Gazette Daily News Briefing, December 11 and December 12
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Saturday, December 11, and Sunday, December 12.
Saturday the rainy weather from Friday will cease, and Sunday we will get a preview of the unusually balmy weather predicted in the coming week. According to a forecast from the National Weather Service, freezing rain and snow chances should come to an end Saturday morning by 7 a.m. in the Cedar Rapids area. It will remain cloudy with a high near 39 degrees, along with breezy conditions in the beginning part of the day, with a wind of 20 to 25 mph gusting as high as 40 mph. On Sunday it should be sunny, with a high near 49 degrees. Each day until next Wednesday will be warmer than the previous, with Wednesday’s predicted high near 70 degrees.
The state of Iowa is sending 100 traveling nurses and respiratory therapists to more than a dozen hospitals across Iowa as health care providers grapple with an increasing number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Using federal dollars, the state contracted to send health care staff to 17 facilities that provide level 1, 2 and 3 trauma care, including facilities in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, state public health officials confirmed to The Gazette. These traveling staff, who come from out-of-state, began arriving this week at Iowa hospitals.
All the extra staff are contracted for six weeks, working roughly 60 hours a week directly with COVID-19 patients and assisting where they are needed for inpatient care, such as the emergency department or intensive care unit, local hospital officials said.
The trial for a 21-year-old University of Iowa sophomore charged with killing his parents and sister in June has been reset to April 5 in Linn County District Court.
A judge said last month the previous January date would be reset after the last pretrial hearing because attorneys for Alexander Ken Jackson said they were still waiting to take depositions and to exchange all evidence in the case.
Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Lars Anderson let the prosecution and defense work on a new trial date with court administration.
Jackson, who graduated from Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He is accused of killing his father, Jan Jackson, 61; mother, Melissa Jackson, 68; and sister, Sabrina Jackson, 19, on June 15.
Deer hunters found a dead mountain lion with a broken snare around its neck in east-central Iowa, state wildlife officials reported.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said the nearly 120-pound cat was found Tuesday in Poweshiek County by a group of hunters.
Mountain lions — also known as pumas and cougars — have no legal wildlife status in Iowa, meaning the hunters could have kept the carcass. Instead, they turned it over to DNR officials. The DNR stated it would examine the dead cat to attempt to learn more about its background.
Iowa starting running back Tyler Goodson will not play in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1 as he prepares for the NFL Draft, he announced Friday in a tweet.
The Junior rushed for 1,151 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry in 2021 despite having a young and inconsistent offensive line in front of him.
He is the first Iowa player to opt out of the upcoming Citrus Bowl matchup against Kentucky. Current projections have him going in around the 5th round of the NFL Draft.
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