Jim Leach, who represented Johnson County and much of southeastern Iowa in Congress for 30 years as a Republican, changed his party registration to Democrat ahead of the June 7 primary, the Quad City Times reported on Wednesday. “Today, the Republican Party that I spent so many years with has really let the country down,” […]
Eastern Iowa
Posted inWeekender
Weekender Eastern Iowa! CatVideoFest | Hops for Housing | The Machine Stops: An Opera
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium Benefits take center stage this weekend in Eastern Iowa, with a Friday night reproductive freedom concert, Saturday’s Hops for Housing and a concert in support of CommUnity on Sunday. It’s also your last chance of the summer to […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ sees Willow Creek Theatre Company bask in genderfuckery
I write this review of Willow Creek Theatre Company’s production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell, text; Stephen Trask, music and lyrics) with the music of Tomato Boy playing in the background on Bandcamp. There’s not much available; a few singles, a collection of three titled birthday demos. The earliest was added […]
Posted inCommunity/News
HobbyTown in Cedar Rapids is closing
After six years selling everything from jigsaw puzzles to rockets and radio-controlled planes, HobbyTown in Cedar Rapids is going out of business. In a news release, owners Niels and Musette Christensen cited the increasing cost of rent and inflation as reasons why they were closing. The couple opened the store in December 2016, in the […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Vandals spray-paint racist and anti-Semitic graffiti in Marion
A four-block stretch of 10th Street in Marion was vandalized with racist and anti-Semitic graffiti, including swastikas, during the early hours of Thursday morning. “At least one vehicle was spray-painted, as were city streets, city sidewalks, light posts, and some businesses and homes between the 700 block and the 1100 block of 10th Street right […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Section of S Gilbert Street will be closed to traffic until mid-August
A short but busy section of S Gilbert Street will be closed to traffic for almost a month starting next week to “facilitate the reconstruction of the CRANDIC railroad crossing and street pavement repair,” the Iowa City Public Works Department said in a statement. Traffic in both directions along the street will be blocked between […]
Posted inWeekender
Weekender Eastern Iowa! Hedwig and the Angry Inch | This Compost! | Mutual Aid Potluck
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium It’s high July and you’re probably ready for anything that can beat this heat. Fear not! The options this weekend are endless, whether you want to slather on the sunscreen and go berry picking or experience music, literature, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
First case of monkeypox confirmed in Johnson County
The Johnson County Public Health Department (JCPH) announced the first confirmed case of monkeypox in Johnson County on Tuesday evening. It is the fifth confirmed case of the virus in Iowa. JCPH is working with the Iowa Department of Public Health “to investigate the circumstances of exposure and inform close contacts,” JCPH said in a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Olivet Neighborhood Mission is collecting school supplies to help Cedar Rapids families in need
The Olivet Neighborhood Mission (ONM) has begun its annual drive to collect school supplies to donate to Cedar Rapids families in need. The mission, located at 230 10th St NW in Cedar Rapids, is accepting school supply donations during its normal business hours, 9 to 11:30 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday. There is a particular need […]
Posted inCommunity/News
IC hosting drive-through to drop off unwanted household items, citywide garage sales this weekend
As a new lease cycle begins, the leftover boxes that survived the garage sale culls usually pile up on curbsides or in the dumpster. But this Sunday, Iowa City will host a Donation Drive-Thru to help residents either donate or recycle their old belongings. The drive-through will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The org tables are the stars at CCAN-Con, a volunteering and activism fair taking over the Ped Mall Saturday
Corridor Community Action Network will host its second-ever CCAN-Con on Saturday at the Ped Mall. The convention, last held right before the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, is a community engagement and volunteer fair founded by CCAN Director Mandi Nichols. Local organizations will be tabling, as well as providing various workshops and training. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘We can do better, because we’ve done better’: Deidre DeJear on Iowa’s future, LGBTQ rights, abortion access and legalizing cannabis
“I just want to get back to basics,” Deidre DeJear told the people gathered on the fifth floor patio of the Chauncey on Thursday evening, in response to a question about what her first three priorities would be if elected governor. The Democratic nominee named funding public education, guaranteeing the right to choose an abortion […]
