Gazette Daily News Briefing, May 7 and May 8
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, May 8.
Happy Mother’s Day Weekend.
There should be some happy weather for the weekend. According to the National Weather Service forecast Saturday will be sunny in the Cedar Rapids area with a high of 70 degrees and a mild wind of 5 to 10 mph. On Sunday there will be a chance for rain but it only looks to be a slight one at the moment, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 68 degrees. Then, all of a sudden, it will be genuine shorts weather next week, with high temperatures reaching the 80s and possibly even the 90s. So enjoy those two days of pleasant spring weather, it might be all we get this year.
22 people exposed to elevated levels of carbon monoxide were taken to local hospitals Friday afternoon as fire crews responded to alarms sounding at a southwest quadrant transportation and logistics company.
According to a fire department news release, crews were called about 2:30 p.m. to the warehouse and office of NFI Interactive Logistics in southwest Cedar Rapids. Alarms to detect carbon monoxide were sounding and first responders found “multiple employees feeling unwell.”
Firefighters and Area Ambulance crews treated employees for possible carbon monoxide exposure and 22 people were transported to UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s and Mercy Medical Center for what authorities said was “a precaution for further assessment and treatment.”
Crews said they isolated the facility’s gas lines but the incident remained under investigation.
A Cedar Rapids man has been charged with vehicular homicide and operating while intoxicated following a crash that killed a motorcyclist Thursday afternoon.
Carlos Garcia, 39, was driving south on Interstate 380 Thursday in a black Buick SUV when he started toward the exit ramp to Highway 30 east. He then veered away from the exit ramp, through a grassy divide, and back onto I-380 where he hit the motorcycle, according to a news release from the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
The driver of the motorcycle, Jeffery Lankford, 53, of Cedar Rapids, was in the southbound inside lane. He was thrown from the motorcycle and pinned against the median cables dividing the north and southbound lanes of I-380 and died at the scene, according to a criminal complaint against Garcia.
Along with the vehicular homicide and drunken-driving charges, Garcia faces additional charges of driving with a suspended license, interference with official acts, disarming a police officer and cocaine possession, according to the complaint.
Starting May 3, 2023, the federal government will require a driver’s license or ID card with the “Real ID” mark for air travel and when entering a federal building. Anyone without one starting on that date will be required to provide additional identification.
But just less than a year out from the deadline, roughly 2 in 5 Iowans have not yet obtained the Real ID.
To get a Real ID in Iowa, individuals must make an appointment to appear in person at an Iowa DOT facility or receive service in person at a county issuance location. The process cannot be completed online.
To get the ID stamp of approval you must provide the DOT with proof of identity, proof of security, and two documents proving Iowa residency. There are examples of all three of these categories on the Iowa DOT website, so just something to keep in mind as you’re doing your spring cleaning this weekend.
