Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a new emergency health proclamation on Friday afternoon, allowing wineries, distilleries and breweries in Johnson County and Story County to reopen to the public and serve alcohol starting at 5 p.m. Friday evening. Bars in the two counties may reopen starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5. Reynolds ordered bars […]
Community/News
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Brix Cheese Shop & Wine Bar survives the pandemic with creativity and generosity
Communities tend to display their identity in the small businesses that line their streets. When you visit a new community, you likely won’t remember the drive-thru fast food cheeseburger you had in between meetings, but rather the local beer at the watering hole on the corner, or the first edition of your favorite novel at […]
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UI President Bruce Harreld announces his retirement
University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld announced on Thursday morning his intention to retire before his contract expires in June 2023. “I have commitments to family and other folks that I need to live up to while I still can,” Harreld, who was appointed president in 2015, told the Daily Iowan. “I’ll turn 70 later […]
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Iowa City closing its temporary storm debris disposal site
Iowa City is closing its temporary yard debris disposal site in the lot next to the Iowa City Transit facilities at 1200 S. Riverside Drive. The site will shut down at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Iowa City Resource Management said in a statement on Wednesday morning. The site opened on Aug. 15 to provide residents […]
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‘I’m ready to get to work’: Hai Huynh elected to the Coralville City Council
In a special election with a higher voter turnout than last year’s regular city election, Coralville voters elected Hai Huynh to the city council last night. Huynh scored an impressive victory in the four-candidate race, receiving 52.5 percent of the votes cast. The second-place finisher was Barry Bedford with 35.5 percent of the vote. Bedford […]
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Gov. Reynolds relaxes COVID-19 quarantine guidelines for schools
Iowa schools will no longer be required to follow the CDC’s COVID-19 quarantine guidelines, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced at her news conference on Tuesday. Previously, students and staff who were in close contact with someone who tested positive were supposed to self-quarantine for 14 days. Close contact is defined as being within six feet of […]
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Linn County renames park to honor memory of Meskwaki artist and women’s rights advocate
The Linn County Conservation Board has changed the name of the county’s largest park to Wanatee Park to honor the memory of Jean Adeline Morgan Wanatee, an artist and advocate for the rights of Native Americans and women. The park located in Marion was formerly known as Squaw Creek Park. Although there is some debate […]
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Mount Mercy University adjusts to fall semester shaped by the derecho, COVID-19 and its president resigning
Students and faculty at Mount Mercy University (MMU) in Cedar Rapids are adjusting to a new normal this fall semester. When students began their semester in early September — whether that was through online or hybrid instruction — the campus was already dealing the impacts of the Aug. 10 derecho and the COVID-19 pandemic. Two […]
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Trumpet Blossom transforms its menu to cater to the pandemic food economy
Strong communities are built on inclusiveness. They provide spaces where members can explore new ideas, new art and new food, and that cater to a wide variety of needs and preferences. For almost a decade, Trumpet Blossom Cafe has done exactly that for Iowa City. As a restaurant, Trumpet Blossom offers high quality, locally sourced […]
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Des Moines-area group stages ‘Back the Blue’ march in Iowa City
The Facebook post promoting the “Back the Blue” march in Iowa City on Friday evening said the event would have a “special guest” — it didn’t mention the tractor, or the bagpiper. But the approximately 75 people who gathered for the event marched from College Green Park to the Pentacrest, and back again, following a […]
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‘A part of me is gone’: Family and friends mourn Makeda Scott during memorial service on the Pentacrest
Speeches and music filled the air in around the Pentacrest on Friday night, as more than 100 people gathered to mourn Makeda Scott. Organized by Scott’s mother, Simmone Spencer-VanGorp, and the Iowa Freedom Riders (IFR), the memorial aimed to celebrate Scott’s life, and reinforce calls for justice. “I’m mad at her for leaving me, and […]
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Iowa takes its first action against a meat-packing plant for COVID-19 violations, issues $957 fine
Meat-processing plants have repeatedly been the epicenters of COVID-19 outbreaks in Iowa, and this month the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued its first fine to a plant for virus-related violations. Iowa Premium Beef Plant in Tama, where an outbreak in April infected more than 300 workers, was fined $967, Ryan J. Foley of […]
