 minutes, came as a literal shock to Terry Sullivan, president and CEO of the Linn County REC.
“Actually, I was supposed to be on vacation that week,” Mr. Sullivan said. “I was headed up north of the Twin Cities with my family, and I got a call at approximately 11:30 that morning when I was in St. Cloud saying, ‘Hey, we had this huge windstorm, it’s not your normal storm, you need to turn around.’”
Read the full members-only story in this week's print or digital editions of the CBJ.
PHOTO: Trucks line a street in Marion to repair Alliant Energy lines damaged by the derecho. CREDIT ALLIANT ENERGY
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Mask mandates to continue in many Corridor localities |
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty are among the cities that have said local mask requirements will remain in effect. Linn and Johnson county officials have also said their mandates would stay in place.
Linn County officials said health experts from Mercy Medical Center and UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids as well as Linn County Public Health have recommended keeping face mask mandates in place. That aligns with recommendations from the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control on the use of face coverings in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Linn County officials cited several cases of "the U.K. variant" of the virus being confirmed by Iowa health officials earlier this month, two in Johnson County. Researchers believe that strain is more easily spread than the original form of the virus.
In a statement reaffirming its mandate, North Liberty also pointed to the more contagious variant of the virus popping up locally, and noted that public schools throughout the state will be required to offer full-time in-person instruction while Iowa’s per capita vaccination rate is near the bottom in the country.
“The thoughtful efforts of community members and businesses have helped ease the holiday surge of hospitalizations and deaths. But even with this good news, it is premature to let up now,” said North Liberty Mayor Terry Donahue. “Mitigation is simple, and we know it works. Simple steps will continue to save lives, help our children return safely to school, and allow teachers, healthcare workers and others serving critical roles stay healthy.”
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Citibank to refund Iowans for credit card overcharges |
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Attorney General Tom Miller announced Monday that Citibank will pay $4.2 million to resolve allegations that it overcharged credit card interest for about 25,000 customers in Iowa and four other states.
As a result of the settlement, Citi will refund $216,325 to 1,407 Iowa customers. The average Iowa refund is $153.75.
The settlement was achieved in partnership with the attorneys general of Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
The investigation arose from Citibank’s failure, from February 2011 to August 2017, to properly reevaluate and reduce the annual percentage rate, or APR, for certain consumer credit card accounts consistent with the requirements of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (CARD Act). For six and a half years, Citibank failed to properly lower credit card interest rates for consumers who were entitled to reductions in their APR.
Mr. Miller alleges that Citibank’s conduct in connection with the APR reevaluation issues violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act.
The attorneys general will be distributing refunds to eligible consumers through the settlement administrator Epiq Class Action & Claims Solutions, Inc. Eligible consumers do not need to take any action to receive their refunds, which will be sent as checks to eligible consumers in the middle of 2021. Only those Citi credit card customers who meet certain criteria set by the settling states will receive a refund check.
The CARD Act requires credit card-issuing banks to perform a “look back” at least every six months to review whether, for accounts where the bank has increased the APR due to credit risk or other factors, the factors that prompted the increase have changed. When indicated by the look-back review, the CARD Act requires the bank to reduce the account’s APR.
Consumers who have questions can call toll free at (855) 914-4657.
IMAGE: Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller
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ISU Extension, Outreach team up to fight food insecurity |
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To help the state recover from the pandemic, a derecho and an economic recession, Iowa State Extension and Outreach are developing action plans across the state that will mobilize its expertise in each of Iowa’s 99 counties, with the Linn County Extension Council focusing on improving food supply, safety and access as well as addressing mental health issues.
“Along with so many other organizations in Linn County, Iowa State University Outreach and Extension is stepping up to address the needs of Linn County by leveraging our research-based expertise when it comes to addressing current and real-life challenges,” said Dennis Jordan, chair of the Extension Council in Linn County, in a release. “Through our strategic planning process last fall, we recognized opportunities to strengthen our partnerships and collaborations across the county to reach broader audiences. That’s exactly what we’re working to do through our recovery efforts.”
Targeting food insecurity became a high priority for ISU Extension and Outreach Linn County due to the dramatic increase in the county in 2020. According to Kim Guardado, director for HACAP Food Reservoir, HACAP distributed 40% more pounds of food in 2020 than it did in 2019. She attributed that increase to job losses, cuts in employee hours and the reduced amount of time children spent in area schools, where many depend on receiving meals.
“Our goal is to increase our produce donations to HACAP and local food pantries by 10,000 pounds for a total community donation of 30,000 pounds of fresh produce in 2021,” said RaeAnn Gordon, county director for ISU Extension and Outreach Linn County.
Every year, the Linn County Master Gardener program coordinates fresh produce donations from 17 Community Outreach Gardens, teaching and sharing gardens, and from home gardeners to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to food pantry clients.
“We will not only expand the capacity of our current community gardens," Ms. Gordon said, "but Master Gardeners will work with community partners and local residents to provide gardening education and support, with the goal of donating the harvest to food pantries. We will also be expanding our Share a Row program, which facilitates donations of fresh produce to local pantries by home gardeners."
Mental health was also chosen as an area of focus for the ISU Extension and Outreach Linn County recovery efforts. According to pre-pandemic data collected by National Alliance on Mental Health Iowa, one in five adults in Iowa experience some form of mental illness. For youth, ages 6-17, one in six will experience a mental health disorder.
A May 2020 survey commissioned by National 4‑H Council is among the first to examine the impact this unprecedented public health crisis has had on U.S. teens. It found that 7 in 10 teens are struggling with their mental health in the wake of COVID-19. More than half of those surveyed shared that the pandemic has increased their feelings of loneliness, with 64% believing it will have a lasting impact on their mental health.
In response to increasing mental health needs, ISU Extension and Outreach Linn County is increasing its programming and outreach with residents, including the Mindful Teen series being held in partnership with College Community School District and Marion Independent School District, a free Maternal Health and Wellness class beginning Feb. 25, and the Advancing Women in Agriculture meeting on March 9. For registration information, go to extension.iastate.edu/linn/.
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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:
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Short Term Event Planner
Feb. 10
Transform Session, by Van Meter Inc., 8 a.m., online. Jeffrey Kummer, William Onions and Michael Ulleweit from Deloitte will share their knowledge of tax planning and the federal tax policy as it pertains to funding modernization projects at industrial manufacturing facilities. Free. To learn more and register, visit vanmeterinc.com/transform.
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Cedar Rapids, 8:30 a.m., online. Join for community connections and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MCICR.
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Iowa City, 9 a.m., online. Join for community connections and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MillionCupsIC.
USMCA Training-Practical Requirements and Updates, by Iowa Economic Development Authority, 9-11 a.m., online. Navigate the new USMCA agreement with two of the United States' most important trading partners, Canada and Mexico. Keynote is Mike Allocca of Allocca Enterprises. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/3isEcLb.
Navigating the 2021 Market Landscape, by CLA, noon, online. Webinar will include a 2021 market and tax outlook and a panel discussion focused on 2021 growth and income trends in equities, fixed income, real estate and alternative investments. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2NEt02V.
Opportunities for Small Businesses Focused on Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics, by the U.S. General Services Administration, 1 p.m., online. Learn about federal opportunities for small businesses. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/2LaTM1Q.
Speed Networking, by Iowa City Area Business Partnership, 4-5 p.m., online. Introduce yourself and your business to everyone in the “room” in a series of timed sessions. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/3itSeMK.
Start Smart Webinar, by NIACC Pappajohn Center and the Small Business Development Center, 6-8 p.m., online. Learn how to create a business plan, do market research, discuss different types of business ownership and learn how to register a business. Free. To register, bit.ly/2O6Ywa9.
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These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
The Iowa Department of Public Health is moving to stop counties from hoarding doses and speed up administering the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s why it’s telling counties you won’t get more doses until you use what you have. The KCRG-TV9 i9 Investigative Unit learned the state will require counties to use 80% of the doses they received in the prior week before they will be eligible to get their next weekly allocation of vaccines. This threshold will go into effect Friday. The state told counties about the new threshold during a weekly webinar last week. The webinar was briefly posted on the Iowa Department of Public Health’s website as of Sunday night. But, it was removed by Monday morning. Multiple county health departments confirmed the new rule. Currently, about 68% of doses shipped to Iowa have been injected into an arm. That’s one reason Iowa’s rate of vaccination is the fourth lowest in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Iowa Department of Public Health told KCRG last week some counties are holding vaccines to administer them to groups of eligible Iowans at one time, like teachers. But it didn’t respond when we asked which specific counties are holding onto vaccines. Every county health department, who got back to TV9, told us they are currently meeting this threshold. We asked the Iowa Department of Public Health how many counties aren’t meeting the 80% threshold and why the webinar was taken off the state’s website. We haven’t heard back yet.
Families in and out of the Iowa City Community School District will have a new option for enrollment during the 2021-22 school year, following months of at least partially-virtual education. The district announced that it would create a virtual school ICCSD Online and run it on a permanent basis, rather than the temporary online learning options created during the novel coronavirus pandemic. It will be open to any pre-kindergarten-through-12th grade child in Iowa. Officials said that the offerings for high school students can be either full-time or part-time for students that live within the Iowa City district, allowing students to attend some classes in person. Registrants outside of the district would still be able to enroll in a fully-featured full-time online program, earning a high school diploma. “We have learned so much this year about what works and what doesn’t work for online education. We took the best of what is working and included it in the new virtual program," Gregg Shoultz, the director of online programs for the district, said in a statement. The district said that the program would offer flexibility for students. Each student would take classes via Zoom and be provided a free Chromebook for use. Open enrollment for students outside of the district is open until March 1. Interested families with students can sign up online. In-district students will receive notification from the district about the opportunity to sign up for the new school.
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
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Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast |
Cold weather continues for at least the next week. Wind chills will likely warm to the minus teens by afternoon as actual highs hit the single digits above zero. Tonight into tomorrow, clouds build up once again and another chance of snow may occur with that weak system. Accumulation is expected to be minor, if any at all. As the Arctic air keeps pressing, we'll have more snow chances later this week and into the weekend. Each of these chances may bring accumulation as well. Severe cold looks likely for Valentine's Day, possibly breaking records in our area. |
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