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– Cedar Rapids schools back to the drawing board on Harrison Elementary plans
– Here’s how Cedar Rapids is working to address Hy-Vee’s closure of First Avenue store
– ‘Swine Republic’ makes Library of Congress’ ‘Great Reads’ list
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This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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– Lisa Bluder announces retirement as Iowa women’s basketball coach
– Iowa DNR asks Attorney General to seek penalties against co-op that caused massive fertilizer spill
– Iowa AG Bird attends Trump trial in NYC, expresses support for former president
This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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- Seeking long-term mental health treatment in Iowa
- Iowa schools draw fewer candidates for superintendent
jobs
- Motherhood takes Cedar Rapids native to highest highs
and lowest lows
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– Authorities seek Iowa sex trafficking victim who killed alleged abuser
– Budget cuts, homelessness among topics in annual Linn County address
– Orchestra Iowa among area organizations receiving Inspire Iowa grants
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This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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Featured Stories
– Justice Department, civil rights groups sue to block Iowa immigration law
– First Avenue Hy-Vee to close, leaving urban grocery gap in northeast Cedar Rapids
– Bud & Mary’s to sell cannabis vapes in Missouri
– Mucha artistry on display at Cedar Rapids museum
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This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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Featured Stories
– West Union loses over $60K to email scam
– Iowa facility that mistreated residents with intellectual disabilities nears closure
– Two annual Cedar Rapids beer festivals merge into Cedar Rapids Brewing Society Benz Fest, debuting this week
Consider taking the Daily News Podcast Survey. Find a full transcript of this episode at thegazette.com. This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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- Mount Mercy, St. Ambrose considering becoming ‘one institution’
- Second autopsy of David Schultz to proceed without body
- Reynolds signs new law to bolster early reading
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Iowa universities propose tuition increases for next yearCedar Rapids teachers get 3% base wage increase next yearIowa Republicans call to rally around Trump at state conventionConsider taking our Daily News Podcast Survey - we're considering changes but want to hear from you first!Find episode transcripts on thegazette.com. This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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Featured Stories
- Why Iowa struggles to pass hands-free driving laws
- New law protects bikers, mobile pedestrians in crosswalks
- Time Check Neighborhood
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Episode Transcript
Welcome to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast for Monday, May 6, 2024. This podcast provides the latest headlines from the Gazette newsroom. I’m Becky Lutgen Gardner.
First, despite broad support, Iowa struggles to pass hands-free driving laws. Bills mandating hands-free technology to limit cellphone use while driving have been introduced in the Iowa Legislature since 2019, but all attempts at passage have been unsuccessful. More than 30 other states have passed such laws. Why doesn’t Iowa?
Advocates, fueled by personal tragedies like Ellen Bengtson's death in 2020, have relentlessly urged lawmakers to follow suit. Ellen was fatally struck by a distracted driver who was checking an app on his phone while doing over 55 miles an hour.
The absence of a hands-free law in Iowa resulted in the judge dismissing the case against the driver. Despite bipartisan and law enforcement backing, the latest distracted driving bill faced staunch resistance, notably from a libertarian faction within the GOP, citing concerns about individual liberties.
Rep. John Wills believes the focus should be on broader measures to curb distracted driving, not solely on phone
use. He argues, "Let’s not make the phone the enemy... Let’s cure the
disease rather than putting a Band-Aid on it."
Such arguments are drawing criticism. Luke Hoffman, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle
Coalition rejects the idea of a false choice
between freedom and safety. "What is the first responsibility of
government? It is to protect the people," Hoffman asserts.
Ellen's mother, JoAnn Bengtson, urges
drivers to prioritize safety and emphasize personal responsibility: "Put
your phone away... Turn your notifications off."
Despite these pleas, the legislative impasse
persists, leaving families like the Bengtsons grappling with profound loss.
"Justice in this case doesn’t bring our daughter back," Peter
Bengtson laments. "As a parent, you want to protect your daughter. It’s
something we’ll never get over."
Next,
advocates say a new law signed Friday
by Gov. Kim Reynolds will make Iowa’s roads and crosswalks safer.
The legislation extends the state’s crosswalk protection law.
Drivers in Iowa are now required to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
The new law expands that requirement by requiring vehicles to yield to
bicyclists and pedestrians using mobility devices in crosswalks.
Iowa Bicycle Coalition executive director Luke Hoffman said, “Whether you
are out on the trails as a cyclist, a person with disabilities in a wheelchair,
a senior citizen on an electric scooter, a kid on a...
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Featured Stories:
– Iowa’s graduation rates have been incorrectly calculated for the last 10 years
– Justice Department intends to sue to block Iowa immigration law
– 300 tornadoes hit U.S. in April, second-most ever
Consider taking our Daily News Podcast Survey
We're considering some changes to the Gazette Daily News Podcast, but we want to hear from you before doing so. This episode's description has a link to a brief survey or you can visit thegazette dot com slash survey. We hope you take a few minutes to share your thoughts on this show. Thank you!
This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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Featured Stories:
Boy charged with firing gun at Hiawatha police officersBelle Plaine gets $500K to boost water retention amid drought'School of Rock’ ready to roll through Theatre Cedar RapidsThis episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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Featured Stories:
– U.S. drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift, AP sources say
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This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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- Court order moves fatal crew club lawsuit against ISU to trial
- Here’s how closing Hills Elementary saves the Iowa City School District $1.66 million
- Western Iowa man dies as spate of tornadoes hits the state
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- Google data center would be among Cedar Rapids’ largest water and energy users
- Cedar Rapids City Council advances Higley Mansion rezoning
- Local Farmer’s Markets getting underway
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- Iowa athletes file federal lawsuit against DCI over sports betting probe
- Iowa Supreme Court sides with UI in Children’s Hospital spat, reversing $12.8M judgment
- LaSalle, Regis middle schools to share leadership under Xavier Catholic Schools
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- Relief but sorrow after missing Iowa trucker’s body found
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Featured Stories
– Cedar Rapids awards incentives to proposed $21M commercial park
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This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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Featured Stories
– Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say
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This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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– Iowa’s 2024 legislative session is over, here are the major changes passed
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This episode was hosted and produced by Bailey Cichon.
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