Metro Briefs
Parking-ramp work draws lawsuit
The state Board of Regents faces a dispute over a parking ramp and lot maintenance project for the UI.
In a civil suit filed April 15, Dryspace Inc. of Cedar Rapids alleged the university, a Minnesota company, and an Oklahoma corporation owe more than $33,813 for a campus construction.
The UI hired Aduddell Restoration & Waterproofing Inc. for ramp and parking lot maintenance in 2008. In May 2008, the company entered a contract to have Dryspace put in a waterproofing system and rubber membrane roofing system for the project.
Aduddell did not pay for any of the material and labor costs, Dryspace contends. It filed suit against Aduddell in September 2008.
The regents accepted final completion of the construction in March. At the time, Aduddell had not paid Dryspace for its work.
Dryspace also seeks 18 percent interest and finance charges accumulating after it filed the new lawsuit last week.
— by Zhi Xiong
Fire causes $3,000 in damage
The Iowa City Fire Department responded to a report of a possible fire at 1601 Brookwood Drive on Monday.
According to fire officials, the department sent three engine companies, a rescue company, and a Battalion Chief.
The first units observed light smoke coming from a single-story, ranch-style house. All the occupants were out of the house, officials said.
Firefighters discovered a fire in the wall behind the clothes dryer and extinguished it in approximately 30 minutes, reports show. An investigation indicated the fire started in the dryer vent pipe, spread to the wall, and moved to the attic. The cause was determined to be a plugged vent pipe.
There were no injuries, and damage is estimated around $3,000, fire officials said. Fourteen on-duty firefighters were on scene for about one hour.
— by Regina Zilbermints
Man charged with controlled-substance violation
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office arrested a West Branch man Sunday for allegedly manufacturing methamphetamine.
Nathaniel Kofran, 35, was charged with a controlled-substance violation, three charges of purchasing more than 7,500 milligrams of pseudoephedrine within a 30-day period, and possession of methamphetamine.
According to police reports, a deputy alerted the Drug Task Force to a possible meth lab at Kofran’s home. During a consent search of the property, police found an LP tank with an altered top which tested positive of anhydrous ammonia, coffee filters, tubing, a digital scale, lithium battery, and clear solvent, all of which indicate the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Lab results showed approximately 53.3 grams of samples submitted tested positive for meth, police said.
After the lab was located, deputies checked logs at local pharmacies and found Kofran had purchased more pseudoephedrine — an ingredient in the manufacturing of meth — than legally allowed on three occasions.
Deputies arrested Kofran on Sunday after they stopped him on a warrant and reportedly located a pen cover in his pocket with a white residue inside which field tested positive for meth.
The controlled-substance violation is a Class B felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000. Purchasing more than 7,500 milligrams of pseudoephedrine within a 30-day period and possession of meth are serious misdemeanors, generally punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,500.
— by Regina Zilbermints
New spaces for graduation
The UI plans to hold graduation ceremonies in new locations this year.
Spring graduation ceremonies, which will begin May 14, have been relocated because of last summer’s flooding.
In previous years, ceremonies have been held in Hancher Auditorium and Carver-Hawkeye Arena. But with Hancher still closed, eight of the 10 UI graduation ceremonies have had to find new locations.
The ceremonies for the College of Liberal Arts and Science, the Graduate College, and the Tippie College of Business will remain in Carver.
The IMU will host the ceremonies for the College of Engineering and the College of Nursing in the IMU Main Lounge.
The other five ceremonies — including the Carver College of Medicine, the Tippie School of Management, and the Colleges of Dentistry, Law, and Pharmacy — will take place at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Coralville.
Officials cite space limitations and a lack of local options for choosing to hold the ceremonies outside of Iowa City.
Graduation will begin May 14 at 10 a.m. with the College of Pharmacy’s ceremony and end June 5 with the College of Dentistry’s commemoration.
—by Maggie Peters
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