IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Board of Regents has denied a request from Hawkeye alumni to appear at the board’s Sept. 23 meeting to appeal for the reinstatement of four sports slated to be cut at the university. Iowa athletic director Gary Barta announced last month that he was going to eliminate men’s gymnastics, men’s tennis, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving after this academic year. Barta cited a potential loss of $100 million in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic as the reason, saying he anticipates saving $5 million annually by not carrying those four sports. He said he will not revisit his decision.

DES MOINES, IOWA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department said a robbery victim acted in justifiable self-defense when he shot two people early Monday morning. The robbery victim called police and told them he had been approached by two armed men who attempted to rob him, but, in self-defense, he shot them. One of the men died. Both men were armed.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The Waterloo Police Department is investigating more than 20 tire slashings that occurred over the weekend. They are gathering security video as part of their investigation.

IOWA (IRN) – The University of Iowa, ISU, and UNI are making changes to the spring semester calendar in response to COVID-19. Among the changes, spring break is cancelled.

AMES and IOWA CITY (IRN) – There is a planned sick-out today for Iowa State University and University of Iowa. Pledges are circulating asking students, faculty and staff to sign up and call in sick to demand 100% online instruction. The organizers said in part, “As students and teachers, we know that in-person classes are not safe during this pandemic. But instead of protecting us from illness, the administrators of our schools have restored to finger-pointing, blaming students and local businesses for their own failures of leadership.”