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). […]
Community/News
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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 […]
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Record COVID-19 hospitalizations threaten to ‘overwhelm’ Iowa health care system, hospital executives say
The surge in new cases of COVID-19 in Iowa continued over the weekend, and the state set yet another record for the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Between 10 a.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Monday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 3,897 Iowans had tested positive for COVID-19, which include 103 residents […]
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Hy-Vee CEO tells employees he’s concerned about the tax policies of ‘some of the candidates’ this election cycle
Hy-Vee CEO Randy Edeker sent a video about the upcoming election to his company’s more than 245 stores, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. In the video, which is being played in store breakrooms, Edeker tells employees that current tax policies are in the best interest of the West Des Moines-based chain and warns about social unrest […]
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Cedar Rapids launches online climate survey, seeks members for the city’s Climate Advisory Committee
The city of Cedar Rapids launched an online survey for residents to provide input about the city’s climate action plan. The survey, which is online until Nov. 20, will be used to make the city’s Community Climate Action Plan. The survey is available in five languages: English, Spanish, French, Swahili and Kirundi. In February, the […]
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Early voting: Iowa sets a new record, locations open through the weekend in Johnson and Linn
As the final week of early voting begins, Iowa is in the process of setting a new record. On Friday afternoon, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate tweeted that 708,899 voters had already cast a ballot for the Nov. 3 election, breaking the previous record set in 2012, when 679,118 Iowans voted early. Democrats are […]
