Gazette Daily News Briefing, November 18 and 19
Welcome to the weekend!
This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Saturday, November 18th, and Sunday, November 19th, 2023.
According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will be sunny, with a high near 57, cooling to a low around 33 Saturday night.
Sunday will be cloudy with a high of 57, cooling to a low of 41 Sunday night.
deteriorating beams are being repaired at Taft, Harding
Repairs are being made to deteriorating wood beams at Taft and Harding middle schools in Cedar Rapids after some of the columns were determined last month to be structurally unstable — forcing students out of those areas.
The closure of the Taft and Harding domes is impacting more than 1,000 sixth through eighth grade students in the Cedar Rapids district. Outside the schools are fences around the domes with signs that read “do not enter.”
Band and orchestra students at Taft are practicing in the school’s front entryway. Lunch is eaten in the hallway and some classrooms. PE classes also are being held in the library or outside, weather permitting.
Later this month, music classes will move to a portable classroom being put up in front of Taft. There will be two portables with a total of four classrooms.
At Harding, renovations were made to create additional classroom space to accommodate students.
3 Iowa reps among those calling for George Santos to resign
Three of Iowa’s Republican U.S. representatives called on Republican U.S. Rep. George Santos to resign Thursday after a House Ethics Committee investigation found evidence of a string of alleged financial crimes tied to his 2022 campaign.
Reps. Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks called for Santos to resign from Congress, signaling that they would vote to expel him if he does not resign.
The three representatives, along with Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, all voted against a previous measure to expel Santos from Congress.
The House Ethics Committee’s report says Santos stole from his campaign, deceived donors into paying him personally when they thought they were giving to his campaign, and reported fictitious loans to his campaign he then used campaign funds to pay back.
Panel takes first step to consider restructuring downtown Cedar Rapids’ managing entity
Could another organization host signature downtown events such as the farmers market or decide how to spend public funds on things like murals and lighting?
The Downtown Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District Commission — a mayor-appointed panel that oversees downtown initiatives — took steps this week to explore such questions and consider how to potentially change the management structure of downtown operations.
The move comes as consultant Progressive Urban Management Associates of Denver is slated to bring a refreshed Downtown Vision Plan guiding the future of the urban core to the Cedar Rapids City Council for possible adoption Dec. 5.
The plan will recommend the district put together a task force to make a recommendation on its structure going forward. One section of the draft vision plan examines the downtown entity’s current structure in relation to others in the country.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
