Gazette Daily News Briefing, May 31
This Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Wednesday, May 31.
Believe it or not there may be a chance for rain Wednesday, but it will not be very high. It will be mostly sunny in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 89 degrees. There will be a 20 percent chance of precipitation between around 2 and 6 p.m., but outside of this the chance for a return of rain is more likely on Thursday and Friday. The low temperature is predicted at 67 degrees with partly cloudy skies.
According to reporting from the Quad-City Times, at least five people are unaccounted for and two are likely to be inside the apartment building that partially collapsed over the weekend in downtown Davenport, city officials said Tuesday in an emotional hourlong news conference.
Spurred by the Monday night discovery of a survivor — more than a day after the Sunday evening collapse — and by protesters calling for further searches before the building is demolished, the city conducted another sweep despite the increasingly perilous condition of the six-story structure called The Davenport.
On Tuesday morning, protesters worried about the impending demolition of the building pleaded for another search. “Find Them First” and “Who is in the Rubble?" their signs said. Some used a megaphone to shout out names of building residents.
Tuesday afternoon, the city issued an update that a rescue team had conducted a search within portions of the building "that presented an acceptable risk for emergency response entry." While several animals were rescued and delivered to the Scott County Humane Society, no "human activity" was detected.
A structural engineer hired by the city has concluded that rescuers cannot go into the debris pile without destabilizing the building, said Davenport Fire Marshal Jim Morris.
"We want to get everybody out. And we want to do it right now," Morris continued, but said the city had to do so in a safe manner.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Tuesday that she plans to send about 100 Iowa National Guard soldiers and 30 law enforcement officers to Texas to assist with border security between the United States and Mexico.
The Iowa National Guard troops and state law enforcement personnel would deploy for separate 30-day stints in August and September, respectively, according to Reynolds’ office.
It is the second time in a two-year span that Reynolds has directed state troops and law enforcement to Texas. In 2021, up to 30 Department of Public Safety officers and 24 Iowa National Guard members assisted in law enforcement efforts at the border in response to requests from fellow Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona and the federal government, costing the state about $300,000.
During the first deployment, Iowa troopers assisted with 240 criminal arrests and 51 vehicle pursuits. Troopers also seized 18 firearms, $1.7 million dollars, 948 pounds of marijuana and 37 pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine, according to the governor’s office.
