Gazette Daily News Briefing, October 28
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I’m here with your update for Friday, October 28.
The temperatures keep slowly ticking upward after a cold start to the week. According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny Friday in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 61 degrees. On Friday night it will be clear, with a low of around 34 degrees.
Ingredion and the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 100G have agreed to meet face to face next Tuesday for the first time in more than a month.
The local has been on strike at the multinational ingredients manufacturer’s Cedar Rapid facility since Aug. 1.
Mike Moore, the local union’s principal and president, would not disclose the location of the Nov. 1 meeting but said he would attend with only his negotiating team — no other union members would be present — and Ingredion officials had agreed they would not bring security personnel.
A Sept. 21 meeting with the Westchester, Ill.-based manufacturer ended when both parties were asked to leave the Hotel at Kirkwood Center after the two sides became heated over Ingredion officials bringing armed security professionals with them.
The two sides have met via video conferences since then.
Two 19-year-olds were arrested Wednesday on charges that they vandalized several cars, a building and street signs in Marion in July. The graffiti included “KKK,” “I am a Nazi” and swastikas, according to the Marion Police Department
Gary Alan Jacobsen III, of Cedar Rapids, and Zane Alexander Wilcox-Thomas, of Marion, are each facing four counts of third-degree burglary of a vehicle, and one count each of third-degree burglary, first-degree criminal mischief, conspiracy to commit nonforcible felony, trafficking stolen weapons, conspiracy to commit aggravated misdemeanor and person ineligible to carry dangerous weapons.
Police interviewed a third subject, identified in criminal complaints as Koda Shane Holst, and are pursuing the same charges against him, according to police.
The three men entered a garage in the 1100 block of 10th Street in Marion on July 21 and stole spray paint cans, which they used to vandalize several cars, personal property and city of Marion property, causing more than $10,000 in damage, according to a criminal complaint.
Marion investigators identified the three suspects after finding cell phone pictures that were taken the night of the incident and showed all three wearing the same clothing they were seen in on a home security camera system, according to the news release.
The incident was investigated to determine if any of the crimes committed could be considered hate crimes, but no evidence was found to warrant the additional charges, according to police.
In a question placed on the ballot by a group calling for a moratorium on wind energy and solar farms, Tama County voters will decide next month whether to increase the number of county supervisors from three to five.
The Tama County Against Turbines group gathered more than 1,000 signatures earlier this year, as required by law. At least 908 signatures were required based on how many people in Tama County voted in the last presidential election.
Tama County Against Turbines is a group of residents who have been speaking since April at Tama County Board of Supervisors meetings during public comments, calling for a moratorium on permitting any new industrial wind or solar projects in the county until the county has updated its ordinances governing them.
If the Tama County measure passes, all five of its supervisor seats would be up for election in November 2024. Before then, a redistricting commission would draw up maps for the five equal-population districts.
