Market After Dark is returning for its ninth year, as the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market’s 2024 season nears its end. There will be more than 125 market vendors offering their wares at the four-and-an-half-hour event, which starts at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. “This festive event is known for its unique atmosphere where patrons 21 […]
Paul Brennan
Posted inFood & Drink
Centennial Iowa Snacks: Unlike a certain chip giant, Sterzing’s in Burlington has put quality over quantity since the ’30s
Barney Sterzing never meant to get into the potato chip business. In 1933, when he started the Burlington company that produces the iconic chips that bear his family name, it was the Sterzing Candy Company. But summers in Burlington are hot, and keeping a company going in the midst of the Great Depression was hard […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘I don’t know how much higher we can go’: Rita Hart on an energizing DNC and the party’s future in Iowa
The contrast between the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee and this year’s convention in Chicago could not be greater. In Milwaukee, activities were kept to a minimum and social distancing between participants was the rule, due to the then-poorly controlled COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the floor of the United Center is packed, and the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Legal challenge to Iowa’s near-total abortion ban withdrawn; pro-choice PAC to spend $250,000 in the state ahead of Election Day
Last week, the legal challenge to Iowa’s new near-total abortion ban ended. On Thursday, the ACLU of Iowa filed a petition in Polk County District Court asking Judge Jeffrey Farrell to dismiss the lawsuit it filed in July 2023 on behalf of the Emma Goldman Clinic, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH) and its medical […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds rejects millions in aid for food-insecure Iowa families (again), instead asking feds to fund her own ‘monthly box’ program
On Thursday, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she is again refusing to allow Iowans to participate in a USDA program that provides millions of dollars in direct assistance to families with children to help cover the increased cost of food during summer months when kids aren’t in school. “In Iowa, our focus is on the comprehensive […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Polk County Public Health is providing free Plan B as part of efforts to keep reproductive care accessible in Iowa
As Iowa adjusts to one of the most draconian abortion bans in the country, the Polk County Public Health Department is working to make sure people have access to emergency contraception. “We have FREE emergency contraceptive (aka Plan B/morning after pill) located in the bathrooms here at the Health Department – 1907 Carpenter Ave in […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Fire destroys the Lighthouse Inn, a Cedar Rapids landmark and one of Iowa’s oldest restaurants
The Lighthouse Inn, a century-old supper club and Cedar Rapids landmark, was destroyed by a fire on Wednesday morning. According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, shortly after 5 a.m., a 911 caller reported seeing “smoke and flame coming from the roof” of the Lighthouse. Deputies along with Cedar Rapids firefighters were dispatched to the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Appeals court lets SF 496, Iowa’s infamous book ban and ‘don’t say gay’ law, go into effect
When Iowa students return to school later this month, they may notice books, including important works of literature, have disappeared from library shelves, and younger students will find certain topics can no longer be discussed in their classrooms. That’s because on Friday, a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the preliminary […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Centennial Iowa Snacks: The oldest popcorn company in the country is still poppin’ in Sioux City
Popcorn was already popular when Cloid Smith started selling it out of his home in Sioux City 110 years ago. It was cheap; it was tasty. And it’s been eaten in the Americas for thousands of years in a variety of ways. Archaeologists working in Peru found the remains of ears of popcorn dating back […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Hoping to harness enthusiasm for the new Harris campaign, Democrats plan ‘Iowans for Kamala’ Zoom call on Monday night
Over the course of the dozen days since President Joe Biden withdrew from 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, the Harris campaign has shown unprecedented momentum. During the first three weeks of July, fundraising for the then-Biden/Harris campaign cratered, but that changed after it became the Harris campaign, blowing past Donald Trump’s […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Hawkeye women’s hoops stars hope to push Coralville Community Food Pantry fundraiser over $20,000
On Friday afternoon, four people who donated to this month’s fundraiser for the Coralville Community Food Pantry (CCFP) will have a chance to go letter-for-letter with two star players from the University of Iowa women’s basketball team in a game of H-O-R-S-E. The game will take place at a special event marking the end of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The world reacts to Iowa’s abortion ban, from Kamala Harris to local OB-GYNs: ‘Women will be harmed and die because of this law’
“Make no mistake: half of the state is less free today than they were yesterday because of Republicans in the legislature and Kim Reynolds,” Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said on Monday. “There’s just no other way to look at it.” The Windsor Heights Democrat was speaking about the state’s near-total abortion ban, which […]
