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KRISTIN GUESSkristin.guess@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO – For Estefania Ravasio Corrales, the coronavi-rus is a double whammy. There’s a risk of becoming seriously ill. For her and other international students, it also brings risk of deportation.

A recent change in federal regulations for international students has left the University of Northern Iowa senior in fear she may not graduate. Students studying in the U.S. on F-1 visas are barred from taking classes solely online.

“It’s scary and disheartening,” she said. “A lot of plans are fall-ing apart.”

International students attend-ing U.S. colleges that plan to op-erate entirely online this fall because of COVID-19 are not allowed to remain in the country, according to new regulations re-leased Monday by U.S. Immigra-tion and Customs Enforcement.

UNI has announced plans to resume classes with a mix of in-person and online courses this year, allowing international students to stay — for now.

“There’s still a lot of uncer-tainty,” said Ravasio Corrales of Perez Celedon, Costa Rica. “The current decision could change at any moment because the num-bers are rising here and in other states.”

Under the new rules, the State Department will not issue visas to international students who study online, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will not allow them to enter the country.

Due to the pandemic, Ravasio Corrales’ internship and testing required for her to graduate were canceled.

JEFF REINITZ

WATERLOO – Four days of searching through farm fi elds and backwoods in sweltering heat and torrential rains came to an end when Larry Lehman

stepped out of his pickup at around 11 a.m. Friday.

Lehman, who locates under-ground utility lines for BDC Group, noticed a man wearing what appeared to be a bike helmet in the shal-low drainage ditch at the corner

of San Marnan Drive and Ham-mond Avenue.

The helmet, actually a fall protection helmet for seizures, belonged to 45-year-old Mike Jensen, who had fl ed Ravenwood Care Center almost a week ear-lier.

“I’m super excited, not that he was in that situation, but that we found him alive and that he lives for another day,” Lehman said.

Family on Friday said Jensen is in serious condition at Mercy-One Medical Center in Waterloo.

Lehman wasn’t aware of Jen-sen’s disappearance before fi nd-ing him. He lives in Marion and occasionally takes assignments

Missing man found aliveLarry Lehman with BDC Group found Michael Jensen in a ditch at the intersection of San Marnan Drive and Hammond Avenue.

Foreign students fear visa changes

AMIE RIVERSamie.rivers@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Tens of millions of dollars from the Paycheck Pro-tection Program went to a few big businesses and employers in Black Hawk County, while thousands of

other Iowa businesses received small loans averaging around $30,000, according to new data provided by the U.S. Small Busi-ness Administration.

The SBA on Monday released incomplete data on each of the 4.9 million loans made to businesses nationwide as the economy reeled during this spring’s coronavi-rus-related business closures.

Those loans, according to busi-nesses receiving them, saved up-

ward of 20,000 jobs in Black Hawk County alone.

“The PPP loan absolutely gave us a rope to grab onto,” said Kris Hansen, CEO of Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls. He said more than of 200 jobs at his company may have been lost otherwise, about a fourth of his workforce. “We still don’t know where this is all heading, but at least it gave us time to catch our breath and make data-driven and

cognitive decisions about how to react to this.”

Western Home was one of four companies in Black Hawk County — and among 48 companies in Iowa — that received at least $5 million in PPP loans “designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll,” according to the SBA’s website.

Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing and Cedar Valley Medical Special-

ists in Waterloo, Harrison Truck Centers in Elk Run Heights and Western Home Communities were each the recipient of between $5 million and $10 million in PPP loans apiece, according to the SBA, which only listed the range of the loans, not exact amounts.

Bertch noted in SBA documen-tation its PPP loan retained 500 jobs, while Cedar Valley Medical

Local PPP loans detailed

MELODY PARKERmelody.parker@wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — A respected journalist and newspaper vet-eran with nearly three decades of experience has been named North Iowa Editor overseeing The Courier.

Jaci Smith was named to oversee The Courier and also manages news operations at the Mason City Globe Gazette and is editor of the Lee Enterprises’

North Iowa Me-dia group, which also includes the Summitt-Tri-bune and Mitch-ell County Press News.

Meta Hemen-way-Forbes has been promoted to local news editor at The Cou-rier.

“The Courier has a long his-

tory of leadership and community partnership in our newsroom. We are excited to announce the a p p o i n t m e n t of Jaci Smith to North Iowa edi-tor and the pro-motion of Meta

Hemenway-Forbes to local news editor,” said David Adams, Cou-

rier general manager.“Jaci will oversee the region

encompassing Waterloo and Mason City. Meta will oversee the Courier sta� and fi ll in the leadership role recently vacated by Nancy Newho� ,” he said.

Smith became editor at Ma-son City in 2019 after serving as digital planning editor for The News Journal in Delaware,

Courier announces new newsroom leadership

Federal pandemic aid saved thousands of jobs in Black Hawk County

Feds: Attend collegein person or leave US

Ravasio Corrales

Smith Hemenway-Forbes

Michael Jensen found in Waterloo ditch not far from care center

INSIDE: Family calls rescue a “miracle” PAGE A3

Jensen

Please see PPP LOANS, Page A4

Please see VISAS, Page A5

Please see MISSING, Page A3

Please see COURIER, Page A2