It’s been 17 years since Minnesota-born filmmakers Tommy Haines, JT Haines and Andrew Sherburne founded their independent production company, Northland Films, with a focus on nonfiction storytelling. In that time, they’ve produced, directed and released six film projects — all while Sherburne was busy founding and expanding Iowa City’s nonprofit cinema FilmScene. Their best-known documentary […]
Emma McClatchey
Posted inCommunity/News
Forty years after the Johnny Gosch disappearance, fear continues to fuel conspiracy theories in Iowa and beyond
Listen an audio version of this article here, or using the player at the bottom of the page. On Sept. 20, 1984, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech in Cedar Rapids as part of his reelection campaign. In it, he advocated for slashing taxes and “the simple values of faith, family, neighborhood and good, hard […]
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Doodles, scribbles and goldleaf: Flipping through the University of Iowa’s medieval book collection
When one imagines a book from the Middle Ages, they likely picture a hefty religious tome, calligraphed by quill-clutching monks and featuring the kind of gilded, illustrated initials that inspired that one episode of Spongebob. But old books don’t have to glitter to be gold, according to Eric Ensley, medieval scholar and curator of Rare […]
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North Liberty bans smoking and vaping in all city parks
The North Liberty City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to ban the use of nicotine and tobacco products at city parks, trails, ponds and ballfields. North Liberty’s 20 parks include the 50-year-old Beaver Kreek Park, the Gooselake designated wetland area, Red Fern Dog Park and the 37-acre Penn Meadows Park, which features nine softball and […]
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One Iowa among organizations to benefit from Ariana Grande’s trans youth fundraiser
In light of the International Transgender Day of Visibility and recent anti-trans legislation proposed and passed in states around the country, pop star Ariana Grande announced on Thursday the launch of her Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund, to support 18 LGBTQ+ organizations that are “providing direct services and advocating for the rights of trans […]
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‘There’s no right way to be trans’: One year into her transition, Madeline Trainor is her own woman
The internet is an incandescent sludge of information and toxicity, a vessel for boundless exploration and a minefield of odious rabbit holes. But despite what some may preach, no amount of Tumblr blogs or Twitter threads can turn a person trans. “Sometimes you get like trolls on your social media and they’re like, ‘oh, the […]
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UI’s 10-year facilities plan calls for historic buildings to be demolished, renovated, bought and sold
The University of Iowa presented its 10-year facilities master plan to the Board of Regents Wednesday, earning state approval to move forward with a range of renovations across campus. These changes — which are subject to evolve as UI carries out the plans — will affect historic buildings on both sides of the river. Set […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Eastern Iowa authors, arts organizations awarded $90,000 in NEA grants
Artists and arts organizations across the U.S. received good news Tuesday, as $33.2 million in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) were announced. Five Iowa orgs and individuals were among the award recipients, receiving a total of $90,000 in grants. All five are located in eastern Iowa — two in Cedar Rapids, […]
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Belle’s Basix, Cedar Rapids’ only LGBTQ bar, is closing — unless a new owner steps up
After a quarter century, Belle’s Basix, an iconic Cedar Rapids bar and one of only a handful of LGBTQ night spots in eastern Iowa, may soon close for good. “Unless someone buys the business, the bar will be permanently closed on Feb. 1st,” owner Andrew Harrison wrote in a late Sunday night Facebook post. “If […]
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‘We are under spiritual attack’: How Iowa’s anti-mask parents became a GOP force — and why they’re leveraging their power to ban books
This month, central Iowa parents seeking to have books they deem “pornographic” removed from school libraries prepared to kick things up a notch. A few of the parents crafted a letter to send to Polk County Attorney John Sarcone, asking for a criminal investigation of the West Des Moines Community School District. “On a continuous […]
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CR’s Willie Fairley is heading to Kentucky to feed tornado victims
Another storm has ravaged the United States, and Cedar Rapids barbecue-master Willie Ray Fairley is on the move again. An outbreak of tornados Friday left a path of devastation through parts of Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and especially Kentucky. At least 64 Kentucky residents have been confirmed dead, ranging in age from 5 months to 86 […]
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Best of the CRANDIC Spotlight: Eastern Iowa’s LGBTQ softball league puts the werk in teamwork
Best of the CRANDIC 2021 winner: Best Community Sports League In three short years, the Lambda Softball Association (LSA) of Eastern Iowa was founded, became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and grew to include three beginner rec league teams, three competitive D-division teams and the Dirty Divas, a traveling team that competes in cities across the country. […]
