A third outbreak of COVID-19 at a long-term care facility in Linn County was reported on Thursday. ManorCare Health Services, a nursing home in Cedar Rapids, has 10 confirmed cases among its residents and staff, according to Linn County Public Health. Iowa currently has 12 long-term care facilities across the state experiencing outbreaks. The Iowa […]
Cedar Rapids
Climate striker Ayla Boylen isn’t letting COVID-19 stop her fight for a Green New Deal
Ayla Boylen has been striking every Friday, asking local and state leaders in Iowa to take action on climate change. She began her strike outside Cedar Rapids City Hall last fall, then changed her location to the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids on March 6. But a few days later, on March 8, the first […]
Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival canceled due to COVID-19
This year’s Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival has been canceled to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “In the 37 years of our Festival, we’ve not ever had to have the heavy conversations that we have had over the last few weeks — taking into consideration the latest news of COVID-19 and the impact it is making […]
Linn County confronts the ‘crisis within a crisis’ of worker safety, as the spread of COVID-19 at processing plants in other counties impacts its residents
Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart began Monday’s Linn County Public Health press conference by urging residents to wear a cloth face mask whenever they go out “in public, if you’re outside your home, you’re outside your car or when social distancing is difficult to ensure.” “Cloth masks that cover your nose and your mouth should […]
‘The need is great’: Nonprofits in eastern Iowa work to meet families’ need for fresh food during pandemic
Living in a food desert — a place where there is limited access to healthy and affordable food — is not a new issue in eastern Iowa. But COVID-19 has increased the need for fresh food and has changed how nonprofits in the state can deliver that food to people who need it most. Organizations […]
Cedar Rapids closes Gardner Golf Course and disc golf courses, as Linn County cases of COVID-19 reach 300
Linn County saw its first confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 21, about two weeks after the first cases were confirmed in Iowa on March 8. Close to a month after the county’s first confirmed cases, Linn County has become a hotspot in Iowa and has more confirmed cases than any other county in the […]
Iowa Secretary of State, Linn County officials encourage voting from home ahead of June primary
Linn County is preparing for the June 2 primary — which is still scheduled to happen, but with various changes due to COVID-19. Linn County Auditor Joel Miller said that his office sent out absentee ballot request forms to every household in the county. During a Board of Supervisors meeting on Wednesday, Miller said 1,500 […]
Cedar Rapids City Council moves its Tuesday meeting online due to COVID-19, but residents can still participate
The Cedar Rapids City Council is moving its Tuesday meeting online due to COVID-19. The public will still be able to watch the proceedings in real-time and participate. The meeting, which begins at noon, will be streamed live on the city’s Facebook page, as city council meetings usually are. The city also has videos of […]
St. Luke’s Healthcare Foundation, Willis Dady Homeless Services receive grants to help with impact of COVID-19
The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation has announced the first two groups that will receive grants under the foundation’s COVID-19 Disaster Response Fund. St. Luke’s Healthcare Foundation and Willis Dady Homeless Services will each receive $2,500. The Community Foundation is a nonprofit that supports other organizations in Linn County by offering grants, support and connecting […]
More than 200 COVID-19 cases confirmed in Linn County, Cedar Rapids may close parks and trails due to overcrowding
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to increase daily in Linn County, which has the most positive cases and deaths caused by the virus of any county in Iowa. On average, the number of cases has increased by 12 each day since March 21, when the first positive cases of the virus were […]
Leaf collection begins on Monday in Cedar Rapids, but with a change due to COVID-19
Cedar Rapids residents planning to rake their yards this weekend in preparation for spring cleaning are in luck — leaf collection begins on Monday, April 6. Residents can expect to have the leaf vacuum trucks come by their homes on their regular garbage day, unless trucks are slowed down by weather or volume. If that’s […]
COVID-19 outbreak identified at long-term care facility in Cedar Rapids; Linn County peak could be four weeks away
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Linn County is estimated to peak in the next three to four weeks, Dr. Tony Myers of Mercy Medical Center said during a Linn County Public Health press conference on Monday. “There’s no way really to predict exactly how bad it’s going to get,” Myers said. “We […]
