Gazette Daily News Podcast, November 22

We're going to take a break from winter to return to fall for a while. According to the National Weather Service on Tuesday it will be sunny, with a high near 49 degrees. On Tuesday night it will be clear, with a low of around 25 degrees. The wind will remain calm all day.

The Eastern Iowa Airport says the facility is on track to record its second busiest year for Thanksgiving travel since 2019.

The number of seats in the market is more than three years ago for the same holiday period and flights are expected to be nearly full with Thanksgiving travelers, Airport Director Marty Lenss said in a news release Monday.

“When comparing available seats in the market for the same Thanksgiving (Monday through Thursday) travel period in 2019 compared to this year, we have 8 percent more seats this year,” Lenss said.

“In addition, we are seeing much larger aircraft than in 2019. The average number of seats per departure is at 109 per flight. In 2019 that number was 78 seats per flight.”

The airlines have been removing most of the smaller, 50-seat regional jets from their fleets, and replacing them with larger mainline aircraft.

A Swisher man, accused of driving his pickup into a group of abortion protesters in June, asked a judge Monday to move his trial out of Linn County because of “overt media attention and nefarious allegations” that he had a motive regarding abortion rights.

The June 24 protest near the federal courthouse in downtown Cedar Rapids followed the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned abortion rights, which had been in place almost 50 years nationally, returning control of the procedure to the states.

Mark Brown, the lawyer for David A. Huston, 53, who faces two misdemeanor charges, said there has been extensive media coverage — including on national platforms — of the charges against Huston.

Brown said he found 75 to 80 separate news articles regarding the incident by searching under Huston’s name and the charges he faces. The media reports turned the encounter into an “alleged abortion issue” and used “inciteful language,” such as “ramming, plowing or running into” the protesters.

The application to fill the upcoming vacancy on the Iowa City Council is now available.

The Iowa City Council last week voted unanimously to fill the vacancy by appointment instead of holding a special election. The appointee will succeed council member Janice Weiner, who resigned Nov. 9 after being elected a state senator to represent District 45.

One year is left on Weiner’s four-year, at-large council term, which runs through Jan. 2, 2024. Her resignation becomes effective Jan. 1.

The deadline to apply is Jan. 3.

The council will fill the vacancy at a special meeting at 3 p.m. Jan. 10 at City Hall. During the public meeting, finalists may make an oral presentation about their interest in the job, according to a city news release.

If voters want to petition for a special election, the petition must be filed within 14 days after the council decides on appointment or within 14 days after the appointment is made. A petition requesting a special election must have signatures from at least 743 eligible Iowa City voters.