Hannah Stuelke thankful for what she’s learned from Iowa women’s basketball’s upperclassmen.

Full interview below!

Government Notes: Cedar Rapids looks to honor Hannah Stuelke, Hawkeye women

Cedar Rapids Washington’s Hannah Stuelke holds onto the ball under pressure in a game at Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Dec. 20, 2019. The Cedar Rapids City Council aims to honor Stuelke, now a star forward with the Iowa Hawkeyes. (The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said at last week’s council meeting the city plans to recognize the accomplishments of “our local favorite daughter Hannah Stuelke,” a Cedar Rapids Washington High School alum, and her Iowa Hawkeye teammates after their second-consecutive NCAA championship appearance.

“Every time they announced ‘Hannah Stuelke from Cedar Rapids,’ I think we all stood up a little bit taller,” O’Donnell said.

She thanked Stuelke for her dedication and discipline and commended the team on a “phenomenal, historic performance” this past season.

O’Donnell also acknowledged Hawkeye head basketball coach Lisa Bluder, who hails from next-door Marion and is a graduate of Linn-Mar High School.

“What a proud moment that is for our metro area to watch these women make history,” O’Donnell said.

Marion event on service, companion animals

The Marion Civil Rights Commission will host an event — about service and companion animals — to celebrate Fair Housing Month

The event will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 24 in the Community Room at the Marion Public Library, 1101 Sixth Ave.

The event will include a proclamation by Marion Mayor Nick AbouAssaly; Sheri Ross speaking on the training of service animals; and Eric Skogman speaking on the laws surrounding service animals and companion animals.

Information booths include ones from the Marion Civil Rights Commission, Marion Cares, Waypoint, Marion Economic Development Corp., Habitat for Humanity and Deafinitely Dogs. Additional vendors will be added as space allows.

Marion water quality report

The Marion Water Department is providing its customers with the 2023 annual water quality report.

The report explains where the city’s water comes from, what it contains and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies. Residents may view the report at cityofmarion.org/government/water/documents-reports.

A separate report is available on that website for Glenbrook Cove residents.

Marion closes Hanna pedestrian bridge

The pedestrian bridge in Hanna Park in Marion will be closed indefinitely because a structural failure.

The Marion Parks and Recreation Department determined the bridge — off South Sixth Street — is unsafe and will need to be replaced, which could take two or more years, according to City Manager Ryan Waller’s weekly memo to the community.

Residents are asked to access the park via South Eighth Street and Hillview Drive.

Cedar Rapids school survey due next Monday

The deadline is Monday, April 22, to complete a survey from the Cedar Rapids Community School District to gather input from district residents on school facilities.

Residents in the Cedar Rapids Community School District should have received the survey in their mailbox or email last month to gather insights from staff, families and community members.

The survey is “crucial” to helping district officials understand the needs of the community, Superintendent Tawana Grover said in a newsletter earlier this month.

The survey is being administered by School Perceptions, an independent research firm. Survey results will be presented to the Cedar Rapids school board May 13 to help guide facility planning.

The confidential survey asks residents if they voted for the November bond issue, which failed to gain approval. If they voted no, why? And what college and career readiness classes and programs are most important to you?

The survey also will ask residents if they would support renewing the district’s Physical Plant & Equipment Levy expected to be on the ballot this September.

The Physical Plant & Equipment Levy, or PPEL, is an existing capital projects fund used for repairs, construction and remodeling of buildings and major equipment purchases, including technology. It must be renewed by voters every 10 years.

Cedar Rapids residents are invited to tour Garfield Elementary School, 1201 Maplewood Dr. NE, from 10 a.m. to noon May 4. The school will close at the end of this school year, with students attending the new Trailside school, 2630 B Ave. NE, in the fall. (The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids residents are invited to tour Garfield Elementary School, 1201 Maplewood Dr. NE, next month before it closes at the end of this academic year.

The open house is planned for Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Garfield students this fall will be attending the new Trailside school, under construction at 2630 B Ave. NE. It will replace the Garfield and Arthur elementary schools and the school attendance zones combined.

the Garfield and Arthur buildings will be repurposed, although there is not yet a plan for the future of the buildings.

The construction of Trailside is part of a 2018 facilities master plan, which calls for building 10 elementary schools and renovating three over the next 15 to 20 years in the Cedar Rapids district. The process includes the closure and repurposing of eight schools.

As part of this plan, the Cedar Rapids district built and opened West Willow Elementary School in August 2021, which replaced Coolidge Elementary. Maple Grove Elementary opened in August 2022 to replace Jackson Elementary.

Each new elementary school will serve between 500 to 600 students. Right now, elementary schools vary in student population, from 200 to 500 students.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. Gazette reporters Marissa Payne and Grace King contribute.

Bueckers broke the news on senior night.

UConn star Paige Bueckers, an expected lottery pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, announced on Friday that she will return to school for the 2024-25 season. Bueckers broke the news after putting up 21 points and eight assists in the Huskies’ dominant 85-44 win over Georgetown on senior night.

“I can’t put into words what this program has meant to me, what you guys have meant to me, the best student section in the country,” Bueckers said.

“Thank you guys. Obviously, these four years didn’t go how I planned or how I wanted it to go, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I wouldn’t be able to get through what I went through without everybody here, so thank you to the best fans in the country.

“I know everybody wants me to address the elephant in the room. Unfortunately, this will not be my last senior night at UConn. I’m coming back. Thank you guys, we love you. We still need your support the rest of the season, and we’ll see you soon.”

Bueckers won multiple national high school player of the year awards, and was the No. 1 ranked recruit in her class. She arrived in Storrs with high expectations, and fulfilled them immediately by winning Naismith Player of the Year in 2021 as she led UConn to the Final Four.

Since then, however, Bueckers has been plagued by injuries that have limited her to just 44 games.

She underwent ankle surgery after her freshman season, suffered a tibial plateau fracture and torn meniscus early in her sophomore season and tore her ACL just ahead of her junior season. She took a medical redshirt in 2022-23 and sat out that entire season.

Bueckers was cleared to return to action ahead of this season, and has been terrific, averaging 20 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals on 54.1/44.1/83.8 shooting splits.

This time around, however, her teammates have been the ones on the injured list, and, as a result, the Huskies do not look like national title contenders.

While Bueckers would likely be the No. 3 pick, at worst, in this year’s WNBA draft, it’s clear she has unfinished business at UConn.

She’s eligible to return for a fifth season because of her redshirt, and in fact could use the COVID eligibility extension to play a sixth season in college, if she wanted. Though, at the very least, UConn fans can expect to her suiting up come next season.

Nika Muhl (image source Getty Images)
Nika Muhl is one of Croatia’s most talented basketball players of this age group and a highly potential collegiate player. Nika Muhl leads the University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team.

Her strong defensive abilities have earned her two Big East Defensive Player of the Year accolades, as determined by the conference coaches. Furthermore, she set a new UConn record for assists in a single season with 284 in 2022-2023.

With a career average of 4.2 assists per game, she has displayed her court vision and offensive orchestration abilities.

Nika Muhl ‼️

ELITE DEFENDER 🔥

3PT THREAT ‼️

According to the research, Muhl is not involved in any relationships with anyone. Currently, she doesn’t have a boyfriend. Despite being a very beautiful and talented basketball player, she is still single.

However, several rumors have also been spread by fans on social media about her dating history, but all are rumors not from authentic sources but just spread by fans.

Nika Muhl made her personal life private

From 2016 until 2020, Mühl played for ŽKK Trešnjevka 2009 in the Croatian Prva Ženska Liga. Muhl scored 5.0 points, 2.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals over 22 games in her debut season.

Muhl anchored the Huskies’ defense, which allowed a league-high 50.8 points per game over conference opponents, earning the honor of Big East Defensive Player of the Year for 2021-2022. Muhl scored 2.2 steals per game, ranking second in the Big East.

At the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship, she represented Croatia, scoring 10.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game.

Muhl made her personal life private. It is still not clear if she has a boyfriend or not, but the rumors will keep spreading as she is a very beautiful and talented basketball player.

Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders was not happy with some of the players on Colorado’s football program after receiving an email from one of their professors outlining how difficult it’s been getting through to them.

College athletes typically get an easier ride when it comes to academics, but Coach Prime has always been a vocal proponent of education as he’s well aware that most of the players on a roster actually don’t end up going pro.

A recent video from Well Off Media shows Sanders reading said email to the team.

“This semester has been extremely challenging for me as a professor,” he read. “I have never felt so disrespected in my ten years of teaching. Students do not follow even minimally and it slows down my class so much. They make it clear that they don’t want to be here and have very little personal responsibility…“

The professor also noted that the athletes in his class bring nothing to the table, while they ruin the experience for other students.

Sanders then showed emails about specific players and asked a staff member whether they had an NFL Draft grade. As it turns out, none of them did.

Deion Sanders Vowed That Every Football Player At Colorado Will Leave The Program With Something

Dein Sanders also promised that every single player will leave Colorado with something. Of course, he can’t account for those who leave through the transfer portal, but Prime would like to see all his players either make it to the NFL or another professional football league, or graduate with an education that will help them navigate through life out of school.

“You gonna get something out of this,” he added. “You gonna be a man or you’re going to be a great football player. Since you choose not to be a great football player, we gotta make you a man.“

Sanders would lament over the “NIL state of mind” that he reckons encourages athletes to concentrate on just one aspect of the game.

“So, coaches we got to emphasize education, we got to emphasize life, we got to emphasize the next step the next elevation if it don’t work in the game,” he remarked.

Sanders is heading into his second season in charge of the Buffaloes after a 4-8 finish in 2023.