Bars in Linn County and three other counties closed by order of Gov. Kim Reynolds on Aug. 27 can reopen at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a new public health proclamation signed by the governor on Tuesday. Limitations on restaurants serving liquor will also be removed. “Bars, taverns, wineries, breweries, distilleries, [and] night clubs” […]
Community/News
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids schools prepare for a different start to the school year due to COVID-19, derecho
Cedar Rapids students have less than a week before the school year starts on Sept. 21, and this year will look very different due to precautions and planning to address the COVID-19 pandemic and damage left by the derecho. The Cedar Rapids Community School District decided last month to start the school year later than […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City Council is holding a listening session on community policing at Mercer Park
The Iowa City Council will hold the first of six listening post events on police reform at Mercer Park on Wednesday evening. Each of the six planned events will focus on an issue important to improving community policing in Iowa City. Wednesday’s listening post will focus on how to better handle situations involving mental health, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Inside Linn County Conservation’s derecho recovery effort
The derecho that tore through the Midwest on Aug. 10 has left scars all across Iowa. Hundreds of thousands lost power, cell service and internet connection — some are still without. Ten million acres of crops were damaged. The residents of Cedar Rapids found their roofs blown off and massive trees uprooted and splayed across […]
Posted inCommunity/News
COVID-19: UI, ISU and UNI eliminate spring break; more than 1,800 UI students have reported testing positive
There will be no spring break in 2021 for students at Iowa’s three public universities, the schools announced on Monday. The elimination of this standard part of student life is part of the effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. Gaining […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Judge invalidates all absentee ballot request forms mailed to voters by Johnson County Auditor
The pre-filled absentee ballot requests sent to all active voters in Johnson County are invalid, District Court Judge Ian Thornhill ruled in a decision released on Monday morning. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the Trump campaign, the Republican Party of Iowa and two national Republican campaign committees. Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City schools receive a second waiver, will allow for an additional two weeks of all online classes
The Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) received a second two-week waiver on Friday, allowing schools to offer keep offering less than 50 percent in-person instruction. District schools are currently holding all their classes online due to the spike of COVID-19 cases in Johnson County. Following recommendations from district staff, the ICCSD Board of Directors […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Appeal hearing for fired Cedar Rapids police officer Lucas Jones will be ‘all virtual’
The Cedar Rapids Civil Service Commission voted on Friday to keep the appeal hearing for fired police officer Lucas Jones all virtual in light of increased cases of COVID-19 in Linn County. The two-day hearing is scheduled to begin on Sept. 22. The Cedar Rapids Police Department fired Jones in June for turning off a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Ernst privately apologizes to Iowa Medical Society for suggesting doctors are faking COVID-19 deaths
Sen. Joni Ernst privately apologized to members of the Iowa Medical Society (IMS) for her suggestion that doctors are faking COVID-19 deaths to make money, but declined to say if she’d issue a public statement withdrawing her suggestion, Iowa Starting Line reported. Ernst made her remarks about doctors falsely attributing deaths to COVID-19 during an […]
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As more Iowa cities and counties fall into the ‘red zone,’ Reynolds makes another call for ‘normalcy’
“I would continue to say, as we learn to live with COVID-19 until we have a vaccine, we have to learn to live with it,” Gov. Kim Reynolds declared at her news conference on Thursday. “And we have to start to bring some normalcy into our lives.” Reynolds said this in response to a question […]
Posted inDear Kiki
Dear Kiki: My partner doesn’t respect my alone time
Questions about love and sex in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids area can be submitted to dearkiki@littlevillagemag.com, or anonymously using this form. Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear either in print or online. Dear Kiki, I’m protective of my alone time for a host of reasons and have gotten backlash for […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Republican leaders join President Trump in trying to pressure the Big 10 into resuming fall football season
The Republican leaders of the Iowa Legislature sent a letter to Big 10 Commissioner Kevin Warren, asking him to restore the conference’s fall football system, which was canceled due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. “Just last month, under your leadership, the Big Ten released updated and enhanced testing, quarantine and isolation policies,” Speaker […]
