Gazette Daily News Podcast: Tuesday, April 2, 2024

– Cedar Rapids’ Harrison Elementary to stay open this fall

– Cedar Rapids police respond to swatting call at Jefferson High

– Czech Village museum’s Clock Toer to add Prague-style astronomical clock features, figurines

Episode Transcript

Coming up, Harrison Elementary will stay open this fall

And later, a swatting call locks down Jefferson High School

Plus, changes are coming to the iconic Clock Tower in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village

Welcome to the Tuesday, April 2 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, plans to demolish the historic Harrison Elementary School building have been put on pause. Cedar Rapids Community School District Superintendent Tawana Grover said at a school board meeting last week that students at Harrison and Madison Elementary School will stay at their respective schools next year. Harrison students would have attended Madison Elementary during the construction of a new school.

In January, school officials had announced their intentions to pause the plan at a Cedar Rapids City Planning Commission meeting. School officials had submitted a rezoning request to allow for construction of a new school after demolition of the existing Harrison Elementary School building.

By a unanimous vote, the city panel sent the district back to firm up its plan.

Cedar Rapids schools Operations Director Chad Schumacher said the district is still quote unquote dedicated to putting a school in the neighborhood.

Schumacher said quote, “We want a school down in the area that got devastated by the 2008 flood. We know it’s vital to that neighborhood for success and revitalization. We have to figure out what that school looks like,” end quote.

Principal Trista Manternach will continue to serve as principal of both Harrison and Madison elementary schools next year.

Read the full story at the link in this episode’s description or at the gazette dot com.

On Monday, Cedar Rapids police responded to a “swatting” call at Jefferson High School. This is the second “swatting” call at the school in two months. Swatting calls are hoax reports made with the intention of creating a large police response at the scene. The call came in just before 1 Monday afternoon. Emergency crews began clearing out at about 1:20 p.m. At the time of this podcast recording, neither the Cedar Rapids Community School District or the police department have released additional information about the nature of the call or the response.

Earlier this year, police responded to an unfounded threat at the school on Feb. 2. The school was locked down briefly while police swept the premises.

Both the Iowa House and Senate have unanimously passed a bill that increases the penalties for certain swatting hoaxes. That bill has not yet been signed into law.

Next, the clock tower in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village is undergoing construction. The work will complete the original vision of creating a Prague-style astronomical clock, which shows phases of the sun and moon and geographical information. It’s inspired by the Prague Orloj, which was built in 1410 and is the oldest still functioning astronomical clock in the world.

The renovation will also add 12 figurines on two carousels that will rotate to the music of Czech composers Antonin Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana. Those 12 figurines will tell the immigrant story, with a farmer, bee keeper, coal miner, meatpacker and other sculptures representing those who immigrated to Iowa.

The $1.6 million renovations are being financed entirely through contributions and about half a million dollars has been raised so far.

The Cedar Rapids clock tower was built in 1995 next to the National Czech and Slovak Museum’s original riverside site. In 2011, the museum was moved to higher ground but the clock tower did not move. The clock was greatly impacted by the 2008 flood and 2020 derecho. Currently, the four clocks are not working. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held May 3 at 1 p.m. in the tower’s courtyard.

As always, you can find a link to each of the stories featured in today’s episode in this episode’s description or at the gazette dot com.

Now, let’s take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Today it will rain. Expect a high of 40 degrees and a low of 32 degrees. Tomorrow will be windy. Expect similar temperatures to today.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette 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