Gazette Daily News Briefing, April 28
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Friday. April 28.
Friday will feature the same warm weather Thursday had, with a slight chance of rain in the evening. According to the National Weather Service it will be partly sunny in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 71 degrees. There will be a 20 to 30 percent chance of rain after 4 p.m., with the chance for rain becoming more likely heading into the early morning hours of Saturday.
An update on the Mississippi River flooding. As of Thursday morning, the National Weather Service had issued 58 flood warnings across Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri. Iowa accounted for 11 of them.
Fourteen gauges along Iowa’s stretch of the Mississippi River — including those at McGregor, Dubuque and Burlington — were experiencing major flooding as of Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Three others, including Lansing and Guttenberg, were experiencing moderate flooding.
The NWS’ Quad Cities bureau is expecting many river communities in its service area, stretching from Dubuque to Keokuk, to endure water levels rivaling their top three highest historical crests. The peaks could occur as soon as Saturday in Dubuque and slowly follow in downstream areas next week.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will oversee further cleanup at a Marengo explosion site after state officials struggled to enforce deadlines for removing contaminated water and soil.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources earlier this week sent the EPA a request for federal action to investigate and take “actions it deems are necessary” to address diesel fuel, lead and other chemicals in and around the C6-Zero site.
The EPA will oversee the site as part of Superfund, a program that allows the EPA to clean up contaminated areas and force responsible parties to perform the duties or reimburse the government for that work.
Earlier this month, the EPA filed a notice of violation against C6-Zero for failing to alert first responders and the state about dangerous chemicals and vapors at its plant in Marengo before a Dec. 8 explosion and fire.
The agency is continuing its investigation into C6-Zero and considering enforcement options. The agency has authority to pursue civil penalties of up to $67,500 per day for failing to submit safety data sheets and $27,000 per violation for failing to submit an emergency notice after an incident.
Three players from Iowa universities heard their names called during the first day of the NFL Draft.
Iowa Hawkeye Lukas Van Ness was picked 13th by the Green Bay Packers, while his teammate Jack Campbell was picked 18th by a division rival in the Detroit Lions.
Iowa State’s Will McDonald IV was picked 15th by the New York Jets, the first Cyclone to go in the first round in the last 50 years. George Amundson was the last ISU player to be picked in the first round, with the 14th pick in 1973.
