Summer finally arrived at some point in May when the temperature soared into the high 80s and 90s in parts of Iowa.

Graduation kicked off the summer as Iowa State sent off thousands of new alumni into the world. For current Iowa State students, the summer brought another year of the Board of Regents voting to increase their tuition, along with an Iowa State student joining the regents.

Fighting Burrito on Welch Avenue permanently closed its doors, leaving the Iowa State community with one less eatery, though with many memories.

The City Council repealed the rental cap in Ames in the wake of state legislation outlawing the implementation of municipal rental caps in Iowa.

The rental cap had set a limit on the number of rental properties in certain neighborhoods near the Iowa State campus, impacting students’ ability to find affordable housing near classes.

The City Council also set Sept. 10 as the date for the Healthy Life Center bond referendum.

The Healthy Life Center is a joint project between the city of Ames, Mary Greeley Medical Center, Heartland Senior Services, Story County, Iowa State University and DMACC. It is planned to be built at Ontario Street and Scholl Road — a parcel of land that the city would rent from Iowa State. 

The Healthy Life Center would include nutrition and fitness classes, among other ways of promoting healthy lives.

The bond amount is $29,065,000 and would be funded by a $44 per year increase in property taxes per $100,000 of assessed value for residential properties and $70 per yer per $100,000 of assessed value for industrial and commercial properties.

If the bond passes, the would open in 2022 or 2023.

An Iowa State alumnus, Joe Van Erdewyk, and a current student, Rachel Junck, entered the race for City Council’s ward four, which covers Campustown and the Iowa State campus.

The incumbent, Chris Nelson, is seeking another term on the council.

Collin Daniel Richards, who killed Celia Barquín Arozamena, pleaded guilty and received a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Barquín Arozamena was a native of Spain, and a senior in civil engineering at the time she was murdered, set to finish her bachelor’s degree in December 2018.

In her time at Iowa State, Barquín Arozamena was an accomplished golfer. She won the 2018 European Ladies Amateur Championship and was the 2018 Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year. The award was named the Celia Barquín Arozamena Female Athlete of the Year award.

Former Supervisor Rick Sanders was appointed president of the ISU Research Park, opening a position on the Story County Board of Supervisors. The seat was filled by then-Rep. Lisa Heddens, triggering a special election for her seat in the Iowa House of Representatives. 

City Council At-Large member Amber Corrieri, Ames Community School District Board director Jamet Colton and Iowa State Extension diversity officer Ross Wilburn all sought the Democratic party’s nomination at a nominating convention in June, and Wilburn won the nomination. 

Wilburn then ran unopposed and won the election.

Kevin Truong, a senior in software engineering, was killed in a vehicle collision on July 4. Truong, a Des Moines native, was described by his friends as a “bright student with a great sense of humor.”

A Des Moines woman, Alexandria Mae Newton, was arrested on July 5 in relation to Truong’s death. She has been charged with homicide by reckless driving, driving without insurance, driving with a suspended license, failure to obey a traffic control device and failure to render aid and information.