Gazette Daily News Briefing, December 17 and December 18

Welcome to the weekend!

This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Saturday December 17 and Sunday December 18.

According to the National Weather Service there will be a chance for snow flurries all day Saturday in the Cedar Rapids area. The high will be near 23 degrees, with the low dropping down to 11 degrees. On Sunday the sun will return, but it will remain cold, with a 24 degree high and wind chill values as low as 0 degrees. 

Iowa regulators have slapped an emergency order on a Marengo company after a Dec. 8 explosion, calling the C6-Zero facility a “clear threat to public health and the environment” because of “unknown flammable chemicals and gases” remaining in a damaged building.

“Despite repeated information requests from the (Iowa Department of Natural Resources) and meetings in which compliance matters were discussed, C6-Zero and Mr. Howard Brand have failed to comply with Iowa’s air quality, hazardous condition, solid waste and legitimate recycling laws,” according to the order signed Thursday, and released Friday, by Iowa DNR Director Kayla Lyon.

C6-Zero describes itself as a recycler of used asphalt shingles, with founder Howard Brand III attempting to use a proprietary solvent to dissolve the shingles into component parts of oil, sand and fiberglass.

The order notes regulators may impose civil penalties of up to $5,000 per day for solid waste violations and water quality violations and up to $10,000 per day for air quality violations.

American Airlines soon will begin nonstop service from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., adding a route that’s been years in the making for Cedar Rapids.

Airport and city officials announced Friday that the year-round service would begin June 1 to one of the airport’s top 10 destinations, and offer connections to other popular destinations including New York City, Boston and Charleston.

The Eastern Iowa Airport Director Marty Lenss said Reagan National Airport is a slot-restricted facility, meaning only a finite number of slots are available for each airline for landings and takeoffs.

“The fact that American Airlines is designating one of those exclusive slots to a CID flight is really … a tremendous investment and (shows) continued confidence by American in this region, and really the state of Iowa,” Lenss said. “So I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say this is a big damn day for Iowa.”

Coming tomorrow in the Gazette and on thegazette.com, we have a feature story on the Iowa Music Awards and why its organizers hope they can use it to kickstart a new movement in Iowa’s music scene.

Here’s a snippet from one of the story’s videos featuring Cedar Rapids-based rapper and DJ, Antonio “Tone Da Boss” Chalmers. Chalmers is the founder of the Iowa Music Awards, and he talks about why the awards show is about more than giving out plaudits.

More from the interview with Chalmers can be found on the front page of thegazette.com

Have a good weekend everyone! Stay warm.