Memorial for Lyric and Elizabeth Planned and Rastetter Comes Under Fire: Cedar Falls News Roundup

First Security State Bank in Evansdale donated $10,000 for a gazebo on the island in Meyers Lake in memory of Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins, the Evansdale cousins who were kidnapped and murdered. The bank is also taking donations from the public. (KWWL)

Iowa Sen. Jeff Danielson's bill to restrict political activity by the Iowa Board of Regents caused contention at a Iowa Senate subcommittee meeting in Des Moines Wednesday. Danielson, D-Cedar Falls, said the bill aims to increase transparency. Sen. Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, however, questioned the bill's constitutionality and worried it would restrict the regent's rights to free speech. (Des Moines Register)

Meanwhile, Regent Bruce Rastetter has come under fire after Iowa Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said the regent encroached on academic freedom at the University of Iowa by asking UI President Sally Mason to intervene on behalf of the biofuels industry in January. (Iowa City Press Citizen)

Also in Des Moines, a modified version of Gov. Terry Branstad's education reform bill passed the Iowa House with bi-partisan support. The scaled back bill would make some elements optional for school districts. (Des Moines Register)

Finally, Cedar Falls sailor Taylor Morris spent Wednesday riding with professional rally driver Ken Block. The ride took place and Morris and his friends made a video of the quadruple amputee drifting a car across a frozen Iowa landscape.

The video went viral, along with its plea to Block for a ridealong. Check out the photos of the ride on the Taylor Morris Community Support Facebook page.