The derecho that hit Cedar Rapids on Aug. 10 caused $60 million to $80 million worth of damage, according to the city. Overall, the August derecho caused $7.5 billion worth of damage, according to estimates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Washington Post reported that no thunderstorm or tornado has caused “as much […]
Community/News
White supremacist graffiti spray-painted in City Park
Visitors to City Park on Saturday morning may have encountered an unpleasant surprise on the pavement: white supremacist messages written with black spray paint in three different areas. “We’ve had spray-painting before, but never messages like this,” Collin Lenton of the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department said as he was scrubbing graffiti off one […]
Iowa’s rate of new COVID-19 cases was almost twice the national average last week, Gov. Reynolds says no changes are needed
According to the most recent report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Iowa was the state with the seventh highest rate of new COVID-19 cases last week. “Iowa had 199 new cases per 100,000 population in the last week, compared to a national average of 100 per 100,000,” the report dated Oct. 11 said. […]
Trump tells crowd of fans in Des Moines that if he doesn’t win Iowa, ‘I’ll never be back’ in a rally replete with irony and misinformation
A cold wind was blowing at the Des Moines International Airport late Wednesday afternoon as people gathered in a spot on the tarmac typically used by cargo planes for a Trump campaign rally. But the crowd of almost 4,000 didn’t seem discouraged by the wind. The Trump campaign had announced it expected at least 10,000 […]
Bo-James settles with the state on alleged COVID-19 violations, will have two-day liquor license suspension
Unsafe gatherings of new and returning University of Iowa students caused a surge of COVID-19 cases in Johnson County in August, which in turn led Gov. Kim Reynolds to include Johnson in her emergency proclamation closing bars, distilleries and breweries in six counties on Aug. 27. This order was lifted in Johnson County on Oct. 5.
Derecho recovery: Cedar Rapids to begin tree replanting with an Arbor Day event in October
The city of Cedar Rapids announced three events in the coming weeks aimed at replacing its lost tree canopy. The city lost about 65 percent of its trees after the Aug. 10 derecho. The first is an Arbor Day celebration on Friday at Cedar River Academy at Taylor Elementary. The celebration is usually in April […]
Iowans have through Thursday to complete the 2020 Census
Iowans who have not completed the 2020 census have limited time to submit their responses to ensure they’re counted. The Supreme Court approved a request on Tuesday that allows the Trump administration to move forward with ending the census earlier than planned. The new deadline is Thursday, Oct. 15, at 11:59 p.m. Hawaii time. (For […]
Trump campaign says 10,000 expected at Des Moines rally as COVID-19 hospitalizations in Iowa hit a new high
As preparations for President Donald Trump’s campaign rally at the Des Moines International Airport got underway on Wednesday morning, the Biden campaign released a statement about Trump’s decision to hold the rally as community spread of COVID-19 continues to cause numbers of new cases in Iowa to surge. Iowa has been ravaged by the coronavirus […]
‘We’re doing whatever we can to help the voter’: Iowa county auditors discuss early voting, concerns about the mail and preparing for a record turnout
A record number of Iowans — nearly a quarter of the state’s population — have requested absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Secretary of State Paul Pate announced last Friday there had been 703,768 request forms submitted by voters across the state. The previous record of 693,000 […]
Reynolds encourages Iowans to attend Trump rally in Des Moines amid surge in community spread of COVID-19
On the same day Iowa surpassed 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Gov. Kim Reynolds encouraged people to attend a rally being held by President Trump in Des Moines on Wednesday. “Protect Iowa’s future, and show your support for President Trump!” Reynolds tweeted from the account she uses for campaign-related items on Monday, just hours after […]
More than 100,000 Iowans have now tested positive for COVID-19
The number of Iowans who have tested positive for COVID-19 since it was first detected in the state on March 8 surpassed 100,000 over the weekend. At 10 a.m. Monday, the Iowa Department of Public Health was reporting 100,052 confirmed cases of the virus, an increase of 3,011 cases since 10 a.m. on Friday. Among […]
Satellite locations for early voting open this week
Early voting in the Nov. 3 election got off to a fast start last week, with 14,389 people casting ballots in Johnson County and 5,580 voting early in Linn County. Those totals reflect both in-person early voting, as well as absentee ballots returned by mail or deposited in the drop boxes set up by the […]

