The Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market will open in June as planned, but there will be a big change when it does. Both the June 6 and June 20 farmers markets will be drive-through markets. Around 30 vendors will be selling produce, honey, baked goods and other farm products. Online ordering for the June 6 […]
Cedar Rapids
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People with a substance use disorder face additional challenges during COVID-19 pandemic
Since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Iowa, it’s gotten a lot quieter at the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition’s Cedar Rapids office. But just because fewer people have been accessing services does not mean drug use is down, IHRC executive director Sarah Ziegenhorn said. “At first our requests for home deliveries went up quite a bit, and […]
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NewBo City Market will host farmers markets, food trucks starting in May
NewBo City Market is setting up a farmers market and hosting Food Truck Tuesdays starting next week. Both events will take precautions to follow social distancing guidelines and state regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Last Friday, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation she called the “first step” to reopen Iowa, which permits farmers […]
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Test Iowa site scheduled to open in Cedar Rapids in May
A Test Iowa site will be set up in Cedar Rapids in about two weeks, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said during Tuesday’s Cedar Rapids City Council meeting. The site will be at Kirkwood’s Continuing Education Training Center, 101 50th Ave SW. Linn County Emergency Management determined that this is the best location for the test […]
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Cases of COVID-19 reported at Cottage Grove Place retirement community in Cedar Rapids
A staff member and two residents in the nursing center at Cottage Grove Place, a retirement community in Cedar Rapids with both independent living units and skilled nursing care, tested positive for the virus last week, according to emails sent to family members of residents at the facility on April 22 and 24. Two weeks […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Linn County begins to plan for what happens when neighboring counties reopen in May
Linn County isn’t one of the 77 counties where Gov. Reynolds is relaxing the state’s COVID-19 restrictions, but four counties it shares borders with are, so Linn officials are starting to consider what impact the changes the governor announced on Monday will have in their county. Starting on May 1, closed retail businesses and restaurants […]
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City of Cedar Rapids seeking donations of cloth face masks
The City of Cedar Rapids is asking for donations of cloth face masks, which will be distributed to local service agencies and community members who need them. Anyone able to sew and donate masks can drop them off at drop-box locations around the city. Donations will be accepted until Friday, May 15. The drop-boxes are: […]
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Ten cases of COVID-19 reported at ManorCare Health Services in Cedar Rapids
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
Posted inCOVID-19
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 […]
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‘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 […]
