Gazette Daily News Briefing, July 15
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, July 15.
There will be a chance for rain early and a chance for rain at the end of the day Friday. According to the National Weather Service there will be a 40 to 50 percent chance for rain in the Cedar Rapids area Friday morning, with the chance decreasing by 1 p.m. The chance for rain will spike up to around 30 percent Friday night. Otherwise it will be cloudy, with a high of 88 degrees and a low of 70 degrees.
Emergency responders are continuing to search the Cedar River near Palisades-Kepler State Park for an 11-year-old girl, identified Thursday by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office as Zyah Thomas of Cedar Rapids.
Crews were called to the state park Wednesday afternoon when the girl reportedly went into the water and began to struggle, according to a new release.The search continued throughout the rest of Wednesday.
In a tweet Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office identified the girl by name and called the incident a drowning. Sheriff Brian Gardner said Thomas was visiting the beach area Wednesday with her family.
Progress on a 640-acre solar farm near Coggon — approved by the Linn County Board of Supervisors after contentious public meetings — is on hold while a court resolves a case brought against the supervisors by a family who lives near the planned project.
On Wednesday, the Iowa Utilities Board denied Coggon Solar LLC’s request for a certificate of public convenience, use and necessity until the court acts. The certificate is the permit that authorizes Coggon Solar LLC to operate a public facility within the area and is typically for public utilities or similar entities.
In January, the supervisors voted 2-1 to approve rezoning in the area to allow for the project. The approval meant that about 750 acres would be rezoned from agricultural to agricultural with a renewable energy overlay that expires after 35 years.
In February, Martin Robinson, Paula Robinson, Tom Robinson and Laura Robinson filed an appeal and initiated a proceeding in Linn County District Court to challenge the zoning decision.
The Robinsons had been present at several of the meetings about the solar project and had expressed concerns about the effect it might have on property values, among other criticisms.
The Vinton Public Library, which has been closed this week after losing its interim director — and, before that, two directors in two years — will reopen for limited hours beginning Monday.
The two directors left for other jobs amid city resident complaints about the library’s display of LGBTQ books and books about Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The library will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Board members and the library’s one part-time employee will take shifts to check out books and provide access to the library’s computers, copier and fax machines. The board said they are also moving ahead on interviewing three candidates for the new director position.
