Gazette Daily News Briefing, March 5 and March 6
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6.
It’s going to be a taste of spring this weekend, with a return to the cold the following week. According to the National Weather Service there will be a high near 65 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area on Saturday. Keeping with the spring feel, there will also be rain and thunderstorms likely, with showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 3 p.m. There will also be a chance for showers and thunderstorms Saturday night, with wind gusts as fast as 45 mph. The low will be around 31 degrees.
Sunday will be colder and calmer. It is predicted to be partly sunny, with a high near 45 degrees. There could be a chance for rain and snow Sunday night, with a low around 30 degrees.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ campaign arm is planning a “special event” that could be the official kickoff of her re-election campaign.
The Reynolds campaign announced Friday it will hold a rally Wednesday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The announcement does not say what Reynolds will talk about at the event.
Reynolds, a Republican, is up for re-election this fall. She has not yet officially announced her desire to seek another four years as Iowa governor, but is widely expected to do so.
This year, Democrats have just one active candidate to challenge a potential Reynolds run: Deidre DeJear, a Des Moines businesswoman who ran for Iowa secretary of state in 2018.
More than 1,000 tickets have been sold for the Russian Ballet Theatre’s performance of “Swan Lake” on Sunday evening at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Cedar Rapids.
Michael Silva, executive director of VenuWorks of Cedar Rapids, said via email that he is “not aware of any mass refund requests” in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As a precaution against any backlash or protests, he said Cedar Rapids police will be on hand for the performance, but he does not expect there to be any disturbances.
“This troupe has recently played the theaters in both Davenport and Dubuque, and we are hearing that the performance was beautiful and the messages about peace have been well received by the public,” Silva said.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety is asking the Iowa Legislature for $385,000 to take the “final steps” in outfitting all Iowa State Patrol troopers with body cameras.
If lawmakers approve use of the Technology Reinvestment Fund for equipment installation and licensing of software, troopers could be using the body cameras in a year, Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens said.
The agency that stops more than 150,000 motorists a year, provides security at the state Capitol and staffs high-profile events like RAGBRAI will benefit from body cameras, according to a briefing document prepared for the Legislature.
The agency will seek competitive bids for the cameras, which cost between $600 and $1,000, and for data storage.
Support for this news update was provided by New Pioneer Food Co-op. Celebrating 50 years as Eastern Iowa’s destination for locally and responsibly sourced groceries with stores in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids; and online through Co-op Cart at newpi.coop.
