MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019  |  IN THIS ISSUE  

Floodwaters rise below the Third Avenue bridge in downtown Cedar Rapids. CREDIT CBS2/FOX 28
Cedar Rapids residents and businesses saw the return of HESCO barriers and manhole plugs over the weekend as crews with the city's Public Works Department worked to build up its flood defenses ahead of the Cedar River's expected crest at major flood stage on Tuesday.

On Sunday, workers placed a row of the sand-filled barriers in low-lying areas on the west side of the river, and plugged storm drains and manholes in the city's Time Check, Czech Village and Kingston Village districts. The city also has closed off its underground storm sewer system, which will prevent river water from backing up in the system and flooding streets and businesses.  

The rising waters also have prompted the closure of the Solid Waste Agency's A Street location and compost facility.

With protection measures in place, impacts are not anticipated to homes/businesses, but additional road closures will be in place, including:
  • Edgewood Road between Glass Road and River Bluff Drive NW
  • Intersection of C Street SW and Bowling Street SW
  • C Street SW at Tate Cummins Ball Fields
  • Otis Road
  • Ellis Boulevard between Ellis Lane and 18th Street SW
  • Ellis Road west of Edgewood Road, to Covington Road
  • A Street SW
  • Bowling Street between A and C Street SW
  • Old River Road
  • First Street NW between E Avenue and Penn Avenue NW
  • J Street SW
  • Hawkeye Downs Road from 41st Street to J Street SW
  • Ely Road at the intersection of Old River Road
Find updated city road closure information here, and Linn County road closures here.

The Cedar River climbed above major flood stage, 16 feet, on Sunday morning, and is continued to crest at 18.6 feet on Tuesday morning, news partner CBS2/FOX 28 reports. That will tie it for the seventh-highest crest in the city's history, but it would still be 12.5 feet below the all-time record set in 2008, and 3.3 feet lower than the near miss in September 2016.

The river is expected to fall out of flood stage by Friday. No impacts are expected to homes or businesses, although Public Works crews will continue to monitor its protective measures through the week, the city said.

Flooding continues to be an issue on many rivers in Eastern Iowa. While flood waters are receding along some, others continue to rise with crests coming this week. Flood warnings are still in place along the Wapsi, Cedar, Iowa and a portion of the Mississippi River, CBS2 reports.
 
Gov. Kim Reynolds by Friday had issued disaster proclamations for 36 counties, including Iowa County in the Corridor. The proclamation allows state resources to be used to respond to and recover from the effects of flooding, and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program.
 
The weather pattern this week will be fairly quiet and dry over the upper Midwest, which will allow river water to work its way downstream. The bulk of the precipitation is forecasted to stay well south.
 
More than 70 percent of the 30 ABI board members polled expect sales to expand in the coming year. CREDIT ABI 
Business leaders in the state continue to be confident about Iowa's economy, according to the results of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry's second-quarter Business Leader Survey.
 
Polled in early March, 73 percent of ABI board members said they expect sales to expand over the coming year. Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they plan to make capital expenditures in Q2, while 47 percent said they expect their employee base to grow over the same period.
 
Respondents once again offered a shortage of skilled labor as the top concern for Iowa businesses - the same response since ABI began surveying business leaders quarterly in 2017 - but ABI President Mike Ralston noted that the latest survey also found a "focus on opportunities, rather than on challenges" when compared to prior surveys.
 
"Surprisingly, not one member mentioned tariffs this time," Mr. Ralston said in a statement. "Investing in acquisitions and new construction were highlights."
 
The full survey results may be found here.
 
ABI is comprised of 1,500 member companies of all types and sizes in all 99 counties employing more than 330,000 Iowans.
 
 
Around 50 protesters gathered at Alliant Energy's building at 200 First St. SE in Cedar Rapids on Saturday to protest a proposed rate hike scheduled to take effect April 1. CBS2/FOX28 News reporter Eva Andersen spoke with several protesters to hear why they say they're not backing down, despite Alliant officials explaining why they proposed the hike. Watch the full report here.

The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) on Friday issued a decision requiring Dakota Access to provide a final construction punch list for each county along its pipeline route through Iowa and notify affected county Boards of Supervisors when construction is complete. The IUB order also denied a formal hearing request from a landowner who claimed damages related to pipeline construction.
 
Information filed in the complaint indicated that several pipeline construction items remain unfinished in several counties, meaning county inspectors do not yet consider the project complete. The IUB noted Dakota Access is responsible for the remaining work and required the company to file a complete punch list and time frame for completing each item.
 
In relation to the issue of pipeline completion, Boone County landowner LaVerne Johnson requested a formal hearing with the IUB on his allegation that Dakota Access was violating terms of the IUB's March 2016 decision that granted Dakota Access a permit to construct, maintain and operate the pipeline in Iowa. 
 
Mr. Johnson alleged damage to his property due to construction, but noted he has denied the company access to complete the work. The IUB ordered Mr. Johnson to allow the company to have access to the easement on his property for completion of work.
 
In accordance with Iowa law, the county Board of Supervisors must verify and make the determination of pipeline completion before impacted landowners can file petitions for a compensation commission to determine damages, if applicable . The IUB order indicated that any damages incurred by Mr. Johnson, or other landowners, as a result of the construction or subsequent activities, must be addressed through negotiations with Dakota Access or through a county compensation commission if no agreement can be reached.

A new speakeasy-themed bar and casual restaurant is now open in Cedar Rapids, and co-owner Brandon Aiels is expecting the establishment's made-from-scratch food, 1920s-inspired cocktails and old-fashioned service to fill a badly needed niche in the local market.
 
"Cedar Rapids doesn't even know what's coming," said Mr. Aiels, who will operate  Moniker 86 Social Club alongside his mother, Jennifer, at 821 Third Ave. SE in the heart of the Cedar Rapids MedQuarter. 
 
Located in a mansion originally built by the Carpenter family in 1870, the new eatery housed Beatty Funeral Home in the early 1920s and was renovated for restaurant use in the late '80s, most famously as Daniel Arthur's and what the Aiels call "the appropriately named" Six Feet Under Bar.
 
"We've redone the whole thing - paint, lighting, everything," Mr. Aiels said. "It looks pretty freaking amazing, I'm not going to lie."
 
The restaurant's soft opening menu, posted on Facebook, offers a variety of dips from crab rangoon and hummus to margherita and bacon, leek and jalapeno, as well as small bites like stuffed mushrooms, turkey and pesto mini clubs and Thai chicken lettuce cups. Monicker 86 also features a full menu of Prohibition-era inspired drinks like mango and lime gin rickey and the "Cocoa Fashion," made with rye infused with cocoa, alcoholic cherries, vanilla demerara syrup and mole bitters. 
 
"My mother and I always wanted to open a restaurant," said Mr. Aiels, who has years of experience in the bar and restaurant industry. "I know she's my mom, but this is going to be the best food in Cedar Rapids with her brain and my palate. It's going to change Cedar Rapids."
 
The restaurant's name was inspired by legendary Prohibition-era tavern, Chumley's in New York City, where the term "86ed" was allegedly coined. Its owners, in cahoots with local police officers who would warn in advance of raids, are said to have quickly hustled patrons out of the 86 Bedford St. entrance.
 
An official opening is planned for April 1. Once fully operational, the restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with lunchtime delivery within the MedQuarter.
 
"This is going to be a place where we want people to have a good time, every time," Mr. Aiels said.
 
March 18
Coralville Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Louie's Wine Dive, 901 E. Second Ave., Suite 100, Coralville. This is an opportunity to network and keep up-to-date with chamber and community events. Free. For more information, email [email protected] .
 
March 19
Iowa City Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Van B's Brewing LLC, 505 E. Washington St., Iowa City. This is an opportunity to network and keep up-to-date with chamber and community events. Free. For more information, email [email protected]  .
 
March 20
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Cedar Rapids, 8:15-9:15 a.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Join for community connections, free coffee, and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MCICR.
 
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Iowa City, 9-10 a.m., MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Join for community connections, free coffee, and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more . Free. For more information, visit   facebook.com/1MillionCupsIC/.
 
BigWig Lunch Talk, by ImpactCR, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Collins Aerospace, 400 Collins Road NE, Cedar Rapids. Young professionals are invited to meet seasoned professionals and inspirational leaders during the lunch hour. Pre-registration is required. To register, visit   https://bit.ly/2SbWfqv .
 
North Liberty Roundtable, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, noon-1 p.m., Zio Johno's, 780 Community Drive, Ste. 1, North Liberty. This is an opportunity to network and keep up-to-date with chamber and community events. For more information, email [email protected] .
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
Minnesota Senator and presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar was decked out in green to meet Cedar Rapids constituents in a morning of St. Patrick's Day celebration. The Democratic candidate first visited voters at Raygun in NewBo, in an event hosted by the Linn County Phoenix Club. Then, she hit the streets to walk in Cedar Rapids's annual SaPaDaPaSo parade. "I think that it's just that kind of community spirit that you see in Iowa is right out here on the parade route," Ms. Klobuchar said about the event. Community, and bringing the nation together out of its divide, became a big topic on the parade route and when speaking to the room of over 100 voters at Raygun. "I always believe that we may look different, we may pray different, we may love different, but we all come from a country and live in a country of shared dreams," she said. Read the full story here.

Cedar Rapids Police have issued an Operation Quickfind for 17-year-old Jacob Lwamba. He is described as 5'11" and 157 pounds. He was last seen in the area of Forest Drive SE on March 16 at 11 a.m. Anyone with information about his whereabouts should call Cedar Rapids Police at (319) 286-5491. 

T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast

Monday will bring pleasant mid-March temperatures and plentiful sunshine. Highs will reach the upper 30s in the north and mid 40s in the south. Overnight partly cloudy and cool again with lows in the 20s across the area. High pressure will slide to the east Tuesday, meaning partly cloudy skies for Eastern Iowa. Temperatures will be on the way up through the week, finally going above normal with highs passing 50. There is a slight chance for showers in the far south.