For most people last Friday was just another Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love and eat unlimited chocolate. But for more than 70 people, Feb. 14, 2020 is significant for another reason — it’s the day they became citizens of the United States.
Cedar Rapids
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Rompot residents seek to join lawsuit over Cargill’s construction of a new Cedar Rapids rail yard
The pushback against Cargill’s rail yard near the Rompot neighborhood and Prairie Park Fishery is continuing, and this week a group of Rompot residents filed motions seeking to join a pending lawsuit that challenges the Cedar Rapids City Council’s decisions to amend the future land use map and plan to rezone nearly 17 acres of land.
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Cedar Rapids coffee shop The Early Bird is closing its doors next month
The Early Bird is flying from its Cedar Rapids nest. The coffee shop will close its doors in early March after more than eight years in business, owner Brooke Fitzgerald said in a Facebook post Tuesday morning.
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Electric-assist bikes and (even more) e-scooters returning to Cedar Rapids in the spring
The number of scooters will increase from 30 to 80, and the full fleet of 150 bikes will be brought back in the spring once weather allows. Officials also shared potential plans to add an adaptive bike to the fleet. The city launched the bike-share program in May 2019
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Linn County and Cedar Rapids want artists to submit proposals from new public art projects
Linn County and Cedar Rapids are looking for artists to create new work of public art. Linn County needs both indoor and outdoor works for the new Dr. Percy and Lileah Harris building, and Cedar Rapids needs for a “pocket plaza” that scheduled to open later this year.
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Cedar Rapids issued more than 120,000 citations and collected $3.1 million in fines from traffic cameras in six months
Cedar Rapids’ automated traffic cameras generated 122,620 citations during the first six months after the city started using them again in July. The city also collected $3.1 million in fines for speeding or red light violations during those six months.
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965 Guitars closes its doors, Vinyl Emporium moving into the space this summer
965 Guitars has closed its doors after eight years, the store announced in a Facebook post on Jan. 31. The guitar store closing should not come as a surprise to Cedar Rapidians — owner Darwin Lindahl told the Gazette last year he was planning to end sales in January once his lease was up.
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Cedar Rapids emergency overflow shelter being ‘heavily used’ and facing challenges
The emergency overflow shelter in Cedar Rapids has been “heavily used” this winter season, people involved with running the shelter told the Cedar Rapids City Council last week.
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‘Our community is still fighting this’: Protesters call out Cargill’s rail yard, environmental track record during CEO’s visit to Cedar Rapids
As Cargill CEO David MacLennan discussed the company’s future in Cedar Rapids, protesters across the street criticized the company’s environmental record and the contentious rail yard planned for construction next to the Rompot neighborhood. MacLennan, who was in town for the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance’s annual meeting
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Walmart stores in Cedar Rapids and Marion will no longer be open 24 hours
Those who go to Walmart to satisfy their 2 a.m. snack cravings or diaper needs will soon have to find a new option. Starting on Saturday, Feb. 1, Linn County’s three Walmart stores will no longer be open 24 hours. The two locations in Cedar Rapids — 3601 29th Ave. SW and 2645 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE — will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight. The
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Cedar Rapids Museum of Art celebrates its 125th anniversary with an exhibition of American and French impressionist painters
The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is kicking off its 125th anniversary with a new exhibition showcasing 19th century impressionist art.“Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens” will showcase the “complex relationship” between French impressionism in the late 1800s and the American interpretation of the style in the following decades.
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Cedar Rapids seeking public input on possible new recreational opportunities on the Cedar River
For Cedar Rapidians who have long wished to canoe, tube or swim in the Cedar River, the opportunity might be getting closer. The City of Cedar Rapids is seeking input on potential recreational options, and residents have an opportunity to share their thoughts. Until Feb. 14, residents can take an online survey that will ask what they think about the Cedar River
