Gazette Daily News Podcast: Thursday, April 11, 2024

– Cedar Rapids fire and police investigate arson at barbershop

– Lawmakers OK rules for clearly labeling meat substitutes

– Boozy doughnut shop opens in Cedar Rapids

Episode Transcript

Coming up, Cedar Rapids fire and police are investigating an arson at a barbershop

And later, legislation addressing the labeling of meat substitutes and buying egg substitutes with food aid benefits is arriving on Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk

Plus, a boozy doughnut shop has opened in Cedar Rapids

Welcome to the Thursday, April 11 edition of the Gazette Daily News Podcast. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

First, an arson at The Men’s Room Hair and Beard Parlor is under investigation by the Cedar Rapids Police and Fire Departments. At 2:30 a.m. Wednesday,. Firefighters were called to the barbershop which is located at 1501 First Avenue SE. A Facebook post from the business said that windows had been broken and someone had thrown quote “several Molotov cocktails” end quote into the building. According to the department, fire investigators have determined that the fire was an arson. On Facebook, the barbershop posted that because the fire department was called quickly, the damage was limited. The Men’s Room Hair and Beard Parlor hopes to be open by Friday morning. The fire remains under investigation and no arrests have been made.

At the Iowa Capitol on Wednesday, state lawmakers approved a proposal that will require meat substitutes be clearly labeled and prevent Iowans from using food assistance benefits to buy egg alternatives.

The proposal would require meat substitute products, like vegetable and plant-based burgers, to be clearly labeled that the product is not meat. It would also prohibit lab-grown products from being used in school lunches. Additionally, amendments were made by Republicans in the Iowa House earlier this week. Those changes make it so that those enrolled in programs like SNAP or WIC cannot use their food assistance benefits to buy egg substitute products. Because those programs are jointly funded and operated with the federal government, this would require Iowa to apply for a waiver to enforce the policy.

During debate in the Iowa Senate on Wednesday, issues were raised over the egg amendment. Senator Dawn Driscoll, a Republican from Williamsburg, said that when the bill was discussed earlier in the session in the Senate, the intent of the bill was clearly focused on transparent meat-labeling and keeping experimental lab-grown meat out of school lunch programs. Driscoll said quote, “We gave a great bill to the House and now they have famously applied their special seasoning to this bill.” end quote.

Multiple Senate Democrats said they supported the bill as originally written, arguing the amended version could create problems for low-income Iowans with egg allergies. Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, said he strongly believes in truth in labeling but is also concerned with consumer nutrition. And preventing low income Iowans from purchasing alternativs products to something they are allergic to is quote “unconscionable” end quote.

Now, the bill awaits the approval of Gov. Reynolds.

Next, a boozy doughnut shop has come to Cedar Rapids. Glazed and Infused offers over a dozen traditional and cocktail-themed doughnut flavors, like Bourbon Citrus, Cosmopolitan and Chocolate Mojito. It is located at 804 Fifth St. SE, next to the recently-opened Oak Hill Tavern. The shop is open daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Find a link to each of today’s featured stories in this episode’s description or at thegazette.com.

Finally, let’s take a look at today’s weather in Cedar Rapids. Today it will be cloudy. Expect a high of 62 degrees and a low of 43 degrees. Friday will also be cloudy with similar temperatures to today.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Stay updated with the latest Eastern Iowa news at thegazette.com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com