While the immediate concern amid the COVID-19 pandemic is physical health, social distancing has wide-stretching impacts on mental health, employment and other resources. Due to social distancing guidelines, local service organizations have had to adjust the way they serve the community during the pandemic. CommUnity In the case of CommUnity Crisis Services, all volunteers are […]
Natalie Dunlap
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City seeks input on Creekside art installation
Backyard Abundance — an environmental education nonprofit based in Johnson County — and Marion artist Cara Briggs Farmer combined skills to remodel Chadek Green Park in 2018: the nonprofit designed a community garden, and Briggs Farmer created the “Three Sisters” art installation to complement it. “The three aluminum structures represent the three daughters of Carl […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Coralville Community Food Pantry is now collecting pet food
For the last 10 years, the shelves of the Coralville Community Food Pantry have consistently been stocked with beans, rice, pasta, bread, dairy products, canned food and fresh produce for low-income residents of Coralville and, more recently, Tiffin. In 2020, the pantry has designated some shelf space for kibble. Pantry organizers have long noticed a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
In their first season, the West High girls wrestling team has built a culture of tenacity and fun
The Iowa City West High School wrestling room is adorned with state championships flags and photos of young men standing on winners podiums, with medals around their necks. Though the decor celebrates the accomplishments of male athletes throughout West’s 57 years, the school’s first ever girls wrestling team is making Trojan history on the mat.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Young spoken-word poets express ‘heartache and joy’ on the Englert stage for the IC Speaks showcase
Stage lights cast a blue hue on a lone mic as attendants trickled into the Englert Theatre to see the IC Speaks Showcase on Saturday night. About a dozen students from West, City, Liberty and Tate high schools filled the first two rows on the theater’s west side. In the hour and a half that followed, the students got up one by one to stand at
Posted inCommunity/News
‘I want to know that I’m healthy’: Two local students on starting — and quitting — vaping
Although e-cigarettes were allegedly created to help adults give up their smoking habits, they quickly became a starter pack for young people to consume nicotine. With flavors such as watermelon, mango and mint, e-cigarette suppliers have been accused of enticing young people with their product.
Posted inFood & Drink
Sidekick Coffee & Books encourages guests to unplug and connect
Jazz plays over the speakers as an employee prepares an iced chai latte. He wears a gray tee shirt with a design in white of a boy with a book sitting with his dad, who holds a steaming cup of coffee. Under this image are the words “Sidekick Coffee & Books.” The University Heights business feels modern, yet cozy. Dark wood with marble countertops
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Independent musician Ace Jones hones his craft on the Iowa City Ped Mall
Guitar in hand, foot tapping a tambourine, Ace Jones is a one-man show for all who pass through the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall. This is where the Marion-based artist has come for years to practice his set in a low-pressure environment. “It’s a great place to just work on songs, or I’ll freestyle a song and see if it sounds good,” Jones said.
Posted inCommunity/News
Rummage in the Ramp returns for 13th year
There are many things that define Iowa City in the summer: festivals, street sales, slow-moving quiet afternoons. One of the least glamorous of these seasonal trends is the surge of movers in and out of dorms and apartments as the fall semester approaches. Unwanted items make their way out of living rooms and into dumpsters, or onto the curb to be claimed.
Posted inCommunity/News
ICCSD looks to reduce carbon footprint, following weeks of student protests
Change doesn’t happen overnight. For students in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD), change took 11 weeks of protest every Friday during school hours, and appearing before the school board to express their concerns about climate change.
Posted inCommunity/News
Celebrate the longest day of the year with an evening pool party at the Cherry Hill Aquatic Center
The impending June Solstice will bring more daylight, and with it, more pool time. On Friday, June 21, the Cherry Hill Aquatic Center will host the annual Longest Day of Summer Swim from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Pride Fest, family style: Kid-friendly events at the 49th Iowa City Pride Festival
This Pride Month marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, a monumental moment in LGBTQ rights history. Major legislative and social strides have been made since Stonewall, but many in the LGBTQ community still face barriers to representation and celebration of their identities, including youth and families. “I feel like the harshness that is […]
