After a year without rides, games and grandstand entertainment due to the pandemic, the Johnson County Fair returns with all its traditional elements this weekend. There will still be COVID-19 precautions, since community spread is still occurring in the state. The fair is asking anyone who is not fully vaccinated to wear a mask, spacing […]
COVID-19
Posted inCommunity/News
Free DIY COVID-19 test kits now available
The last Test Iowa sites closed down on Friday, as the Iowa Department of Public Health ceased using drive-through test sites and started relying on at-home test kits to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Like the drive-through testing, the at-home testing program, which IDPH is doing in partnership with the State Hygienic […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City Municipal Airport warns about scams involving puppies and jobs
The Iowa City Municipal Airport put out a warning on Friday morning to alert people to a pair of scams, one involving puppies, the other involving jobs. “The first scam was reported earlier this summer and involves groups posing as pet breeders who say they will fly a dog you purchased to the Iowa City […]
Posted inCommunity/News
After more than a year of pandemic lockdown, Coralville Community Food Pantry reopens its doors to the public
Following a few brief remarks from its executive director, and a round of applause from supporters and volunteers, the Coralville Community Food Pantry reopened its doors to the public on Tuesday afternoon. “This is a really good day,” Executive Director John Boller said. The pantry’s staff and volunteers we excited to welcome clients back inside […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Cedar Rapids looks to boost arts and entertainment industry this summer
A new initiative from the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance aims to rally support for arts, culture and entertainment venues in the city this summer. The CR Summer Rally program is the latest phase of the Economic Alliance’s Buy Local program, communications manager Jule Day told Little Village. The Economic Alliance announced the Rally C.A.P. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City Council will resume in-person meetings, starting on July 6 at the Senior Center
The Iowa City Council will resume in-person meetings, starting on Tuesday. But instead of meeting at City Hall, the council will be holding both its work sessions and formal session in the assembly room of the Senior Center (28 S Linn St). “The Center’s assembly room is larger than City Hall’s Emma Harvat Hall, and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City to reopen City Hall on Thursday
City Hall will fully reopen on Thursday. The building closed to the general public on March 18, 2020, as COVID-19 began to spread widely in the city and the state. “These changes signal a move back to pre-pandemic operations; however, the City will remain vigilant in monitoring the local and national public health situation. For […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Secretary of Iowa Senate denies making threat over report on inadequate COVID measures at State Capitol Building
Charlie Smithson, the secretary of the Iowa Senate, complained to the administrator in charge of the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Agency (IOSHA) about a “hazard alert letter” by agency inspectors criticizing how the Republican leaders who appointed Smithson failed to address COVID-19 concerns in the Iowa State Capitol Building, and suggested the letter might […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Jon Green elected to Johnson County Board of Supervisors in landslide victory
Democrat Jon Green easily won Tuesday’s special election to fill the vacancy on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Green earned 9,718 votes, or 66.1 percent of all votes cast, according to the totals published by the Johnson County Auditor’s Office. Republican Phil Hemingway won 4,504 votes, or 30.6 percent of the total, and Brian […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Bored during lockdown, a Williamsburg couple built an outdoor stage on their property, offering artists 100% of ticket sales
If you want to accidentally start a performance venue amidst a pandemic, it’s best to start with a barn. Put it outside of the city a few miles where it’s quiet, on four acres of Iowa prairie, most of it pasture for horses, with plenty of places for people to park. That’s how Nathan and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds says no to vaccine incentives, yes to running for reelection; State Auditor says she misused pandemic aid again
“I am really happy with where we’re at,” Gov. Kim Reynolds told reporters on Thursday, explaining that Iowa doesn’t need to follow the example of other states and create lotteries or other incentives to persuade people to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In April, the governor announced a goal of having 65 percent of eligible Iowans […]
Posted inCOVID-19
City Park Pool will open for the season on Saturday
City Park Pool will open for the 2021 season on Saturday, the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department confirmed on Wednesday. There had been the possibility of delaying opening day because of a leak in the pool’s surge tank, but repairs were finished on schedule. The pool will be open on Saturday from 6:15 to […]
