Gazette Daily News Briefing, December 9 and 10
Welcome to the weekend!
This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Saturday, December 9nd, and Sunday, December 10rd, 2023.
According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will be Cloudy, with a steady temperature around 40. Saturday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.
Sunday will be sunny, with a high near 35. Sunday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 20.
Vivek Ramaswamy says he is not exploring Libertarian presidential bid
Vivek Ramaswamy has been courting Iowa Libertarians in his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, but he denied he is considering a run for president on the Libertarian ticket.
Members of Ramaswamy’s campaign met with the Polk County Libertarians earlier this week, seeking Libertarian support. But at an event in Muscatine on Friday, the Ohio biotech entrepreneur said he is not considering a third-party bid for president.
Ramaswamy’s campaign has had staffers attend Libertarian events to encourage them to register as Republicans and support Ramaswamy in the presidential caucuses, spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed, but she said Ramaswamy is not considering a run under that party’s banner.
McLaughlin said about half of those attending Ramaswamy campaign events are traditional Republicans while the other half have never caucused before.
November marked one of the driest months on record for Iowa
According to preliminary numbers from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the average statewide precipitation was just 0.38 inches — 1.44 inches below normal. It marked the eighth month of the year with below-normal precipitation.
The lack of precipitation pushed the state further into drought — particularly the southern half, which has degraded to a “drought warning” rating under the Iowa Drought Plan. Most of the northern half of Iowa currently has a “drought watch” rating, except for the northwest corner, which has a “normal” rating, according to a Thursday Iowa DNR Water Summary Update.
Iowa City providing resources for reducing lead in water
Iowa City has announced a new lead reduction program that will provide resources for home and business owners to reduce the lead in their water supply by updating old plumbing and water fixtures.
The program, announced earlier this month, is mostly focused on educating community members about the possibility of lead in their water, and what to do about it, according to Jon Durst, Iowa City water superintendent.
Reducing lead in the water in individual homes is difficult, because while the city controls the piping and materials used in the public water supply, the individually owned pipes that bring the water from the public supply to houses are the responsibility of homeowners, Durst said. And since many homes were built before federal legislation changed what alloys can be used in plumbing, there are still a lot of homes with lead in the pipes.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
