Gazette Daily News Podcast, November 7

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This is John McGlothlen with The Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Monday, November 7th.

According to the National Weather Service, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 50 in the Cedar Rapids area today. Winds from the north 5 to 10 mph then from the northeast in the afternoon. And tonight should be partly cloudy, with a low around 35.

An Illinois man described as a suspect in the fatal shooting of one female and accused of injuring two others by gunfire, east of St. Louis, was arrested in Cedar Rapids Saturday night, according to the Belleville (Ill.) Police Department. At 9:50 a.m. Saturday, Belleville police responded to a woman who called for help at a residence. Arriving officers found three females who had been shot. Two were taken to a hospital and the third was deceased at the scene, according to the release. One of the surviving victims, hospitalized in St. Louis, is in critical condition and the other is in stable condition. Police said there is a family relationship between the suspect, identified as 47-year-old Markeith Wright and the victims, and investigators believe the incident began as a domestic disturbance. According to arrest records, Cedar Rapids police took Wright into custody at 9:44 p.m. Saturday at Cedar Valley Townhomes at 3000 J St. SW. The St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office in Illinois has charged Wright with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery. His Illinois bond was set at $1,500,000.

A University of Iowa inspection of the sixth-floor Mayflower Residence Hall window a freshman fell from early Thursday has confirmed “no problems with the window and that it operates normally,” officials told The Gazette. The first-year male student who fell, according to initial reports, was playing catch with other students in a residence hall room just before 4:30 a.m. Thursday when he “leaned back and fell through the screen of an open window.” He landed on the north roof of Mayflower Residence Hall — meaning he fell about five stories, according to UI officials. The student was able to speak with first responders, who took him to the UI Hospitals and Clinics for treatment. The university hasn’t publicly shared more details on his condition. A preliminary assessment found no foul play, and the incident was completely accidental. The incident does remain under investigation, however. Several UI residence hall policies could come into play in the UI investigation — including ones involving room windows and screens, which aren’t to be unhooked, for example. UI Housing and Dining also has policies around “hall sports,” barring “using rollerblades, roller skates, or skateboards, and throwing or bouncing balls or athletic equipment.”

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🎹 Podcast music: “Dubstep” by Emily McGlothlen