Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Also inside: IC approves fraternity rezoning, UI celebrates Rainbow Graduation, DI frosh of the year: Gesell.
Richard Maine has a bit of trouble hearing these days. His left hand shakes as he brings a mug of coffee to his lips but steadies when it finds the familiar wooden contours of his Winchester lever-action rifle or the checkered grip of his .38-caliber revolver. His military haircut faded long ago, replaced by a neat, gray horseshoe hairline cradling the back of his head. It breaks at his ears to reveal a face well-lined by a lifetime of his top-toothed, crinkle-eyed grin. But the 85-year-old Bettendorf resident’s experience with guns did not begin with the .38-caliber revolver or the machine guns that blunted his hearing; Maine has lived with firearms since his childhood in Wapello, Iowa. He said his father owned guns primarily for hunting…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Also inside: Local officials bike to work, Council to consider rezoning request for College and Gilbert lot, Older pitchers anchor Iowa baseball staff.
The once theatrical Hancher Auditorium now sits abandoned among mounds of dirt surrounded by construction tape and heavy machinery. June 2008 will be remembered for the infamous flood that damaged much of the University of Iowa riverside campus. While most damage to the campus was minor, the Arts Campus on the west bank of the Iowa River took a devastating hit. Hancher, once host to a variety of shows ranging from music to dance is now shut down by floodwaters that exceeded stage level. Art Buildings East and West, Voxman Music Building, and Theater Building were also severely damaged and closed after water flooded their main levels. Fast-forward to 2013 and the five-year anniversary of the flood. Even though a majority of the facilities …
Monday, May 13, 2013
A cool pair of All-State Jazz musicians pose together to celebrate the achievement.
Also inside: Johnson County parties eye 2014, students start charitable clothing line, Iowa baseball takes MSU series.
The auditorium in the Pappajohn Business Building echoed with sounds of laughter and the occasional crack in speakers’ voices as tears slid down their faces. Twenty-two students sat in graduation caps and gowns, with smiles beaming. This was a day many of the graduates, and their parents, sometimes wondered if they’d ever see — and they credit the REACH program at the University of Iowa for helping them achieve that goal. “I would call today a steppingstone,” second-year REACH student Jonathan Korsmeyer said. “I’m still working toward my goals, but it’s definitely a milestone. I probably would not have had this opportunity [to graduate] if [the UI] didn’t have this program.” The REACH program — Realizing Educational and Career Hopes — …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Capanna, a popular destination for coffee and gelato since 2008, served coffee at its downtown Iowa City location for the last time Friday.
The scene kept repeating itself Friday afternoon. As employees worked to disassemble the Capanna space from its longtime location next to the Iowa City Library currently shared by The Wedge, prospective coffee or gelato consumers would saunter up to the sign announcing it was closed after 2:00 p.m., appear momentarily confused while reading, frown slightly, then wheel around and walk out of the building. "It's a business in transition," said Mike McCain, one of the owners of Capanna. Yeah, a transition for everybody. There still will be coffee served by Capanna at this location as the remaining space will be taken over by the Wedge, but Thursday marked the last day gelatto will be served from there, and the Capanna title and display cases…
Also inside: UI aids patient communication, Tax credit pushed wind investment, Iowa baseball set for Michigan.
It was arduous work for two Iowa City residents, collecting more than 4,000 signatures over the winter and into the spring for a petition against autonomous traffic devices. But now that the required amount of signatures on the petition has been verified by City Clerk Marian Karr, one of the two citizens is glad to see that the effort isn’t going to waste. “We’re very excited about that,” Aleksey Gurtovoy, one of the petitioners, said about the news. “I’m glad to have it out of the way, we were sure we would [get the required amount] all along but it was still a lot of hard work.” Read more here. Iowa officials point to the Wind Energy Production Tax Credit as one of the main reasons for MidAmerican Energy’s announcement of a $1.9 …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Have some great flower photos? Add them here!
t's hard to find a place prettier than Iowa City when the trees are in bloom. The blooms may not last long, but the photos of them can be appreciated far after the final petal has fallen to the ground. I've started things off with a few photos of my own. Add your photos to our gallery so we can all appreciate the best the city has to offer. Iowa City Patch User Galleries
Also inside: UI adopts hearing loop tech, 80 Hours: Ansari comes to Iowa City, Iowa softball's Blank adds power to swing.
Just six voter percentage points was all that stood between a now-failed bond referendum and the construction of a new Johnson County Justice Center Tuesday evening. Collecting 13,648 total votes with 54 percent voting in favor of the plan, the referendum was unsuccessful in obtaining the 60 percent supermajority needed to pass. A collective 7,394 ballots were cast to approve the project, while 6,226 voted to deny the measure. Despite the drastic drop over the six-month period, Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert said he remains pleased with turnout of the estimated $65,000 to $70,000 special election. “We were really happy with even 13-14 percent of this special election,” he said. “Would we have liked 100 percent turnout, of course. …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The woman was charged with aggravated theft after she was allegedly prevented from making off with a bag full of stolen groceries.
A Hy-Vee employee was reportedly the victim of an umbrella attack after trying to prevent a woman from making off with a bag full of groceries last week. According to an Iowa City Police complaint, at 2:30 p.m. on May 2 officers responded to the Hy-Vee at 812 S. First Avenue for the report of a theft. Store personnel told the officers that Shelly Lynn Cronbaugh, 49, of Iowa City had taken a cart containing "several grocery items" to the back of the store, placed the items in a cloth grocery bag, then returned the cart to the cart rack and attempted to leave the store without paying for the items, valued at $27.21. When multiple Hy-Vee employees stopped Cronbough in the parking lot she was allegedly uncooperative and attempted to walk away…
Jim Knapp
3:55 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013
Hats off to the petitioners. It would be a shame to economically support a company that makes its income from lawbreakers. Our government in DC is another prime example. Oh yeah, what about the rolling stops of police vehicles or would they be exempt? more ›