The weekend ended with the sad news of Robert Ray’s death. There are a great many tributes to the former governor, including the Business Record’s and one from the Des Moines Register, among others.

Here are a few other Iowa stories for your consideration.

• The Cedar Rapids Gazette tackles the backstory of building the new, highly praised Stead Family Children’s Hospital at the University of Iowa in “Tower of Trouble.” One part notes: “The Board of Regents approved budget increase after budget increase for the project with little to no public discussion or tough questions — even after a scolding audit.”
• The Associated Press/Burlington Hawk Eye offered this piece, “Iowa agency explores using prison labor to build homes.” This is a model others may consider with Iowa’s continuing low unemployment rate and need for skilled workers. An excerpt: “An Iowa agency wants to use inmates to eventually build at least 100 homes a year for low-income individuals around the state, an unusual idea within the expansive prison labor industry that has so far been stalled by a lack of support from lawmakers.”