Gazette Daily News Podcast: Monday, January 22, 2024

– Ron DeSantis ends his struggling presidential bid before New Hampshire and endorses Donald Trump

– Week of heavy snowfall wallops Midwest, could bring drought relief

– Curious Iowa: How do cities clear snow?

– Government Notes: Cedar Rapids Public Library launching westside library fundraising campaign

Episode Transcript

You are listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast on Monday, January 22. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Up first, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign Sunday and endorsed former President Donald Trump. In a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis said quote, “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” end quote. DeSantis lost to Trump by 30 percentage points in the Iowa caucuses last week.

Next, if you’ve been tired of icy roads and shoveling snow, the recent snowfall might have a bright spot. Why? It could bring drought relief to parts of the Mississippi River basin. The Gazette’s Brittney J. Miller reports that after several years of drought, parts of the basin have rainfall deficits of over a foot. Frozen soil doesn’t soak up water, but recent storms brought rain to southern Illinois and Missouri before the ground froze. Now, more snow is predicted to fall in the Midwest this week and next week, higher temperatures are anticipated. That should melt some of the recent snow and ice, restoring stream flow to Iowa waterways. Read the full story by Brittney J. Miller at The Gazette dot com. A link to that story is available in this episode’s description.

Speaking of snow, have you wondered how cities decide when to start plowing streets–or how they decide which streets to plow first? Those questions are answered in this week’s edition of Curious Iowa. Each city’s approach to snow removal is a little different, so The Gazette spoke with officials in Cedar Rapids and Central City to see how a city’s size may affect its decisions. Curious Iowa is a section of The Gazette dedicated to answering readers’ questions about our state, its people and our culture. Submit your questions at The Gazette dot com slash curious.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation is launching a capital campaign that will fund the new westside library. The “Inspiring Big Dreams” campaign aims to raise $10 million to build the new library at the corner of Edgewood Boulevard and 20th Avenue SW. That is walking distance from the current Ladd Library at 3750 Williams Boulevard SW. The library has leased that space since 2013. The cost of the new library is estimated at less than $25 million dollars. The Cedar Rapids City Council has allocated $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds and the Linn County Board of Supervisors awarded $4 million in ARPA funds to the project. The land was bought with an estate gift of $2 million to the Library Foundation in 2020. Additional private and corporate gifts and grants have contributed to the campaign, which will be revealed Thursday.

The library plans to break ground this fall and anticipates opening in late 2026. The plans for the 40 thousand square-foot facility include study rooms, a conference room and conference center available for public use, outdoor reading courtyards and more children’s learning areas. Plans also include additional space for the Opportunity Center and library partners to provide services.

Library Director Dara Schmidt said in a statement quote, “We’ve seen again and again how the library enriches the community. From putting books in the hands of children to helping job seekers at the Opportunity Center, the Library is proud to serve our patrons. We now have a chance to give even more through a permanent location and enhanced services. We’re asking the community to invest in that vision with us.” end quote.

Find more information about the project and the Inspiring Big Dreams campaign at CRlibrary.org/bigdreams.

Finally, let’s take a look at today’s weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Get ready for warmer temperatures than last week. Today will be windy with a high of 33 degrees and a low of 26 degrees. Tomorrow, expect snow with a high of 33 and a low of 31 degrees.

Thank you for listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast. Stay up to date with the latest news from Eastern Iowa at the gazette dot com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com