Monday is the last day for early voting. The drive-through voting sites in Johnson County — at the parking ramp of the Johnson County Human Services Building in Iowa City (855 S Dubuque St) — and Linn County — near the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center in Cedar Rapids (823 3rd St SW) […]
Community/News
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Linn County health officials warn COVID-19 hospitalizations will reach an ‘unsustainable level’ if the surge continues
More than 700 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Linn County this week. This is the highest number of cases the county has seen reported in a single week since the pandemic was first confirmed in the county on March 21. Linn County has 6,142 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of 10 a.m. on […]
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Early voting: Weekend hours, free rides, no free pizza
Johnson County had its biggest day so far at its drive-through early voting site on Thursday, with 808 ballots cast, Auditor Travis Weipert tweeted on Friday morning. The county is less 2,000 votes away from breaking the record set in 2016, when 16,461 people voted early. 808 voters through the drive-thru yesterday! Not only does […]
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Mike Pence praises Gov. Reynolds’ leadership on COVID-19 as the state and Linn County set new COVID-19 records
Five days before the election, Vice President Mike Pence landed at the Des Moines International Airport long enough to give a 45-minute speech to a crowd of supporters, encouraging them to vote for President Trump, Sen. Joni Ernst and other Republican candidates. About 30 minutes into his speech on Thursday, Pence reminded the people gathered […]
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Cedar Rapids organizations announce effort to help residents repair derecho-damaged homes before winter
Cedar Rapids organizations have joined to form a new program aimed at helping homeowners who still have damaged homes after the Aug. 10 derecho. Providing Assistance to Community Homeowners — or PATCH — is a joint effort between United Way of East Central Iowa, Alliant Energy Foundation and the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF). […]
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Advocates for Social Justice offering free Uber rides to the polls for all voters and childcare reimbursement
Iowans who need transportation to their polling place can use a free Uber voucher provided by the Advocates for Social Justice. The Cedar Rapids group announced on their Facebook page Wednesday evening that they are partnering with Democracy Defenders Iowa to expand their free Uber voucher to all Iowa voters. The group has already been […]
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White House Coronavirus Task Force: ‘All indicators of community spread are increasing’ in Iowa
Iowa continues to be in the red zone for the rate of new cases of COVID-19, according to the most recent report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. The report, sent to the states on Sunday, was obtained by ABC News, which published it on Wednesday. Iowa ranked 10th among all the states in […]
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Formerly incarcerated women in Iowa share the challenges they faced during re-entry
Lisa Smith felt like “nothing was done” to prepare her for re-entry following the six years she served at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. She also wasn’t prepared for the loneliness she would feel. “I was surrounded by women all the time, and when I got out, not only did I not have this […]
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Ernst left in the cold (metaphorically) at Trump’s Omaha rally, other attendees literally left in the cold
Sen. Joni Ernst chose to attend President Trump’s rally in Omaha on Tuesday night as she returned to actively campaigning after taking a break to help her fellow Republicans push through the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. If Ernst expected a display of gratitude from Trump for Barrett vote or a big display […]
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What’s next for Cedar Rapids? City council members talk through priorities for 2021
The Cedar Rapids City Council met virtually on Tuesday for a special session focused on key priorities for the upcoming year. “This is a great opportunity for the city council members, the mayor and staff to talk about priorities, and it’s particularly opportune with some of the challenges that we’ve certainly seen this year, whether […]
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Gov. Reynolds skips another COVID-19 news conference as hospitalizations hit record highs once again
For the 10th time this month, Iowa set a new record for the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, as the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 564 patients on Tuesday morning. That is an increase of three infected people from the previous record of 561 patients that was set on Sunday evening. Hospital officials and […]
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Halloween and Hawkeye football will look very different this Saturday
Traditionally, Halloween is a night of fun about town, with kids collecting candy from neighbors and young adults enjoying themed drink specials at bars downtown. There’s nothing stopping these traditions from taking place in 2020, despite a continued COVID-19 surge in Iowa, but Johnson County health officials have offered guidance for locals hoping to haunt […]
