Gazette Daily News Briefing, June 24 and June 25
Welcome to the weekend!
This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Saturday, June 24th, and Sunday, June 25th, 2023.
According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will see a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. The temperature will see a high of 93 and cool to a low of 67 Saturday night with a continued chance of showers and thunderstorms. Chance of precipitation is 90%
The chance of showers and thunderstorms will persist throughout Sunday, but otherwise it’ll be partly sunny, with a high near 80 and cool to 64 Sunday evening as chances for showers and thunderstorms continue.
Summit seeks second pipeline permit for project extension
As reported by Jared Strong - Iowa Capital Dispatch and published on TheGazette.com, Summit Carbon Solutions this week asked the Iowa Utilities Board to set informational meetings for the expansion in Floyd and Mitchell counties in northern Iowa. A 31-mile length of pipe would connect the Absolute Energy ethanol plant near St. Ansgar to Summit’s proposed pipeline network that is to span over 2,000 miles in five states.
The project would carry captured carbon dioxide away from ethanol plants for underground sequestration in North Dakota.
Federal officials have said such projects are crucial to meet goals for limiting greenhouse gas emissions, but opponents of Summit’s pipeline worry about public safety and landowners’ rights. Summit is likely to seek eminent domain to obtain easements for about 1,000 parcels of land in Iowa.
Iowa schools win Carrie Chapman Catt Award for registering students to vote
The Gazette’s Grace King reports Isaac Newton Christian Academy in Cedar Rapids is one of 19 schools awarded the Carrie Chapman Catt Award this year for registering at least 90 percent of their eligible students to vote. This is the fourth year the private school has earned the award.
Across the state, more than 2,600 eligible high school students registered to vote this year in conjunction with the award initiative. Isaac Newton was the only school in Cedar Rapids to earn the Carrie Chapman Catt Award this year.
Regina High School in Iowa City registered at least 50 percent of eligible students and received a personalized certificate from the Iowa Secretary of State.
The award was create by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate in 2019 to encourage voter registration in Iowa high schools. The award is named after Carrie Chapman Catt, a famous Iowa native who was instrumental in securing passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women access to the ballot box more than 100 years ago.
More lanes, new interchange coming to I-380
As reported by The Gazette’s Tom Barton, Iowa state transportation officials recently gave the green light to proceed with plans to widen Interstate 380 and rebuild the interchange with Wright Brothers Boulevard in Cedar Rapids.
The Iowa Transportation Commission earlier this month approved the 2024-2028 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program. The non-binding planning document proposes the Iowa Department of Transportation spend $4.2 billion in state and federal funding on highway and bridge projects over the next five years.
Iowa DOT commissioners proposed to delay several projects as the cost for constructing roads and bridges has risen significantly over the past year while funding has largely remained the same. But the commission did not remove any projects entirely from last year’s five-year program.
The five-year program proposes spending more than $3.3 billion to improve the safety and condition of existing state highways and bridges, including dedicating more than $1.3 billion of additional bridge investments.
Among the projects recommended for funding include adding lanes, replacing major river crossings and modernizing interchanges to improve safety and future traffic on I-380 and U.S. Highway 151 in Linn County.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
