Gazette Daily News Podcast: Tuesday, February 13, 2024

– David Dostal to be appointed as Cedar Rapids’ next police chief

– Cedar Rapids man faces charges over explosive devices

– Burlington to open store in Coralville in May

– Government Notes: Marion hosting 30th State of the City address

Episode Transcript

You are listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast on Tuesday, February 13. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Coming up, Cedar Rapids’ is appointing a new police chief

And later, a Cedar Rapids man is facing charges over explosive devices

Plus, a Burlington store is coming to Coralville

First, Cedar Rapids hasn’t had a permanent police chief for 11 months. That will change today at noon when City Manager Jeff Pomeranz asks the Cedar Rapids City Council to approve the appointment of 56-year-old David Dostal to the position. He will succeed Wayne Jerman who retired last April after aging out of his certification when he turned 66-years-old. Dostal has spent his entire career with CRPD. In 1991, he started as a police officer and has served in a number of roles since then, including being assigned to the Drug Enforcement administration as a task force officer investigating federal drug charges. Dostal most recently served as the Captain in the Administrative Operations Division. Dostal was the only finalist for the job to come from within CRPD.

In a Monday statement, Dostal said quote, “I am humbled by this opportunity. I appreciate City Manager Pomeranz’s confidence in my ability to serve the Police Department and I look forward to the outcome of tomorrow’s council meeting.” end quote.

Next, a Cedar Rapids man was arrested over the weekend on charges that he had multiple explosive devices in his possession.

44-year-old Dennis Wayne Spratte Jr. is charged with two misdemeanor counts of possession of explosive materials or destructive devices and one felony count of possession of explosive materials or destructive devices with intent to use. On February 6, police responded to the 1900 block of Western Drive SW for a report of a suspicious device. There, police found an explosive. That was a sealed container with flash powder in a condensed tube with a wick sticking out of the tube. A burning cigarette was left next to the wick in an apparent attempt to make a timed device. Spratte’s fingerprints were found on the device. A search warrant was issued for Spratte’s home where police said they found two more cylinders with flash powder and fuses.

Next, a Burlington store is coming to Coralville in May. Burlington is formerly known as the Burlington Coat Factory. The company is set to open a store in the former Bed Bath and Beyond store at 2515 Corridor Way, Suite 7. According to a spokeswoman from the company, the target date to open is May 10. The store is expecting to hire 65 to 75 people.

Next, after closing for almost four months, the Taft middle School domes have reopened. The domes in both Taft and Harding Middle school in Cedar Rapids were closed as a safety precaution due to deteriorating wooden beams. Both schools were constructed in 1965 using the same design. To fix the structural issue, metal plates were installed to the wooden beams supporting the domes. The plates were welded to metal anchors attached to concrete footings around the domes. If weather permits, the second dome at Harding Middle School is expected to be completed this week.

As always, you can find a link to each of the stories featured in today’s episode in this episode’s description or at the gazette dot com.

Finally, let’s take a look at today’s weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Today it will be mostly cloudy. Anticipate a high of 43 degrees and a low of 26 degrees. Wednesday will be cloudy with a high reaching 49 degrees. Temperatures are expected to drop to 29 degrees Wednesday night.

Thank you for listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast. Stay up to date with the latest news from Eastern Iowa at the gazette dot com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com