Chess, like most discernible parts of human society, saw its usage affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, in this case, the 550-year-old game saw a marked rise in interest.
Community/News
Posted inCommunity/News
Alleging ‘fraud’ and ‘election interference,’ Trump sues the largest newspaper in Iowa, a state with no anti-SLAPP law
“I’m doing this not because I want to,” President-elect Donald Trump told reporters on Monday during his first news conference since the election. “I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation.” Trump was talking about suing news organizations and others who published stories he considers unfair. The president-elect was responding to a reporter’s […]
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Peak Iowa: When a poll was right about a woman winning in Iowa
If you’re feeling burnt by the previously reliable Iowa Poll showing Harris winning Iowa by 3 points just days before Trump carried the state by the biggest margin since Nixon in 1972, you probably don’t want to talk about polls. But it’s still an election year, and worth acknowledging that modern election polling was born […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Peak Iowa: What’s the secret to the perfect dill spread? Ask Elijah Wood.
Years ago, Cedar Rapids was a real deli town. You could pop out of work or school to grab a good sandwich at any number of locally owned shops peppered throughout the quadrants. But the city looks different after decades of restaurant closures — Cork ‘n Fork in 2014, Sub City and Emil’s Delicatessen in […]
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In a history-making pick, Gov. Reynolds appoints Sen. Chris Cournoyer to replace Adam Gregg as lieutenant governor
Gov. Kim Reynolds has appointed Chris Cournoyer lieutenant governor. The LeClaire Republican was in her second term in the Iowa Senate, representing District 35 — which covers Clinton County, as well as parts of Scott and Jackson counties — when she was selected for her new position. Chief Justice Susan Christensen administered the oath of […]
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State officials cancel Iowa Satanic Temple celebration, claiming it’s ‘harmful to minors’ without stating why
Last year on Dec. 14, the Satanic Temple (TST) of Iowa’s sanctioned holiday display in the Iowa State Capitol rotunda was vandalized. The culprit was a failed Republican congressional candidate from Mississippi who traveled more than 800 miles just to smash the display, which consisted mostly of electric candles and a cloaked mannequin with a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Summit Carbon Solutions is threatening to sue pipeline opponents
Several opponents of the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions carbon sequestration pipeline have received letters on behalf of the company threatening lawsuits over perceived defamation, an environmental group representative said. Jess Mazour, a conservation program associate with the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, said in a press release Thursday she received a letter from the company, “threatening […]
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Peak Iowa: Nesper Sign celebrates 100 years and a jillion jests
Long before the Iowa DOT began bombarding our senses with messaging tortured enough to ensure that drivers’ eyes stay on the road, travelers along I-380 had just one source of entertainment to liven up their route: the Nesper sign. Cedar Rapids mainstay Nesper Sign Advertising sits just past the Highway 30 interchange, offering northbound drivers […]
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Wanted: Donations of old gas and electric appliances for Waterloo’s Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Waterloo has launched its Winter Appliance Drive, seeking donations of electric and gas appliances that people and businesses no longer need. “Appliances must be in working condition and free of debris,” ReStore said in a social media post on the drive. “Sorry, we can’t accept propane or vented […]
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Holiday Market at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center canceled after NWS issues ice storm warning for Saturday
The Holiday Market at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center scheduled for Saturday has been canceled, the Iowa City Department of Parks and Recreation announced Friday morning. The cancellation came after the National Weather Service issued an ice storm warning for several eastern Iowa counties, including Johnson County. The ice storm warning runs from midnight to […]
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Bumper Crops: Pinball bans and the Des Moines mafia
There was never an amendment to the Constitution prohibiting pinball, but that didn’t stop some major cities from banning the game from the 1930s through the mid-’70s. In fact, Oakland, California still had a ban on pinball machines as recently as 2014. I first learned about pinball’s checkered history after trying to cajole my mom […]
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Jim Leach, who put principle before party during his 30 years representing Iowa in Congress, has died
Jim Leach, who represented eastern Iowa in Congress for 30 years and later went on to lead the National Endowment for the Humanities, died on Wednesday. He was 82 years old. Even before he first ran for Congress in 1976, Leach demonstrated he was committed to upholding important principles rather than political or personal advancement. […]
