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Gazette Daily News Podcast, May 12
Stephen Schmidt
May. 12, 2022 2:12 am
It has felt like thunderstorm friendly weather for a few days now and late Thursday into Friday might be when they finally show up. But this will only be after we experience another sunny, hot, and humid day.
The high for the Cedar Rapids area is predicted to be a balmy 91 degrees during the day with partly sunny skies. Storms could develop Thursday into Friday as cold air fights its way back into the mix. Friday will see an increased chance for storms, possibly severe ones.
Kouessiba Anato switched from Similac to Enfamil baby formula for her son Godson Souberou after a recall of several brands created a baby formula shortage. They are photographed at their apartment in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Anato switched her son to a new brand of formula after a recall on several brands in February. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
A judge Wednesday rejected a request from the teen accused of murdering a high school teacher to have his case transferred from adult court, where he faces harsher penalties if convicted.
Judge Shawn Showers cited what authorities said was Jeremy 17-year-old Everett Goodale’s active role in planning the murder last year of Fairfield High School Spanish language teacher Nohema Graber, 66, along with “gathering the necessary supplies” to complete the “brutal” act and steps taken afterword to conceal the body and crime.
Goodale and Willard Noble Chaiden Miller, 16, are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony in the killing of Graber, who was their Spanish teacher. Her body was found in a park near the school Nov. 3.
Goodale was 16 at the time of the killing.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Iowa has nearly tripled in the past four weeks, and Linn and Johnson counties are once more considered to be “high transmission” counties by federal health authorities.
The state on Wednesday reported 3,172 new coronavirus cases in the past seven days, compared to the 1,063 new cases reported in a seven-day period a month ago.
The upturn is because of the highly contagious omicron subvariant, BA.2, which has become the dominant coronavirus strain in the Midwest and the rest of the country.
A severe shortage in baby formula has drawn the attention of members of Iowa’s congressional delegation and has become a campaign issue as well.
Spot shortages in many groceries and pharmacies have been worsened by a FDA recall that stopped production at Abbot’s largest U.S. formula manufacturing plant in Michigan. As supply disruptions and the massive safety recall have continued, several big box retailers have begun rationing sales of the formula.
After hearing about the scarcity at his county meetings, Grassley wrote the FDA to ask what it is doing to address the shortage.
He cited reports that at least 40 percent of baby formula supplies in the U.S. are completely depleted. Iowa was among six mostly Midwestern states where more than half of all baby formula was completely sold out during the week of April 24.
That’s not enough for former U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer, who is among Democrats seeking to challenge Grassley's re-election this fall.
She called it “shocking” that it has taken Grassley and other members of Congress this long to address “a national crisis when you have people not being able to feed their children the nutrition they need to thrive and survive.”
Iowa Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has joined bipartisan legislation to encourage competition, reduce costs and improve the quality of infant formula options available through the Women, Infants, and Children program by creating an online database. It’s a companion to bipartisan Senate legislation