It’s official…Fred Hoiberg is the new head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Hoiberg held a press conference in Chicago earlier Tuesday afternoon, and said he’s thankful for the support of the Iowa State community…especially his players. Hoiberg played for Chicago before heading to be a front office executive at the Minnesota Timberwolves, and then taking the head coach position at Iowa State University.
Facebook is adding on to its Altoona location again. The tech company says it’ll start breaking ground on a third building at its site this summer…it’s currently constructing another add-on to the 470,000 square foot building that houses more than 80 employees. Facebook opened the first building last year.
Several GOP presidential candidates are making last-minute plans to meet with Iowa voters as they come into town for Senator Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” this weekend. Mike Huckabee will meet with Davenport voters before the event on Saturday morning…and then be in Indianola that night for another meet and greet. Marco Rubio will also meet with Ames voters before the Roast and Ride kicks off at 11 am.
The job picture is looking bright in Iowa, according to the Iowa Business Council. Most members say they plan to keep or increase the number of workers at their companies, although they expect sales to hold even.
Iowa now has 72 cases of the bird flu, as two more turkey farms reported yesterday they have thousands of infected birds. Millions of birds have yet to be disposed, and the state Department of Agriculture along with the USDA are working with local landfill owners to take the birds. Governor Branstad’s state of emergency has been extended through the end of the month.
Iowa’s three public universities aren’t jumping the gun just yet to say they’ll continue to keep tuition where it is, even though the state legislature released its initial budget yesterday. The state budget gives a 1.25 percent boost to ISU, UNI, and University of Iowa for the upcoming school year, but university officials say they’ll look over the details with a fine tooth comb before making a final decision about a tuition freeze.
The monthly Midwest economy survey from Creighton University points to a negative trend for all nine states in the region, including Iowa. The survey shows inflation is rising, hiring is down, and exports and imports are down in the state. The Federal Reserve Board meets in two weeks, and some experts say the board will decide to raise interest rates to help kick-start the slow growth.
State officials are asking the state Supreme Court to toss out a new job protection aimed at banning state police officers from facing politically-motivated firings for doing their job. The attorney general’s office told the court the extra safeguard is unnecessary.
MidAmerican Energy customers will notice a new rate on their bill starting this month. The company says the new rate structure is included in bills from June through September…as well as the winter billing period in order make up for the jump in cost it takes to bring electricity to customers.
Zoo Brew starts up Wednesday at Blank Park Zoo with concerts, beer and zoo tours for those 21 and older. It starts at 5:30 PM.
