The holidays will look a bit different this year due to the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean traditions have to end — including the city of Cedar Rapids’ holiday tree lighting. As with many activities this year, the lighting of the tree in Greene Square is going virtual. It will be streamed on the city’s […]
Cedar Rapids News
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City of Cedar Rapids estimates businesses lost at least $133.4 million due to derecho damage
Cedar Rapids businesses experienced at least $133.4 million in losses due to the Aug. 10 derecho, according to a new estimate. The estimate is based on information gathered by a questionnaire the city launched in mid-August. The goal of the questionnaire was to get an idea of how businesses were impacted, the city’s economic development […]
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Cedar Rapids Civil Service Commission affirms CRPD’s decision to fire Lucas Jones
The Cedar Rapids Civil Service Commission voted unanimously on Monday to uphold the firing of former Cedar Rapids police officer Lucas Jones, affirming the decision Chief Wayne Jerman made earlier this year. The three-member commission went into a closed session for deliberation prior to Monday’s vote. A written decision is expected to be ready next […]
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CRCSD applies for waiver to continue all-online learning after Thanksgiving break
The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) has applied for another waiver from the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) to extend virtual learning by another two weeks following Thanksgiving break, Superintendent Noreen Bush announced on Tuesday in a message to families. CRCSD began district-wide remote learning on Thursday, Nov. 12, after its two-week waiver was […]
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A Czech dressmaker sent her designs to the U.S. before she died in the Holocaust. Her dresses are now on display at NCSML
A traveling exhibit now on display at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) is recognizing talent and creativity that was lost during the Holocaust. “Stitching History through the Holocaust” showcases eight dresses designed by Hedwig (Hedy) Strnad, a dressmaker who lived in Prague with her husband Paul during the Nazi invasion. In […]
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Linn County Supervisors approve mask mandate, close most county buildings
On Wednesday, the Linn County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted in favor of requiring individuals in the county to wear a face covering when out in public. The regulation, which was approved by the Board of Health earlier this week, takes effect on Thursday. It requires residents and individuals visiting Linn County to wear face […]
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CR Schools Superintendent discusses remote learning and COVID-19 in district schools
Cedar Rapids families should know by next Tuesday if the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) will apply for another virtual instruction waiver or if students can expect to return to in-person classes after Thanksgiving. Superintendent Noreen Bush said the district will be closely following three main metrics — staff absences, impact on the healthcare […]
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Linn County Board of Health approves regulation requiring face coverings in public
The Linn County Board of Health unanimously approved a regulation on Monday that requires individuals in the county to wear a face covering when out in public. The Board of Health’s approval came just hours before Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a new emergency public health proclamation that included a limited statewide mask mandate. Various jurisdictions […]
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Maurice Davis couldn’t find a book about entrepreneurship featuring children of color. So he wrote one.
Cedar Rapids entrepreneur Maurice Davis was looking to get a book for his little sisters about entrepreneurship. He wanted to work with them on problem-solving and introduce them to entrepreneurial thinking. While he found a handful of children’s books that touched on the subject, the characters in those books didn’t look like his sisters. “Education […]
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The derecho destroyed one-fourth of the trees in Iowa’s forests
The Aug. 10 derecho destroyed approximately a quarter of the trees in Iowa’s forests, according to Pete Hildreth, administrator of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Conservation and Recreation Division. Hildreth told the Natural Resource Commission during its Thursday meeting that the hurricane-force winds of the storm felled or irreparably damaged 724,000 acres of trees […]
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‘It’s a means to an end’: CR City Councilmember Ashley Vanorny shares experience in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trial
Cedar Rapids City Councilmember Ashley Vanorny said her decision to participate in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trial was “a very calculated risk but one that was good and necessary to take.” Vanorny is one of 270 volunteers enrolled at the University of Iowa’s study site. Overall, there are more than 40,000 people participating in the international […]
Posted inCOVID-19
‘We are hanging by a thread’: Cedar Rapids officials call on governor to issue mask mandate; CRCSD gets waiver to move classes online
“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, […]
