Cedar Rapids school leaders aren’t allowed to appeal directly to voters to approve a massive bond issue next month, but the state’s second largest district is offering unprecedented public tours of its aging — and in many cases century-old — facilities. Superintendent Tawana (tah-WAH-nah) Grover says residents are being shown muddy football fields, tiny cafeterias, and popular Career and Technical Education facilities that are bursting at the seams.

Robert Johnson, an associate principal at Cedar Rapids’ Kennedy High School, says the district wants students to try out career-oriented classes like welding, but the slots go quickly. Johnson says an interested freshman likely won’t get a chance until they’re an upperclassman.

If residents say yes to the bond, the district would get Career and Technical Ed additions to three buildings, a new middle school and more. The bond issues are divided into two phases totaling 445-million dollars, making it the largest school bond in Iowa history. This November, Cedar Rapids is asking for the first 220-million. With it, all buildings in the district would be new or recently-renovated by 2037.

Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum says he has no intention of dropping out if, as expected, he does not meet the polling and fundraising criteria for the next candidate debate on November 8th. “I’m not trying to sell a book. I’m not running for a cabinet position,” Burgum says. “…I look down that debate stage — I’ve created more jobs than all the rest of the candidates combined.” Burgum, who’s in the middle of his second term as North Dakota’s governor, invested in a software company in his home state in 1983. He became the company’s president in 1984 and sold it to Microsoft in 2001. Burgum says while national security is an important issue right now, the economy is what’s crushing Americans.

“We have to have someone from outside of Washington to actually come in and restore trust in the institution,” Burgum says. “We have to have someone who understands how the global economy works. I had people working for me in 130 countries.” Burgum says the president of the United States is the leader of the executive branch should not govern based on grievances or to benefit one party over another. “The role of the president’s more important than ever. We have to have a leader who understands they serve every American, not just serve one party” Burgum says. “Once elected, the job of the executive branch, the cabinet agencies — the limited role of the federal government is to serve everybody. That’s what you do.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said any candidate who does not qualify for next month’s debate in Miami should drop out of the race. Burgum says that’s an insult to the Iowans he’s meeting on the campaign trail. “If you want to let a network and a party, you know, a couple of people at ‘clubhouse rules’ decide who gets to be a finalist, you don’t need an Iowa primary because you’ll be down to one candidate by January,” Burgum said.

Burgum says missing the debate is no loss for him. “There used to be gravitas around presidential debates, but there’s no gravitas. It’s political theater at best and it’s actually reality TV,” Burgum says. “These are designed to drive inter-candidate conflict. They’re not designed to help the voters understand who the candidates are.”

Burgum made his comments during an appearance on “Iowa Press” that aired this weekend on Iowa P-B-S. It appears just three of the OTHER candidates challenging former President Donald Trump have shown they have enough support in polls and from donors to qualify for the next debate. Trump is skipping the televised debates. He’ll host a rally in Florida at the same time as the November 8th debate in Miami.

(Radio Iowa) –  In an update to our previous report, authorities in northeast Iowa say a Chickasaw County firefighter died in an accident involving two department vehicles, Sunday. A report from the Iowa State Patrol says an Ionia fire truck and a U-T-V converted for firefighting were trying to pass a slow moving tractor as they responded to a fire call around 4 p-m. The fire truck struck the back of the U-T-V, causing it to roll. The driver 43-year-old Anthony Hoffman of Ionia was ejected. Hoffman was flown to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where he later died.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Two people were arrested in Glenwood, Saturday (Oct. 21), on separate OWI charges. The Glenwood Police Department reports 20-year-old Thomas Wentz, of Fremont, NE., and 33-year-old Tabitha Kruger, of Glenwood, were each charged with OWI/1st offense. They were released after posting separate $1,000 bonds.

And, this (Monday) morning (Oct. 23), 28-year-old Nathalia Hernandez, of Ralston, NE, was arrested in Glenwood, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She posted a $300 bond, and was released.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa high school has confirmed one of its students was the victim of a weekend hunting incident in Dickinson County. According to a “Go Fund Me” page shared by Okoboji High School, Joe Salmon was hunting waterfowl Saturday morning near Lower Gar Lake when he was shot in the head. He was airlifted to a Sioux Falls Hospital where he remains hospitalized. Salmon is considered a local hero after he and several others saved a man whose vehicle fell through the ice on East Lake Okoboji last February. Okoboji High School Activities Director Nick Mulder is also the school’s football coach. “That’s who Joe is. He doesn’t flinch. He attacks everything that’s in his way,” the coach says. “We’re real proud of Joe.”

Mulder says Salmon is an outstanding young man. “A guy that you can see always around the hallways smiling with his friends and a pure joy about him. Everything he does he attacks with passion,” he says. “In running around the track, he wanted to face the best, be a part of the best and was a part of our state qualifying sprint relay that went down to Drake last year. On the football field, we hand him the ball a lot. He would prefer to run straight and over and through you as opposed to around you a lot of times.”

Mulder says besides the Go Fund Me page, there are two local fundraising efforts have already been created to support Salmon and his family. “We had a staff member who designed a t-shirt that you can buy. They are ‘Be a Hero for a Hero’ t-shirts and there’s a picture of Joe that one of our fifth grade students drew because they look up to Joe so much,” he says. “Be a Hero for Hero is obviously relating back to the February events. All that money goes directly to an account that’s been set up in Joe’s name.”

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating the events that led up to Saturday’s incident.