On Thursday, Glenn Hurst, a doctor and the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party’s Rural Caucus, became the third Democrat to enter the 2022 race for the U.S. Senate seat Chuck Grassley has held for four decades. “Iowa’s senior senator is stuck in a vision of our past when what we need is a vision […]
COVID-19
Posted inCommunity/News
Free DIY COVID-19 test kits now available
The last Test Iowa sites closed down on Friday, as the Iowa Department of Public Health ceased using drive-through test sites and started relying on at-home test kits to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Like the drive-through testing, the at-home testing program, which IDPH is doing in partnership with the State Hygienic […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City Municipal Airport warns about scams involving puppies and jobs
The Iowa City Municipal Airport put out a warning on Friday morning to alert people to a pair of scams, one involving puppies, the other involving jobs. “The first scam was reported earlier this summer and involves groups posing as pet breeders who say they will fly a dog you purchased to the Iowa City […]
Posted inCommunity/News
After more than a year of pandemic lockdown, Coralville Community Food Pantry reopens its doors to the public
Following a few brief remarks from its executive director, and a round of applause from supporters and volunteers, the Coralville Community Food Pantry reopened its doors to the public on Tuesday afternoon. “This is a really good day,” Executive Director John Boller said. The pantry’s staff and volunteers we excited to welcome clients back inside […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Cedar Rapids looks to boost arts and entertainment industry this summer
A new initiative from the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance aims to rally support for arts, culture and entertainment venues in the city this summer. The CR Summer Rally program is the latest phase of the Economic Alliance’s Buy Local program, communications manager Jule Day told Little Village. The Economic Alliance announced the Rally C.A.P. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Amid a flourishing Iowa skate culture, locals look to improve the Iowa City skatepark
Jeff Keyser fondly remembers he and his friends riding their skateboards past the Iowa City skatepark as it was being built back in 2002. Keyser was in middle school at the time and had already been skateboarding for a few years. He got into skating in the late ’90s after he and his brother got […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City Council will resume in-person meetings, starting on July 6 at the Senior Center
The Iowa City Council will resume in-person meetings, starting on Tuesday. But instead of meeting at City Hall, the council will be holding both its work sessions and formal session in the assembly room of the Senior Center (28 S Linn St). “The Center’s assembly room is larger than City Hall’s Emma Harvat Hall, and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City to reopen City Hall on Thursday
City Hall will fully reopen on Thursday. The building closed to the general public on March 18, 2020, as COVID-19 began to spread widely in the city and the state. “These changes signal a move back to pre-pandemic operations; however, the City will remain vigilant in monitoring the local and national public health situation. For […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Secretary of Iowa Senate denies making threat over report on inadequate COVID measures at State Capitol Building
Charlie Smithson, the secretary of the Iowa Senate, complained to the administrator in charge of the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Agency (IOSHA) about a “hazard alert letter” by agency inspectors criticizing how the Republican leaders who appointed Smithson failed to address COVID-19 concerns in the Iowa State Capitol Building, and suggested the letter might […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds says no to vaccine incentives, yes to running for reelection; State Auditor says she misused pandemic aid again
“I am really happy with where we’re at,” Gov. Kim Reynolds told reporters on Thursday, explaining that Iowa doesn’t need to follow the example of other states and create lotteries or other incentives to persuade people to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In April, the governor announced a goal of having 65 percent of eligible Iowans […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Hy-Vee will give gift cards to people who get their COVID-19 vaccinations at its locations
States around the country have used federal pandemic aid to create incentives programs, ranging from million-dollar lotteries to free fishing licenses, to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Iowa’s Gov. Kim Reynolds has decided to rely on outreach programs by county health agencies, and done nothing new at the state level. Instead, her approach […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Johnson County lifts its mask mandate, will fully reopen buildings to the public
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Thursday to lift the county’s mask mandate. The mandate officially ends on Monday, May 31, following the publication of a public notice in “a newspaper of record.” “Today’s just the culmination of a lot of what is happening,” Supervisor Rod Sullivan said before the board voted […]
