Gazette Daily News Briefing, November 15
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for November 15, 2023.
It will be sunny on Wednesday with a high near 67 degrees,according to the National Weather Service. On Wednesday evening it will be mostly clear, with a low of around 45 degrees.
Proposed rules meant to provide guidance to Iowan physicians lack specific penalties they could face for performing abortions under a new law that remains tied up in court.
The Iowa Board of Medicine is set to meet Friday to consider proposed rules that include specific guidance on how medical providers are to implement the exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormalities and medical emergencies contained in a new law that would prohibit the vast majority of abortions in the state.
The proposed rules, however, currently do not answer key questions about whether doctors could face fines or licensing repercussions for performing abortions illegally. They simply state: “Failure to comply with this rule or the requirements of Iowa Code section 146E may constitute grounds for discipline.”
The fate of the fetal abortion law remains to be decided. For now abortion in Iowa remains legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
A Door Dash delivery driver killed in an October shooting at a Cedar Rapids apartment complex parking lot was shot six times, according to a criminal complaint against Cameron Leonard, one of the people police believe were involved in the shootout.
Leonard was arrested last week by U.S. marshals in Burlington after he was released from the hospital, where he was taken to be treated for multiple gunshot wounds after the Oct. 5 shooting.
According to a criminal complaint, Leonard’s brother, Maurice Brown — who was also killed in the shooting — placed a Door Dash order that was delivered by Snyder. Brown, 21, of Cedar Rapids, knew Snyder and “there had been a previous conflict between them,” the complaint said without elaboration.
After Snyder arrived a shootout ensued between the men.
KMRY radio host Ricky Bartlett of Iowa City and the band Vibe will be honored with a Danny Award at the fourth annual Danny Awards held Nov. 18 in New York. The awards sponsored by Daniel’s Music Foundation recognizes musicians with disabilities with the purpose of challenging society to think differently about disability.
The Danny Awards is considered an artist pipeline for Just Call Me By My Name, a record label for musicians with disabilities (distributed by The Orchard) that releases compilation EPs timed to key Disability Awareness dates. The label also seeks performance opportunities at festivals, award shows, DEI conferences and corporate events, and promotes artists’ music through listening stations at key venues.
Bartlett is a double amputee who lost his legs to a flesh-eating disease. After he nearly lost his life in addition to his legs, he decided to pursue his dream of acting and has been voice-over work for a Marvel project in the United Kingdom. He also saw a lot of work pour in from international projects during the SAG-AFTRA strikes (the union doesn’t have much of an international presence.) He’s also working on a Korean film, called “Target,” where he is playing a mob boss.
