Featured Stories
– Prosecutors drop sports betting charges against ISU athletes
– Iowa’s medical marijuana program competes with cheap, unregulated THC products
– Comedian Tim Cavanagh loves his Cedar Rapids crowd
– “Facing the Inferno” puts wildland fire photos on display at the Old Capitol Museum in Iowa City
Episode transcription
Welcome to the weekend edition of the Gazette Daily News podcast. This podcast provides a quick look at the latest headlines from The Gazette newsroom. I'm Bailey Cichon.
Prosecutors plan to drop sports betting charges against ISU athletes soon
And then the proposed bill looks at regulating consumable hemp products.
Plus things to do in the Corridor this weekend
First, sports betting charges against current and former Iowa State athletes will be dismissed. This comes after new evidence was discovered showing that Iowa investigators were “beyond” the final citation for permission to use geofencing software.
According to the motion to dismiss, Isaiah Lee, Gilaire Bullock, Panillo Johnson and Eiyoma Uwazurike obtained the evidence through open records requests to the Iowa Horse Racing and Gaming Commission. Evidence shows that his GeoComply, the provider of the product used in the investigation, said the Iowa Bureau of Criminal Investigation's estimate “exceeded the scope of permitted use in his use of the Kibana product in October 2023. ” shows that he was thinking. End of quotation. DCI's use of the product was canceled in January due to concerns about the department's use of the product. Prosecutors are asking for the motion to be dismissed with prejudice. This means you can't re-charge the fee later. However, this dismissal does not affect NCAA sanctions.
If you would like to learn more about this incident, please click the link in the description of this episode. This brings you to the article about sports gambling charges being dropped.
Second, Iowa's medical marijuana program has been flat due to competition from cheaper and largely unregulated consumable cannabis products. The number of medical marijuana cardholders nearly doubled in 2022, but the number of cardholders has remained flat since September. Iowa's medical marijuana program was created in 2015 and allows people with certain medical conditions to purchase approved products in Iowa. In most cases, he is capped at a maximum of 4.5 grams of THC per purchase within a 90-day period. However, consumable hemp products such as canned drinks and gummies have a higher cost per milligram of THC. Iowa's consumable hemp program limits the content of THC in products to 0.3 percent by weight.
A bill currently being considered in the Iowa Legislature aims to regulate these consumable hemp products. House File 2605 would impose age restrictions on the purchase of consumable hemp products and limit THC per serving and per container. Two other cannabis-related bills are still alive in the Iowa Legislature, dealing with medical cards and pharmacies.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Comedian Tim Cavanagh takes the mic at the Olympic Southside Theater in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, March 2nd. Cavanagh is a comic musician, which means he likes to tell jokes as well as sing silly songs. Cavanagh said: “I love playing funny songs, and I've got a new song about pet spaying and neutering. It's written from a dog's perspective.” End Quote. Cavanagh said the Iowa crowd has always been nice, “they know Cedar Rapids comedy” and is looking forward to the show. End of quotation. Kavanaugh will take the stage Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $20 for table seating to $40 for couch seating. Available for purchase at facebook.com/penguinscomedyclub.
You can also check out an exhibit on wildfire photography in the first-floor gallery of the Old Capitol Museum in downtown Iowa City. Facing the Inferno: The Wildfire Photography of Kari Greer captures the beauty, danger, and people involved in fighting wildfires. Greer lives in Idaho, where she is a contract photographer with the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Ms. Greer's work has appeared in publications such as The National Her Geographic Adventures, The New York Times, and The Gazette. Admission is free and the exhibit will run until her May 10th. Mr. Greer will also speak at an in-person event on March 26 in the Old Capitol Museum Senate Chamber.
As always, links to each story featured in today's episode can be found in the episode description or on Gazette.com.
Finally, let's take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Saturday will be sunny with a high of 64 degrees and a low of 46 degrees. It will be windy Sunday. The expected high temperature is 74 degrees and the expected low temperature is 41 degrees. Monday is expected to be rainy with a high of 57 degrees and a low of 30 degrees.
Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Get the latest news from Eastern Iowa at Gazette.com. I'm Bailey Cichon.
Comment: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com
