Gazette Daily News Podcast, June 1

Stephen Schmidt

Jun. 1, 2022 4:09 am

We will have a cool, sunny day Wednesday, with a small chance for some rain Wednesday evening. According to the National Weather Service it will be mostly sunny in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 72 degrees. On Wednesday night it will become cloudy, with a low around 52 degrees. There will be a 30 percent chance for showers going into Thursday.

According to the Associated Press, the Biden administration on Tuesday said it will send Ukraine a small number of high-tech, medium-range rocket systems, a critical weapon that Ukrainian leaders have been lobbying for as they struggle to stall Russian progress in the Donbas region.

Fire damage can be seen at Shueys Restaurant & Lounge, 1158 Club Road NE, in Shueyville, Iowa, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. At around 4:28 a.m., the Jefferson Monroe Fire Department from Swisher was sent to a report of a fire at the restaurant and bar. Firefighters, with the effort of several nearby departments, were able to extinguish the flames. According to a Facebook post, owners described the damage from the fire as substantial but plan on reopening. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

The rocket systems are part of a new $700 million contribution of security assistance for Ukraine from the U.S. that will include helicopters, Javelin anti-tank weapon systems, tactical vehicles, and more.

The administration is trying to toe the line in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, providing Ukraine with assistance while not giving them weapons that could further provoke Russia’s ire, such as rockets that could reach Russian soil.

Shuey’s Restaurant and Lounge in Shueyville will close temporarily after the building was damaged in a fire Saturday.

The Jefferson Monroe Fire Department responded to the fire at 4:30 a.m. Saturday and found flames on the back of the building and across half the roof, according to Jefferson Monroe Fire Chief Glen Heims.

No one was injured in the fire. It was extinguished with the help of fire crews from Swisher, Solon, Ely, North Liberty, Fairfax and Cedar Rapids.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the state fire marshal.

Shuey’s announced that it would be closed due to the fire but its owners vowed to rebuild “better than ever.”

A Georgia man, who was convicted of assaulting a TSA officer and interfering with her job duties after drugs and nearly $38,000 in cash were found in his bags, was sentenced last week to two months in prison.

Andre Burns, 38, of Atlanta, Ga., pleaded guilty in February to one count of interference with airport security. According to the plea, Burns was flying out of The Eastern Iowa Airport on June 16, 2019, and his bag was tagged as a “suspicious package” as it went through a security checkpoint. He was directed to a secondary security location and officers inspected his luggage and found an envelope with nearly $38,000 cash and 35 grams of marijuana.

Burns then grabbed some of the cash, ran through the exit lane of the screening area, and punched TSA officer Yolanda Mendoza in the stomach when she tried to detain him, according to state and federal court documents.