Gazette Daily News Podcast, March 23

Another rainy day is coming Wednesday, and likely another one the day after. According to the National Weather Service there will be a 70 percent chance of rain in the Cedar Rapids area with a high near 48 degrees. The rain is not expected to be particularly heavy. Wednesday night there will be a 50 percent chance of rain with a low around 33 degrees.

An Iowa City couple this week received a nearly $98 million civil verdict after suing Mercy Hospital in Iowa City after their newborn suffered permanent brain damage when health care providers “improperly used forceps and a vacuum, crushing the baby’s head” during delivery.

The infant’s parents, Andrew and Kathleen Kromphardt, brought the medical malpractice lawsuit against Mercy Hospital, Dr. Jill Goodman and OB-GYN Associates for negligence throughout her pregnancy, labor and birth in 2018.

The Johnson County jury’s verdict found the hospital and clinic were equally negligent and equally responsible for damages — future medical and custodial care, loss of future earning capacity, past and future pain and suffering, past loss and future loss of function of the mind and body. The jury awarded $97.4 million to the Kromphardts.

Geoffrey Fieger, a nationally known personal injury lawyer in Southfield, Mich., who represented the Kromphardts, said in a statement the ruling represents the “largest verdict” ever made in the state for a birth trauma case.

The city of Cedar Rapids is once again trying to secure $22 million through a federal grant program for the reconstruction of the Eighth Avenue bridge over the Cedar River — a key component of the permanent flood control system that would provide a lifeline connection for residents and emergency services during extreme flooding.

The city is submitting a RAISE, or “Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity,“ grant application to the U.S. Department of Transportation to cover about 40 percent of the $50 to $55 million cost of replace the bridge with a cable-stayed, higher-elevation structure that stays open as rivers rise.

The bridge would tie together Cedar Rapids’ permanent $750 million Flood Control System — the river’s east side work with the Army Corps of Engineers and the west side, which is not eligible for federal funding under the Corps’ cost-benefit formula.

This week is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa, and that includes a statewide tornado drill at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Some counties are participating and some are not.

Linn County Emergency Management said in a news release that schools, businesses and individuals are strongly encouraged to participate in the drill, but the county won’t activate its outdoor warning sirens.

The county wants to avoid confusing the public by activating the sirens outside the normal monthly tests, according to Emergency Management Coordinator Steve O’Konek.

Johnson County will activate its sirens for the statewide drill Wednesday, according to a news release from Iowa City.

Support for this news update was provided by New Pioneer Food Co-op. Celebrating 50 years as Eastern Iowa’s destination for locally and responsibly sourced groceries with stores in Iowa City, Coralville and Cedar Rapids; and online through Co-op Cart at newpi.coop.