Benders Studio is quiet and bright as Mara Cheney sets up her yoga mat. Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, and she places her jean jacket on the floor. It’s a misty Thursday morning. The sound of Iowa Avenue traffic doesn’t carry past the lobby. Inside, the studio is small but cozy, […]
Adria Carpenter
Posted inCommunity/News
Emma Goldman Clinic’s founding mothers reflect on ‘the beauty of choice,’ half a century of Roe and the future of abortion care
Deb Nye was 23 when she heard the news: The Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade had just affirmed a person’s right to choose to have an abortion. It was late January 1973, and light snow covered the ground. She ran two blocks to the University of Iowa College of Law building, crossing over […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City pools: City Park is seeping, rec center swimmers fight likely closure and Mercer may be heating up
The Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department has recommended closing the 58-year-old pool at Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center, and instead adding a warm water pool at Mercer Park Aquatic Center and Scanlon Gym, as part of its Gather Here Recreation Master Plan. The plan also includes a redesign of City Park pool, introducing […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Photo Gallery: Iowa City’s 51st Pride Parade and Festival
Thousands of people participated in the Iowa City’s 51st Pride Parade and Festival on Saturday. The parade began at College Green at noon and ended on the corner of East Washington Street and South Linn Street. After the parade, there were musical performances by Alisabeth Von Presley, Miss Christine, Alyx Rush and the Quire of Eastern Iowa. The […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Recreation
Dating, hiking and falling in love with snow at Iowa state parks
Since moving to Iowa City from Athens, Georgia last August, I’ve spent my free time relaxing in Johnson County’s parks and greenspaces, and my weekends hiking state parks and trails. Here’s a tentative ranking of the five state parks I’ve explored throughout the state so far, plus an honorable Wisconsin mention. Lake Macbride State Park, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Photo Gallery: The South District’s Diversity Market starts its second year
Hundreds of people showed up for the kick-off of the Diversity Market‘s second year on Saturday. The people who came to Pepperwood Plaza enjoyed slow-cooked meats, Mexican cuisine and frozen treats, while vendors showed off their handcrafted clothes, jewelry and artwork. The Antelope Lending Library’s Bookmobile was open for kids, as well as a fire […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City’s Diversity Market returns with more vendors, longer hours
The Diversity Market is returning to Iowa City’s South District for its second year, with more vendors, more space and longer hours. Over 40 minority-owned and women-owned businesses will bring their wares or food trucks to the market, which kicks off on Saturday. The Diversity Market is “a pop-up market that elevates BIPOC and women-owned […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City Parks and Rec weighs possibility of closing one pool and expanding another
The 58-year-old pool at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center may be permanently closed under the Recreation Facilities and Programs Master Plan. The Iowa City Parks and Recreation department has been working on the master plan for the past year and has held events and surveys to gather public input. The department will present their recommendations […]
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Photo Gallery: Hundreds march in Iowa City ‘Bans Off Our Bodies’ protest
In the second week of protests in Iowa City following the leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court — which is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and undermine decades of precedent for reproductive rights and right to privacy — hundreds of Iowans rallied on the University of Iowa Pentacrest on Saturday, as part […]
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Save CR Heritage marks its 10th anniversary amid efforts to preserve old school buildings
In October 2011, Cedar Rapids’ oldest church, the People’s Church Unitarian Universalist, was demolished. It was built in 1875 and became the first building listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the city to be razed without sustaining damage from fire or natural disaster. Today, the location is an office building, housing Morgan […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Photo Gallery: The inaugural Tulip Festival at Wilson’s Orchard and Farm
The inaugural Tulip Festival sprouted up at Wilson’s Orchard and Farm last Saturday. Hundreds of people picked red, white, yellow and pink tulips. Kids enjoyed arts and crafts, and a nature scavenger hunt, and their parents walked to the ciderhouse to sample apple cider. While strawberries and apples are out of season, you could still […]
Posted inCommunity/News
After years of delay, the Forest View relocation program begins to move forward
Cindy Onnen has lived in Forest View Mobile Home Court for half a century. She moved there with her husband and 2-year-old son in 1971, when the rent was $25. “It went up to $35 the next month, and I was mad. Gosh, to say that now, people would say, ‘Really? You’re that old?’” Onnen […]
