Home News Wednesday Afternoon News, September 9th

Wednesday Afternoon News, September 9th

15 Pizza Hut Restaurants Close in Iowa

(Undated) — At least 15 of the Pizza Hut restaurants in Iowa are closed following the announcement in July that up to 300 locations around the country would be closing. The company that owns 20 percent of Pizza Hut franchises in the U-S filed for bankruptcy this summer and announced it planned to sell all its Pizza Hut restaurants. The majority of the Pizza Hut
closures around the country are dine-in restaurants. The company has been emphasizing its carry-out and delivery business in recent years and the pandemic accelerated that shift. One of two Pizza Huts in Dubuque has been closed. The other Iowa Pizza Huts to close are in Boone, Dyersville,
Eldridge, Grundy Center, Independence, Iowa Falls, Le Claire, Manchester, Maquoketa, Newton, Oelwein, Tipton, Urbandale and Vinton.

 

 

 

Cedar Falls Passes Mask Mandate, Dubuque County Rejects Resolution

(Cedar Falls, IA) — Cedar Falls is now requiring people to wear face coverings in public places. The Cedar Falls City Council passed a resolution Tuesday night to require masks when social distancing is not possible. The mandate will be in place for six weeks. The Dubuque County Board of Supervisors rejected a face covering resolution at Tuesday’s meeting. The county’s decision does not affect the mask mandate in the city of Dubuque.

 

 

 

UI Athletics Cutting 40 Positions Due to COVID-19 Budget Issues

(Iowa City, IA) — The University of Iowa Athletics Department is cutting 40 vacant positions due to COVID-19 budget concerns. The jobs will not be filled or eliminated. U-I officials announced Tuesday that employees will have to take 15 unpaid days off before the end of the year. Athletic activities have resumed on the Iowa City campus after being suspended following a rise in coronavirus cases.

 

 

 

Iowa DNR Creates Online Database For Sharing Venison

(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has created a new free online database for sharing venison. Iowa D-N-R Wildlife Bureau chief Todd Bishop says the deer exchange helps everyone share in the resource. Bishop said,”we have a high availability of deer tags of course — and we know there are a lot of hunters who are willing to share venison once
they’ve shot enough to fill their freezer.” Bishop says there have long been information networks for sharing in counties. Bishop says the exchange lets those looking for deer provide some details for both parties. He says the deer population promises to provide hunters with a lot of opportunities again this year. The first youth deer season opens September 19th. The first
shotgun deer season opens December 9th.

 

 

 

Loras College Removes Statue Of Founder

(Dubuque) — Members of the Loras College community in Dubuque received a surprising email Tuesday morning announcing the university announced would be taking down a statue honoring its founder Bishop Mathias Loras.

The email said a researcher who was looking into the Bishop’s personal records to advance his scholarship work confirmed that Loras had enslaved a woman in the 1800’s for 16 years. Student Emanuel Rivera told KCRG TV employees started working on the statue just minutes after he got the email.

(photo courtesy of KCRG-TV and Radio Iowa)

“I was in class when our president sent out the email and I was walking home…and we saw people tearing down the statue. I was surprised because it all happened like this,” he says. Student Daniel Feldhake says the news came as a complete surprise.
“My roommates and I were all working on homework and all of a sudden this email came out and the shock of trying to get through the whole thing and trying to understand what the message was but also take time to comprehend what implications and what kind of impact that has,” Feldhake told KCRG TV.

Even though everything happened quickly, they say they appreciate the decision. “It feels good just because it shows their openness to, not just Black students, but minorities. So as a student I want to make sure there is diversity, equity and inclusion that is promoted across the entire campus,”
Rivera says. “This sheds a positive light and a positive message for both faculty and students.”

Loras president, James Collins, talked with KCRG TV about the decision to remove the statue. “The statue issue was one less of not recognizing Bishop Loras for his many contributions, but more instead to know that the placement of the statue on Loras’ campus is one of prominence and it’s also one of prominence of the city of Dubuque,” he says.

He says they want to send the proper message. “Based on who we are, particularly around issues of human dignity and Catholic identity, we didn’t think that, based on today and our future, that that should be the symbol of who we are.”

The statue will now go into storage until the community decides where to place it or even if it will be placed somewhere at all.

The decision sparked reaction on social media and many wondered whether or not the university would now change its name as well. Collins said that will not happen