IOWA CITY, Iowa (CBS 2/ FOX 28) — It has been more than seven years since flood waters took out the Delhi dam, causing the city's lake to drain and disappear. "It's becoming a recreational lake once again, after this year," said Jason Ruffatti, University of Iowa senior in Civil Engineering. With the lake now fully restored, University of Iowa students are using engineering skills to protect the...

BELLEVUE, Iowa — Claira Sieverding is 25 years old and engaged, with a good job and a master’s degree. She was born and raised in Bellevue, population: 2,177. Other than living in Dubuque while she attended Loras College, she always has called Bellevue home — and plans to continue doing so. “In Bellevue, you can have an active voice and be involved in the decision-making,” she said. “I love the...

This semester, students in Assistant Professor Lindsay Mattock’s Archives and Media course are working on a database project that engages with the notion of architectural heritage changing over time. The project began in the summer of 2017, when the Office of Outreach and Engagement reached out to Professor Mattock with a proposal for a community outreach project with Mason City, Iowa as part of...

MASON CITY, Iowa- Three restaurants on the north part of Mason City are opening their doors and providing food to residents who have ideas on how to bring change to the north part of town, and those who live on the north side say they have plenty of ideas. "I'd like to see some more businesses open up here and to see the north end cleaned up some," says Larry Snyder, of Mason City. "We don't have...

MASON CITY | Tiffany Jacobson has lived on the North End for 13 years. She likes her neighborhood, enjoys seeing kids play outside on her block and takes pride in where she lives. And with the Blue Heron Bar & Grille and Little Chicago opening on North Federal Avenue within the past few months, she hopes the city and community can continue to build and improve her end of Mason City. "It's gotten a...

MASON CITY | Forty North End residents will have the opportunity to eat for free at three nearby restaurants on Thursday night. The catch? Offer input and suggestions to University of Iowa students on how to better their neighborhood. Travis Kraus, assistant director for the Iowa Initiative of Sustainable Communities at the University of Iowa, is one of the organizers of "Taste of the North End."

BELLEVUE, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- Jackson County is looking to attract more young families to its communities. The county has teamed up with University of Iowa graduate students to discover what young people look for in a city. In Bellevue, Kelsey and Geoffrey Kaiser are examples of a young couple who moved to the town from a big city. Geoffrey Kaiser is the principal at Marquette, and Kelsey Kaiser...

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Sioux City has dedicated its newest park, and it's located downtown. Parks and Recreation officials holding the grand opening ceremony for Pearl Street Park. It's located at 620 Pearl Street, and city leaders believe it will nicely compliment the Launchpad Children's Museum, which sits right across from the park.

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Iowa’s urban communities are known for having more entertainment, dining, education and networking options for young professionals. But Jackson County leaders say they have amenities to offer that big cities can’t. And they want young people to know about them. The Jackson County Economic Alliance is teaming up with the University of Iowa Outreach’s Iowa Initiative for...

Washington, IA, an IISC community partner in 2013-2014, passed a hotel/motel tax this week, which is another example of a successful IISC project. Prof. Rachel Young and her Strategic Communications Campaigns course worked with the Chamber of Commerce to identify appropriate messaging to ensure the tax would pass a public vote. For many years the residents of Washington were opposed to a hotel...