Gazette Daily News Briefing, January 7 and January 8
Welcome to the weekend!
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Saturday, January 7, and Sunday, January 8.
The weekend will start with some fog, but the sun will emerge and linger afterwards. According to the National Weather Service there could be some patchy fog before 9 a.m., otherwise it will be partly sunny, with a high near 30 degrees. On Saturday night there will be a 20 percent chance of some light snow after 11 p.m., with a low around 20 degrees.
On Sunday the day will start mostly cloudy, before becoming sunny, with a high near 33 degrees.
There has been redemption for the Cedar Rapids city flag.
After Cedar Rapids revamped its municipal flag design — which was previously considered one of the worst in the U.S. — the new version rose to the top as one of the 25 best new flags in the nation among a wave of U.S. cities redesigning their municipal flags.
Respondents to a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association deemed Cedar Rapids’ flag — redesigned in 2021 — the 22nd best among other new or recently modified municipal flags.
Cedar Rapids in 2019 began to design a new flag after the association deemed the flag as one of the top 10 worst in the country in 2004, landing the flag on other “worst of” lists in the years since. In 2015, the city flag was called out in a TED Talk about the importance of flags by American radio producer Roman Mars, a flag aficionado.
Iowans will have to wait longer for the option of keeping their state-issued ID on their smartphones and not just their wallets.
The Iowa Department of Transportation has delayed the public launch of its digital driver’s license, or “mobile ID,” as it seeks to develop and test a newer version of the application to align with new national and international best practices and standards.
The new guidelines prompted additional development and testing of the mobile ID app using newer software to add another layer of security.
That includes the incorporation of a QR code for retail establishments and other places to scan to verify a person’s age, identity or address. The QR code includes an encryption key, and once scanned initiates an encrypted Bluetooth connection.
A Cedar Rapids man charged with attempted murder is accused of stabbing another man because the man was with the suspect’s ex-girlfriend, according to court documents.
Police say Michael Alva Chevalier Jr., 33, stabbed 37-year-old Ian Funke, 37, near the entrance to the CeMar bike trail at 500 27th St. NE around midnight Thursday.
Funke was near the trail with Chevalier’s ex-girlfriend when Chevalier arrived as a passenger in a white Ford Explorer, according to a criminal complaint.
Funke told police Chevalier got out of the vehicle and confronted him while holding a 10-inch-long buck knife.
When Funke attempted to ride his bike away, Chevalier stabbed him in the back, through his backpack, coat, sweatshirt and T-shirt. The stab wound narrowly missed Funke’s lung, but caused substantial bleeding, according to court documents.
Funke was treated by police at the scene and they transported him to the hospital for further treatment.
Have a good weekend everyone!
