Gazette Daily News Briefing, March 24
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Friday, March 24..
Friday will be mostly uneventful weather wise, with the possible exception of some rain and snow late Friday into Saturday. According to the National Weather Service it will be partly sunny, with a high near 48 degrees. Overnight into Saturday there could be a chance of rain, and then snow, with a half inch of snow possible. Any snow won't last long, though, as the high temperatures Saturday onward look to be above 40 degrees.
Two teenagers were arrested Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Michael McCune in February in northwest Cedar Rapids.
Dante Irvin, 15, and Tramontez Lockett, 16, face charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit a forcible felony and going armed with intent. Lockett also is charged with aiding and abetting first-degree theft, according to a news release from Cedar Rapids police.
Lockett is being charged in adult court and will have his initial appearance Friday.
Irvin will be charged in juvenile court, but Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said prosecutors will ask to have his case waived into adult court.
Cedar Rapids police found McCune with several gunshot wounds at the Tan Tara Apartments, 1640 F Ave. NW, shortly after 11:30 a.m. Feb. 18. He died at the scene.
Iowa House Republicans are proposing spending $8.58 billion in the upcoming budget year, an increase of about 4.5 percent from the current year, House Speaker Pat Grassley said Thursday.
The proposal is about $90 million more than proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican Senate leaders.
Two bills already signed into law — adjusting an erroneous property tax formula and setting a 3 percent increase in state funding to K-12 schools — pushed the budget goal above Reynolds’ target, and Grassley said House Republicans want to spend another $50 million on other priorities.
The state revenue panel estimated in recent meetings that Iowa would bring in roughly $9.65 billion in the next budget year. By state law, lawmakers can’t spend more than 99 percent of that estimate.
Republicans have consistently spent less than that 99 percent in the past several years, and Grassley said the budget proposal reflects Republican goals of spending about 89 percent of projected revenue.
House Republicans also are working on a bill to reduce property taxes, but Grassley said any hit to the state budget from that bill would be covered by the taxpayer relief fund, which is expected to have a balance of about $2.7 billion next year.
