David Wiggins, the acting chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, announced his retirement on Friday. According to a statement posted on the court’s website, Wiggins will step down on March 13. His current term was scheduled to expire in December. Wiggins was appointed to the court in 2003 by Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat.
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State Auditor: ‘Bad data’ from Iowa DHS make it impossible to assess state’s Medicaid home health program
A new report from the Office of the State Auditor was supposed to summarize the results of an 18-month-long attempt to audit the Medicaid program administered by the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) that provides health services to patients in their homes. But that proved to be impossible, because repeated attempts to get accurate information
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Dreeam Sports is launching a mentorship program for at-risk kids in Cedar Rapids
Dreeam Sports is starting its second year of working with young people in the Cedar Rapids area by launching a new mentorship program. Brandon Jackson started the nonprofit in February 2019 to help make sports affordable for kids in Cedar Rapids. He added the extra “e” to Dreeam to emphasize the importance of “exceeding expectations,” Jackson told Little Village.
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After five years of false starts, Iowa City’s bike-share program will (probably) start in April
Last year, the Iowa City Department of Transportation announced the city’s long-awaited bike-share program was scheduled to launch “in the fall” of 2019. That didn’t happen. Just like it didn’t happen in 2018, despite the department announcing it planned to start the program in the fall of that year.
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Ernst, Grassley and King sign legal brief encouraging the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade
Sen. Joni Ernst, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Steve King all signed onto a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday that calls Roe v. Wade “haphazard” and “unworkable,” and asks the justices to consider overturning it.
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Bruce Teague elected mayor of Iowa City
The Iowa City Council elected Bruce Teague mayor during a special early morning session on Tuesday. Teague has served on the council since 2018, when he won a special election to fill the at-large seat that became vacant after Kingsley Botchway resigned to take a job in Waterloo.
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Rep. Abby Finkenauer endorses Joe Biden for president
Abby Finkenauer became the first Democrat in Iowa’s congressional delegation to endorse a 2020 presidential candidate when the first-term representative announced on Monday she is supporting Joe Biden. Finkenauer started her endorsement by talking about her upbringing. “I was raised in a small town in rural Iowa, where my family instilled in me the importance of
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Openings, closings and wanderings: 2019 restaurant news in review
It was a turbulent year for many restaurants in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Two that opened in January — BeerBurger in downtown Iowa City and Linn Street Dive — closed before the end of summer. But BeerBurger still has its North Liberty location, and in December, Linn Street Dive became Marco’s Grilled Cheese. Melk […]
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‘Understanding who you are and where you’re from’: Cedar Rapids’ Czech School has been keeping traditions alive for 150 years
When Mandy Vaughn’s two children became old enough to attend the Cedar Rapids Czech School, she was excited for them to learn the culture, songs and traditions that have been in her family for generations. Mandy went to Czech School as a child, as did her mother, Mary Haster. “It’s kind of come full circle in a sense,” Mandy said about her daughter
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‘We have work to do’: Laura Bergus and Janice Weiner officially join the Iowa City Council
The two newest members of Iowa City Council took their oaths of office in council chamber on Thursday afternoon. Laura Bergus and Janice Weiner, both elected to at-large seats in November, were sworn in by City Clerk Kellie Fruehling. For Bergus, it’s a new role in a familiar setting. Her first job as a teenager was televising council meetings for the city’s cable channel
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Hall of Fame Hawkeyes Coach Hayden Fry, who also helped integrate college football in Texas, dies at age 90
Hayden Fry, the coach whose name has become synonymous with Hawkeye football, died on Tuesday, his family announced in a written statement. He was 90. “With our family at his side, Hayden Fry, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away following a lengthy battle with cancer,” his family said. Fry spent 20 seasons as the University of Iowa’s head football coach, and during that time transformed the team.
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CommUnity’s Project Holiday helps families in need enjoy a holiday meal
The name of the nonprofit changed earlier this year, but its mission didn’t. CommUnity Crisis Services and Foodbank, formerly the Crisis Center of Johnson County, still offers crisis counseling, assists families struggling to pay rent and utility bills, help individuals starting new jobs with basic necessities (such as buying boots and uniforms) and runs a
