Gazette Daily News Podcast, May 4

Wednesday will be a day mostly free of rain for a change, although it will start off with some frost. According to the National Weather Service there will be patchy frost in the Cedar Rapids area before 7 a.m. Otherwise it will be mostly sunny with a high near 61 degrees. There will be a slight chance of rain Wednesday night but Thursday morning is looking more likely as when showers will return.

With persistent rain and lingering cool temperatures, corn planting in Iowa is 11 days later than last year and nine days behind the five-year average.

Soybeans are nine days behind 2021 and five days behind the five-year average, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship reported Monday.

On a positive note, April showers have helped ease drought conditions in Eastern Iowa. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows 15 Eastern Iowa counties, including Linn and Johnson, still are “abnormally dry,” but that dry area shrunk in the most recent weekly report.

Abortion — for now — likely would remain legal in Iowa up to the 20th week of pregnancy, even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion, as was reported Monday night.

But the timing of both U.S. and Iowa Supreme Court rulings could complicate matters.

An overturn of Roe v. Wade would return the authority over abortion regulations to the states, and the Iowa Supreme Court has issued multiple recent rulings striking down attempted abortion restrictions by Iowa Republicans including a three-day waiting period and a ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected.

The latter ruling stated that a woman’s right to an abortion is a protected, fundamental right in Iowa. Which means the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, on its own, would not change Iowa’s state abortion regulations.

However, the Iowa Supreme Court is currently considering another recently passed abortion restriction, requiring a one-day waiting period. And Iowa Republicans earlier this year filed legal briefs asking the court to overturn its 2019 order striking down the ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected.

If the Iowa Supreme Court overturns its previous ruling, and the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, then Iowa Republicans would be legally clear to pass abortion restrictions.

Both rulings could come this summer.

A teenager moving “very fast” under downtown bridges spanning the Cedar River was rescued Monday night near the 12th Avenue Bridge.

First responders were called at 8:50 p.m. to the Third Avenue Bridge where they spotted the male teen “moving downstream very fast past bridges over the river,” according to news release from the Cedar Rapids fire department.

Firefighters hung ropes over the side of a bridge for the teen grab onto, and he was able to hang on for a while until his grip gave out. Meanwhile, other firefighters were getting into position to catch the teen downstream, with more ropes hung from bridges and a swift water boat crew launched from Valor Way.

The boat crew was able to reach the teen just before 12th Avenue Bridge, where more ropes were waiting to catch him if needed. The boat crew brought the young man back up stream to awaiting ambulance personnel. He was taken to Mercy Medical Center for medical evaluation. The fire department did not state how the teen ended up in the water.