The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) will offer two options to families in the next academic year. For the 2021-22 school year, students will be able to choose between in-person learning or online learning through the Cedar Rapids Virtual Academy (CRVA), Superintendent Noreen Bush said during the Board of Education’s Monday meeting. The CRVA […]
Cedar Rapids News
Artists can now submit proposals for two murals along the Cedar Valley Nature Trail

The Cedar Rapids Community Development Department is now accepting proposal from artists for two planned murals along the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. One mural will be under the 12th Avenue bridge along the southeast side, and the other mural will be under the 8th Avenue bridge, also along the southeast side. “Community art would beautify […]
A 24-hour vaccine clinic will be held this weekend in downtown CR

There will be a 24-hour COVID-19 vaccine clinic this weekend at the DoubleTree, 350 1st Ave NE, in downtown Cedar Rapids, Linn County Public Health announced on Monday. Anyone 16 years and older is eligible to make an appointment. The large-scale clinic will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday and run through 9 a.m. on […]
Vaccination clinic with one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be held at Collins Aerospace on Monday and Tuesday (updated)

Update: Linn County Public Health announced on Tuesday morning it is cancelling the second day of the vaccination clinic at Collins Aerospace. The clinic was using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and early on Tuesday the CDC and FDA issued a statement calling for a pause in the use of that vaccine while safety data […]
Homelessness was increasing in Iowa. Then COVID-19 and the derecho hit.

A total of 2,647 Iowans were homeless on a single night in January 2020, a 14.3 percent increase from January 2019. The number of people experiencing homelessness in Iowa was increasing even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then came the August 2020 derecho that caused nearly $4 billion in damage, with at least $83 million of […]
Two Iowa teachers reflect on a year of pandemic schooling

“Create a connection with the student [and] the work will come naturally, no matter how unusual the virtual format.” That’s the advice Jefferson High School teacher Joe Link would have given himself in March 2020. More than one year ago, Iowa schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting education and changing how teachers interacted […]
Cargill will begin clearing the land for its Cedar Rapids rail yard later this month

Cargill will begin preparing the land south of Stewart Road for construction later this month, with construction running through October, officials involved with the project shared during a virtual town hall meeting. Cargill’s 50-minute virtual meeting last Wednesday was the company’s second town hall event providing information about the rail yard near the Rompot neighborhood. […]
Linn County health officials express frustration over state’s allocation of vaccine and lack of local control

In a three-page email to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office and the Iowa Department of Public Health, Linn County officials questioned and criticized the state’s allocation of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as well as pleaded for local control to allocate the single-dose vaccine to vulnerable populations. Tricia Kitzmann, who is Linn County Public Health’s […]
Spring leaf collection in Cedar Rapids begins on Monday

Spring leaf vacuum collection in Cedar Rapids will begin on Monday. Residents can expect leaf collection on their regular garbage day. If the trucks are slowed down by weather or volume, they will work to reach missed properties the next day, according to the city’s Solid Waste and Recycling division. Leaf piles should be placed […]
Build a bee as part of a Cedar Rapids community art project highlighting the importance of the busy pollinators

Happen to have ping-pong balls, used plastic water bottles, empty milk jugs, hangers and push pins lying around? According to the Grant Wood Art Colony, those common items — or other recycled materials — are un-bee-lievably perfect for crafting a bee. Anyone interested is invited to craft a bee and place it on structures resembling […]
Cedar Rapids NAACP working with Linn County Public Health to hold two vaccine clinics next week (Updated)

Update: Linn County Public Health announced on Friday the times for the two vaccine clinics. The clinic on Tuesday, April 6, will run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The clinic on Saturday, April 10, will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Instead of receiving the two-dose Moderna vaccine as originally announced, individuals […]
Jake Brummer exits Cedar Rapids mayoral race, endorses Amara Andrews

Business owner Jake Brummer has exited the race for mayor of Cedar Rapids, and endorsed Amara Andrews for the office. Brummer, who is co-owner of the Red Frog in Czech Village, launched his campaign early last week and was running what he called a “normal guy campaign” that was completely self-funded. “I want to get […]