Gazette Daily News Podcast, September 15

The trend of sunny weather continues Thursday, with the most notable difference being a slightly stronger wind. According to the National Weather Service it will be mostly sunny in the Cedar Rapids area, with a high near 83 degrees. A wind of 5 to 15 mph could gust as high as 20 mph. On Thursday night it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of around 62 degrees.

Iowa’s Republican U.S. senators shied away from supporting a proposed nationwide ban on abortions when asked about that possibility Wednesday. South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a bill on Tuesday that would create a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley told reporters he prefers to leave the issue to states.

“Finally, after 50 years, this issue has been returned to the states so voters can have a voice through their elected representatives at a state level and not by unelected judges,” Grassley told reporters. “So this is a state issue.”

Sen. Joni Ernst did not provide as clear cut of an answer when speaking to reporters, but did say that states should have the “initial role’ when it comes to abortion restrictions.

Members of one union rejected a tentative deal with the largest U.S. freight railroads Wednesday, while two ratified agreements and three others remained at the bargaining table just days ahead of a strike deadline. A national rail workers strike could intensify snarls in the nation's supply chain that have contributed to rising prices.

Government officials and a variety of businesses are bracing for the possibility of a nationwide rail strike that would paralyze shipments of everything from crude and clothing to cars, a potential calamity for businesses that have struggled for more than two years due to COVID-19 related supply chain breakdowns.

Railroads are trying to reach an agreement with all their other unions to avert a strike before Friday’s deadline. The unions aren't allowed to strike before Friday under the federal law that governs railroad contract talks.

There are 12 unions — one with two separate divisions — representing 115,000 workers that must agree to the tentative deals and then have members vote on whether to approve them.

A Cedar Rapids man died Tuesday night after driving off the road just north of the Edgewood Road Bridge and hitting a tree.

Cedar Rapids police said Scott Devore, 66, was the driver and only occupant of the vehicle in the 7:36 p.m. crash.

The southbound lanes of the bridge were closed until 12:15 a.m.

Investigation into the incident is ongoing.