Iowa

Over 200 people showed up to this Iowa City public input meeting

Published

1 hour ago

August 2, 2024

Over 200 people showed up to this Iowa City public input meeting

More than 200 people show up for public input meeting

More than 200 people showed up for a public input meeting about affordable housing on Wednesday evening at St. Patrick’s Church in Iowa City. (Meg Woolard/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — More than 200 people showed up for a public input meeting this week on affordable housing and how Iowa City should use its federal housing funds.

The Wednesday evening meeting at St. Patrick Church in east Iowa City was arranged by Escucha Mi Voz, a service organization that assists immigrant workers with housing, health services, legal aid and community organizing.

City staff, county officials and Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague were on hand for the session where members of Escucha Mi Voz provided personal testimonies about their renting experiences in Iowa City.

The stories included details of poor treatment from landlords, lack of access to affordable units, crowded apartments and inability to qualify for existing city rental support programs.

Escucha Mi Voz also offered formal recommendations on how to improve affordable housing access in the city. Among the ideas:

Prioritize rezoning with a focus on high density multifamily developments and allocate funds for affordable housing outside of the voucher system.

Work with organizations with a demonstrated need (like Escucha Mi Voz) on housing projects outside of the voucher system.

Negotiate a 20 percent donation from developers to support affordable housing projects in the area.

Update the city’s definition of homelessness to include those living in households with double occupancy or more, which educational institutions are using.
Assume immigrant workers and families are low to moderate income and to accept self certification for city housing assistance programs.

The money, the plan

Iowa City receives more than $1 million a year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of its Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Program.

The funds are expected to be used to improve the living conditions of those with low to moderate incomes, people with special needs and people experiencing homelessness.

The city is updating its City Steps 2030 planning process to cover fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

The plan is expected to be ready sometime in March or April 2025. The city will send the plan to HUD in May 2025 and, if approved, it will be put into action at the start of the fiscal year on July 1, 2025.

This week, the city held two other public input at the Ridge Neighborhood Center and at the Broadway Neighborhood Center. City residents also can fill out an online survey on how the housing funds should be used.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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Iowa

Wanted man charged in Chippewa County arrested in Iowa

Published

9 hours ago

August 2, 2024

Press Room

Wanted man charged in Chippewa County arrested in Iowa

MADISON, Wis. (WEAU) – WMTV reports wanted man George Hartleroad is in Dane County Jail after running away.

Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes confirmed George Hartleroad was charged and sentenced in Chippewa County.

WMTV reports police officers stopped 71-year-old Hartleroad for not having a rear reflector on his bicycle in West Des Moines, IA in June.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Hartleroad ran away from a halfway house he was supposed to be living in and never came back in July of 1995 from a Madison halfway house in 1995 when he was under community supervision.

WMTV reports the D.O.C. offender page shows that Hartleroad was convicted of endangering safety by conduct regardless of life, false imprisonment and possession of a rifle in 1983. CNN reported that Hartleroad is a convicted rapist in Wisconsin.

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Iowa

'Very Scary': Severe Storm Violently Whips Debris Across Iowa Road

Published

15 hours ago

August 2, 2024

Press Room

'Very Scary': Severe Storm Violently Whips Debris Across Iowa Road

A family in central Iowa was caught off guard while driving home on Wednesday, July 31, as a powerful storm ripped through the area. Kerri Johannsen captured this footage on her Tesla dashcam as she drove towards her home in Des Moines on Wednesday evening. The video shows strong winds blowing debris and tree branches across the intersection, causing a power flash and the traffic lights to blow. “We saw the wind pick up,” Johannsen told Storyful. “Then as we stopped, the road signs started moving and suddenly winds were blasting the trees and wires all around us, ” she added. “Our kids were in the car with us – it was very scary,” she said. Around the same time, the National Weather Service said they received reports of tree damage in the Des Moines area and warned residents to take shelter. Credit: Kerri Johannsen via Storyful

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Iowa

Iowa Lottery releases preliminary numbers for fiscal year 2024

Published

23 hours ago

August 1, 2024

Press Room

Iowa Lottery releases preliminary numbers for fiscal year 2024

CLIVE, Iowa (KCAU) — The Iowa lottery had record sales and prizes in fiscal year 2024, along with donating almost $107 million to state causes.

According to the lottery’s preliminary numbers, FY 2024 is their second highest proceeds total behind FY 2023. The lottery sales for FY 2024 were almost $490 million, with prizes to players worth a total of more than $312 million.

Downtown block of Pierce Street to close due to watermain replacement project

The Iowa Lottery reports sales increased by 1.7 percent.

Officials say the results for FY 2024 were due to two big factors: continued growth in sales in scratch games, and a strong year for the Powerball game.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.

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