Ciaran wrote the book after losing his grandfather to explain to his young daughter why he was so upset

He appeared on BGT in 2017 and broke the record for balloon sculpting

IOWA CITY — The University of Iowa on Thursday unveiled new sustainability goals for the next decade that — if accomplished — would cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half from...

Nearly 25,000 more Iowans filed unemployment claims in the past week, Iowa Workforce Development reported Thursday. Continuing weekly unemployment claims total 181,358, the department reported. Iowa...

IOWA CITY — The University of Iowa on Thursday unveiled new sustainability goals for the next decade that — if accomplished — would cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half from a decade ago and transform the campus into a “living laboratory for sustainability education and exploration.”

But the goals fall short of what a collective of Iowa City “climate strikers” have demanded for more than a year — that the UI end coal burning immediately at its power plant, commit to using only renewable energy by 2030 and unite with the city of Iowa City in a “town-gown” climate accord.

“It’s ridiculous for the UI to announce a 2030 climate plan as it continues to burn coal for years and burn methane-spewing natural gas for decades at its power plant,” said Massimo Paciotto-Biggers, 14, a student at Iowa City High and member of the Iowa City Climate Strike group.

The university’s new 2030 goals piggyback off its 2020 goals, which former UI President Sally Mason announced in 2010 in hopes of integrating sustainability into the campus’ mission.

Her goals included consuming less energy on campus in 2020 than in 2010, despite projected growth; diversifying the campus’ energy portfolio by using biomass, solar, wind and the like to achieve 40 percent renewable energy consumption by 2020; diverting 60 percent of solid waste; reducing the campus transportation carbon footprint with a 10 percent cut in per capita transportation and travel; and increasing learning and research opportunities.

The university, according to a new report made public Thursday, met or surpassed many of those goals — including, among other things, a slight dip in total energy use, despite 15 new buildings and major additions across campus.

The campus also reported 40 percent of its energy consumption comes via renewable energy sources, and it reduced annual coal consumption 75 percent.

As for waste production, the university diverted 43 percent from the landfill and reported diverting 70 percent more waste than in 2010.

In just the first phase, the new 2030 goals — a result of collaboration across campus involving a 2030 UI Sustainability Goal Setting Task Force — involve fewer numbers and hard percentages. Aside from the aim to cut greenhouse emissions by 50 percent compared to a 2010 baseline, the phase one goals aim to:

• Institutionalize and embed sustainability into campus culture, allowing individual units across campus to develop plans to meeting campus sustainability goals.

• Expand sustainability research, scholarship and other opportunities.

• Use the campus as a “living laboratory” capable of improving campus sustainability and ecosystems.

• Prepare students to live and work in the 21st century through sustainability education.

• Facilitate knowledge exchange among the campus community and with the state, nation, and world.

PHASE 2 EXPANDS ON GOALS

As the campus moves into phase two of its 2030 plan, it will expand on first-phase goals by identifying specific and measurable tasks and metrics.

Leadership plans to finalize that second phase later in the fall semester.

“This approach has meant including units engaged in activities such as academics, research, operations, planning, engagement, athletics, and student life,” Stratis Giannakouros, director of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, said in a statement.

‘Ambitious and forward-looking’

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, who serves as outreach and community education director for the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, told The Gazette the new goals are “ambitious and forward-looking.”

“The new goals will engage students and research faculty to help build a sustainable path for the campus and broader community,” he said.

The university recently made big news on the utilities front by entering a $1.165 billion deal with a private French company to operate its utility system for 50 years. The deal nets the university a massive upfront lump sum it can invest and pull from annually. It gives the private operator decades of reliable income.

And the university, in making the deal, mandated its new provider pursue ambitious sustainability goals — promising to impose penalties if it failed to do so.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com

Nearly 25,000 more Iowans filed unemployment claims in the past week, Iowa Workforce Development reported Thursday.

Continuing weekly unemployment claims total 181,358, the department reported.

Iowa Workforce Development said 24,693 people filed unemployment claims between April 26 and May 2. That included 22,830 initial claims by people who work in Iowa and 1,863 claims filed by people who work in Iowa but live in another state.

State unemployment insurance benefit payments totaled $50,931,302 for the same week, the department said.

Also this week, a total of $111,378,600 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits was paid to 164,088 Iowans. Since April 4, a total of $439,126,200 has been paid.

A total of $10,046,089 was paid to 15,612 Iowans receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits.

The industries with the most claims were manufacturing, 6,053; industry not available, self-employed, independent contractors, 4,010; health care and social assistance, 2,988; accommodation and food services, 2,200; and retail trade, 1,768.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is continuing to allow more businesses to reopen, which may mean more Iowans going back to work.

On Wednesday, after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, Reynolds issued a proclamation permitting a variety of businesses to reopen, including dental services, drive-in movie theaters, tanning facilities and medical spas.

She also relaxed mitigation strategies in the 22 counties that remain under more strict orders because the virus is more widespread there.

Beginning Friday in those 22 counties — which include Linn, Johnson and Black Hawk — malls and retail stores may reopen provided they operate at no more than 50 percent of capacity, and fitness centers may reopen on an appointment basis only.

For more information on the total data for this week’s unemployment claims, visit https://www.iowalmi.gov/unemployment-insurance-statistics.

Comments: (319) 398-8375; james.lynch@thegazette.com

Once upon a time, Clint Eastwood, a notoriously outspoken conservative in supposedly liberal Hollywood, had no problem at all with cops who employed their own unconventional extra-legal brand of law enforcement (see: Dirty Harry). Today, in Richard Jewell, he really doesn't like the FBI.…

Drink Local For the majority of regional craft breweries, most revenue comes from two avenues: direct-to-consumer sales out of a tasting room and selling beer to local bars and restaurants.…

A grader blade mounted to a support frame has an auger-grinder mounted ahead of the grader blade. The auger-grinder has a first helical vane fixed to a rotatable axle with a plurality of teeth attached to and protruding outwardly from the auger. A shroud above and partially surrounding the auger-grinder has an inner shroud end wall, an outer shroud end wall and bearings in which the axle is journaled transverse to the direction of travel. A beater is fixed to the axle between an inner end of the helical vane and the inner wall. The beater has a plurality of paddles extending outwardly from the axle. An inner barrier wall is attached to the inner shroud wall and extends forward of the auger-grinder. A drive link is connected to the axle for connection to a prime mover for driving the axle in rotation.

A system for measuring the height of paving material distributed by an auger of a paving machine in front of a grading implement, such as a screed, is disclosed. The system includes a sonic sensor and a laser pointer. The sonic sensor generates a sonic signal which is directed at the paving material distributed by the auger. The laser pointer generates a laser beam which is similarly directed at the paving material that has been distributed by the auger. The laser beam and the sonic signal meet at a common position on the paving material.

A system and method are described for receiving a NOTAM and storing information relating to the distance of a temporarily displaced threshold for a runway. When that runway is selected for approach and landing, the temporarily displaced threshold and new aiming point are automatically displayed. The change made to the display using NOTAM data can be indicated to the pilot by distinct symbology or particular color, or by using an icon or an annunciation.

The present invention provides a system and method for reclaiming energy from the heat emanating from spent nuclear fuel contained within a canister-based dry storage system. The inventive system and method provides continuous passive cooling of the loaded canisters by utilizing the chimney-effect and reclaims the energy from the air that is heated by the canisters. The inventive system and method, in one embodiment, is particularly suited to store the canisters below-grade, thereby utilizing the natural radiation shielding properties of the sub-grade while still facilitating passive air cooling of the canisters. In another embodiment, the invention focuses on a special arrangement of the spent nuclear fuel within the canisters so that spent nuclear fuel that is hotter than that which is typically allowed to be withdrawn from the spent fuel pools can be used in a dry-storage environment, thereby increasing the amount energy that can be reclaimed.

A reclaimer cylinder for use in reclaiming cotton seeds containing spinnable lint from partially ginned cotton seeds utilizes channel saws mounted axially on a cylindrical body with axially closely spaced teeth that virtually eliminate the variation in likelihood the teeth will fail to grasp the fibers present on such cotton seeds. Triangular grid bars facilitate removal of fully ginned seeds that are not entrained in fibers of other seeds.

Small, little-known companies are selling CBD as a cure-all. While the Trump Administration has deregulated right and left — for instance, allowing polluters to go hog wild — the Food and Drug Administration isn't effing around when it comes to cracking down on companies selling supposed cures for the COVID-19 virus. Several of those targeted companies make CBD.…

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Through his tell-all memoir, the former frontman of Screaming Trees brands the 'Wall of Glass' singer 'an obvious poser' for bailing on the 1996 tour after he stood up to the latter's bullying.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau says Connecticut ranks first in the country in insurance claims filed for metal theft.

Gareth returns from yet ANOTHER Stag party with a hangover and a selection of classic records from Baby Washington, Reverend Gary Davis, Tony Joe White, The Animals & Jimi Hendrix. 

There is also new music from Nick Waterhouse, Michael Kiwanuka & an exclusive Blues Kitchen Session with Jaime Wyatt.

When you've caught up with the podcast, head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/BluesKitchenTV

Email the show: radio@theblueskitchen.com

Listen on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Mixcloud, Acast & many more…

Richard Lutz takes his pew for the Ben Johnson classic that caustically sends up his fellow Londoners of 1610.

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New report reveals thousands of transport manufacturing jobs at risk from a hard Brexit.

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The 2014 lawsuit alleged that EY's auditing facilitated an accounting fraud and sought damages from the consulting giant.

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