Fifteen months after securing $117 million in federal funding for its flood control system, Cedar Rapids held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first project paid for by that money, the 16th Avenue SE floodgate. City officials were joined by U.S. senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, Rep. Abby Finkenauer and officers from the Army Corps of Engineers for the ceremony at Lion Bridge on Tuesday afternoon.
Cedar Rapids
Posted inCommunity/News
Taylor Bergen returns to Legion Arts as its interim director
After Taylor Bergen saw a show put on by Legion Arts at CSPS Hall in 2011, he decided he wanted to work for the Cedar Rapids arts organization. He called the next day to see if they were hiring. They weren’t. But a little over three months later, Bergen was hired as a program associate, and worked for Legion Arts for almost four years. Now, Bergen is back at CSPS. He was named interim director of Legion Arts on Wednesday.
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids issued more than 26,000 traffic tickets during first month after its speed cameras were reactivated
Cedar Rapids issued more than 26,000 citations in the first month of operating its traffic cameras since 2017, potentially bringing in more than $1.4 million in revenue. From the 26,424 citations issued in July, 26,103 were for speeding and 321 were for running a red light. Around 25,800 of the speeding tickets were issued from the cameras on I-380.
Posted inCommunity/News
School bus tour will showcase historic Cedar Rapids elementary schools scheduled for demolition
A tour hosted by the nonprofit group CR Heritage will highlight the historic qualities of Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) elementary schools — 10 of which will be demolished and replaced. Cedar Rapids historian Mark Stoffer Hunter will be leading the tour on Friday, Oct. 11.
Posted inCommunity/News
Dream of climbing up Mount Everest? Climb Mount Trashmore 140 times instead
Cedar Rapidians with ambitions to scale Mount Everest are invited to do the next best thing: climb Mount Trashmore. Next year’s Mount Trashmore Challenge will have participants make their way up the mound of garbage-turned-local-attraction 140 times — the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest. To get people excited about the 2020
Posted inCommunity/News
Final public input session for the Czech Village/NewBo Action Plan will be held on Wednesday night
Residents will have a final opportunity to weigh in on the future of the New Bohemian District and Czech Village during an open house the Cedar Rapids Department of Community Development will hold on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at NewBo City Market. Ideas from the two previous public input sessions on the Czech Village/NewBo Action Plan
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids City Council candidates discuss top priorities, reasons for running at League of Women Voters forum
Candidates for the Cedar Rapids City Council shared their vision and plans for the city at a Sept. 26 forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Linn County (LWV). However, when the second panel of the night began, featuring candidates for the two at-large seats on the November ballot, only two of the three candidates were present.
Posted inCommunity/News
F. John Herbert, who helped transform the NewBo area and Iowa’s arts scene, steps down after leading Legion Arts for decades
Legion Arts co-founder F. John Herbert announced on Saturday he is stepping down as executive director of the Cedar Rapids nonprofit after 28 years. His resignation took effect on Sunday, Sept. 29.
Posted inCommunity/News
Ride an e-scooter or electric-assist bike for free in Cedar Rapids Thursday
Last month, Cedar Rapids became the first city in Iowa to introduce electric scooters, as part of its bike-share program. People who have yet to try the e-scooters — or the electric-assist bikes introduced earlier this year — can do so for free on Thursday, Oct. 3, for the city’s “Move More Week.” Thirty scooters are available in various parts of
Posted inCommunity/News
Plan to replace neighborhood schools will play a large part in this year’s Cedar Rapids school board election
Voters in the November election will decide between five candidates for two open at-large seats on the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) Board. The seat in District 4 will also be on the ballot. Three of the people running for the at-large seats, and the candidate challenging the incumbent in District 4, cited the school district’s
Posted inCommunity/News
Five Cedar Rapids City Council candidates vie for votes in a race tinged with controversy
The upcoming Cedar Rapids election has two contested city council races on the ballot. Sofia Mehaffey is running against incumbent Scott Overland for District 2. Three candidates are running for two at-large seats: incumbent Ann Poe, Jorel Robinson and Patrick Loeffler.
Posted inCommunity/News
Sen. Kamala Harris is ‘fucking moving to Iowa’ in an effort to finish in the top three in the Iowa Caucus
Presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris stressed the importance of electing a leader who will help unify the country and said it’s “time to turn the page on the current administration.” “The greatest fights we face in terms of challenges are not each other, and we must invest in the strength of our nation, understanding the commonalities
