“Everything is increasing — the spread, the positive COVID cases, the hospitalizations, the deaths,” State Senator Liz Mathis said at the start of a virtual news conference on Thursday, the same day Linn County surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Mathis’ district, which includes Cedar Rapids, Marion, Robins, Hiawatha, Bertram, Ely and southern Linn County, […]
COVID-19
Iowa sees a record number of positive tests as White House Coronavirus Task Force warns of ‘unyielding COVID spread’
Iowa set a record for new COVID-19 cases in a single day on Wednesday, as the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 4,764 more cases of the virus during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. The previous record of 4,562 new cases in a single day was set last Thursday. The new cases on […]
As COVID cases surge, Gov. Reynolds introduces minor new restrictions and pledges to keep Iowa ‘open for business’
On Tuesday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 4,441 people statewide tested positive for COVID-19 during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. The department has reported more than 4,000 new cases on five of the last six days. The new cases on Tuesday included 219 residents of Johnson County and 424 residents of […]
ICCSD gets to move all classes online as cases of COVID-19 surge in Johnson County (Updated)
Update: The Iowa City Community School District Board of Directors approved moving the district’s school to all online instruction at its meeting on Tuesday evening. The change will take place on Monday, Nov. 16, following the recommendation of the district’s administration. Interim Superintendent Matt Degner said waiting until Monday would give parents a chance to […]
Cedar Rapids school district requests to move to all-online instruction due to COVID-19 surge in Linn County, increase in staff quarantine
The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) applied for a waiver from the Department of Education (DOE) on Tuesday to move to district-wide remote instruction for two weeks. If granted, students would begin remote learning on Thursday. The request comes as Linn County is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The country reported […]
COVID-19: Iowa has more than 1,000 hospitalized patients, Linn County sets a new one-day record and the outbreak in Iowa prisons gets worse
It took Iowa 226 days to reach 500 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but it only took 20 days to go from 500 to 1,000 patients. On Monday morning, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 1,034 COVID-19 patients in the state’s hospitals. A total of 184 of those patients were being treated in intensive care units. […]
ICCSD asks the state for permission to go all online due to COVID-19 surge in Johnson County
The Iowa City Community School District has submitted a request to the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) to move to all online instruction for two weeks due to the surge in new cases of COVID-19 in Johnson County. In an email to district families, Interim Superintendent Matt Degner said the request had the support of […]
One day after having 800 hospitalized COVID-19 patients for the first time, Iowa has more than 900
For the 12th day in a row, Iowa set a new record for the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with the Iowa Department of Public Health reporting 912 patients on Friday morning, an increase of 73 from Thursday morning’s total of 839. One hundred and sixty-four of the 912 patients are being treated in intensive […]
COVID-19: Iowa has its worst day for new cases yet. Gov. Reynolds says Iowans just need to be reminded to do the right thing.
Iowa recorded its highest ever one-day total of new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, when the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 4,562 Iowans had tested positive for the virus during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. That is a 71 percent increase over the previous one-day high of 2,887 new cases set four days […]
Test Iowa site in Cedar Rapids is moving to a new location
Linn County’s Test Iowa site in Cedar Rapids will be at a different location staring on Monday morning. The site, which has been operating since early May, is currently at the Department of Transportation’s District 6 office. It will close after testing concludes at 6 p.m. on Friday. The site will reopen on Monday at […]
COVID-19: Iowa ranks sixth in the country for new cases and 13th for deaths, sets more records for hospitalizations
For the 10th day in row, Iowa has set a new record for the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. On Wednesday morning, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 777 confirmed cases of the virus among Iowa hospital patients, a substantial jump from the 730 patients IDPH reported the previous day. The number of those […]
The Bike Library hasn’t let a pandemic slow their cycling revolution
The coronavirus has left us all desperate for safe activities. As our collective calendar was systematically wiped clear this spring, people turned to the outdoors as a refuge and an escape from their homes. For many Iowans, that meant greasing up their gears and hitting the bike trails. The Iowa City Bike Library has been […]

