Gazette Daily News Podcast, May 11

The weather should be sunny and hot again on Wednesday with a chance for thunderstorms on Wednesday night. The high in the Cedar Rapids area should top out at about 88 degrees. There will be a lingering chance of thunderstorms before 1 a.m. but the chance for thunderstorms looks to be below 20 percent. The low temperature will still be nearly 70 degrees, which, if you recall, would have been considered a pleasant high temperature just a week ago.

It turns out having almost half of your council members with conflicts of interest on an issue makes it hard to vote on it.

With four of nine City Council members facing conflicts requiring they recuse themselves from voting on the Cedar Rapids Country Club’s expansion plans, the five voting members Tuesday tabled consideration to give the Country Club more time to meet conditions that would address neighbors’ concerns.

The council’s move delays the Country Club’s plans to expand over seven residential lots and potentially vacated Fairway Terrace SE right of way to develop a tennis complex and courts, expand the parking lot and modify the driving range to increase amenities for members.

Several dozen residents, mostly from Country Club Heights, petitioned against the requests, though most speaking at the meeting slightly favored the project, provided the club meet conditions to make the facility more compatible with the neighborhood.

Controversy continues to brew at Linn-Mar, as Governor Kim Reynolds visited to speak with concerned parents about the district's transgender policies. It also turns out that Linn-Mar school board member Matt Rollinger did not alert the rest of the school board that he was having a private meeting with Gov. Reynolds and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson. Rollinger claimed he did not attend the meeting in his capacity as a board member.

About 40 people spoke at the meeting with the governor were concerned about new policies that spell out inclusive practices for transgender students recently passed by the Linn-Mar school board, Rollinger said. The event was not open to the media, and the governor's spokesman said the meeting was private.

The discussion was similar to an April 25 school board meeting that elicited four hours of public comment, with the majority of the 76 speakers opposing the policies, Rollinger said. Some speakers who opposed the policies called them “woke,” cited the exclusion of parents or guardians and said they were unChristian.

Rollinger said he did speak at the meeting other than to thank the two elected officials for coming. “I very specifically said I am here speaking on my own behalf,” Rollinger said as Linn-Mar school board members asked him about his role in the meeting.

While Rollinger said he was not there as a representative of the school board, later he said he went to “hear his constituents’ concerns.”

A Cedar Rapids teen pleaded to lesser charges and was sentenced to probation Tuesday in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old who attempted to steal marijuana from him in 2020.

Kyler Carson, now 18, initially faced voluntary manslaughter and other charges.

He pleaded to possession with intent to distribute marijuana with the use of a firearm, assault, obstruction of prosecution and carrying weapons.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Kevin McKeever gave Carson a deferred judgment and three years probation. He also must pay $150,000 in restitution to Andrew D. Gaston’s estate or heirs, as required by Iowa law.

Carson, who was 16 at the time, fatally shot Gaston, 18, as Gaston and his cousin, Tyrell J. Gaston, 16, were attempting to steal marijuana from Carson, according to a criminal complaint.